Northern Tier Sports ReportWYALUSING — Wyalusing fell to NP-Liberty, 65-51, during NTL boys’ basketball action Friday.
It was a tight game after one, with the two teams tied at 15, but NPL pulled ahead for a 33-26 lead at the half.
They opened things up in the third, out scoring the Rams 18-11 to go up by 14 points.
Wyalusing would cut it to 11 in the fourth, but the Mounties ultimately pulled away.
Parker Cunningham had 14 points to lead Wyalusing, including three 3-balls, while Tyler Caplan netted 13.
Myles Kershner added 11, as Jared VanDeMark notched eight points. Cam Cole had three, with Shay Gartland netting two.
Luke Kreger had 20 points to lead four Mounties in double figures.
Evan McTish notched 16, Ladan Mattern had 11, and Conner Lewis scored 10.
Brody Grinnell notched six, as Sudan Benner rounded out their scorers with two.
It was a game of runs in the first quarter as NPL jumped out for a 4-0 lead, only for the Rams to knot things up at 4-all.
A Lewis bucket put the Mounties up 6-4, but Wyalusing came back with a VanDeMark free throw, followed by Kershner 3-ball to go up 8-6.
NPL would punch back with a 9-0 run to take a 15-8 lead, but the final minutes belonged to Wyalusing.
Cunningham had back to back buckets, followed by a Cole 3-ball at the buzzer made it a tied game after one.
The Rams kept that momentum going to start the second, going on a 4-0 spurt as Cunningham hit two free throws, followed by a Kershner jumper.
NPL railed with a 6-0 run themselves, with four of those points coming from Kreger, to take a 21-19 lead.
A Cunningham lay-up, followed by a pair of free throws out of Caplan put the Rams on top 23-21.
Back to back buckets from McTish, and Mattern put NPL up 25-23.
Cunningham bagged a 3-ball at the other end for a 26-25 Wyalusing lead, but it would their last of the game.
NPL ended the frame on an 8-0 run to take a 7-point lead into the locker rooms.
It was back and forth to start the third as three straight times the Rams cut it to a 5-point deficit but couldn’t get it any closer.
After a Cunningham 3-pointer made it 41-35 NPL went on a 10-2 run to end the frame up 51-37.
A pair of technical free throws made by Kreger made it 18 points to start the fourth.
A Lewis jumper extended the lead to 20.
An old fashion 3-point play from Caplan cut it to 17.
After they traded buckets for a 59-42 score a Caplan put back, followed by a 4-point play out of Kershner saw the Rams make it a 59-48 score.
Kreger would answer with a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to 14.
A Caplan bucket made it a 12 point game, but NPL out scored Wyalusing 3-1 in the final throws for the 14-point win.
Wyalusing (4-9) travels to Athens on Monday.
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
