Northern Tier Sports ReportTOWANDA — Towanda out scored Wyalusing 20-12 in the fourth to pull away for a 63-54 win during NTL boys’ hoops action Monday.
The win, couples with NP-Mansfield’s loss to Troy, puts the Knights as the sole team in first place of the Large School standings.
“I am pleased that we stay poised and found a way to win a hard fought game,” said Towanda coach Landon Henry. “Coach Keyes and Wyalusing did a good job of changing up looks and making our dudes think before playing on the offensive end. I would have liked to have gotten the ball moving a little quicker and less thinking, but I’m happy with the way we navigated through that and stayed together to get this one. We will always lean on the defensive end of the floor and I thought that showed up to come away with a win in tonight’s type of game.”
It was nip-and-tuck throughout with Towanda taking a 15-14 first quarter lead, while the Rams led 29-28 at the half.
The Knights got back on top, 43-42, going into the fourth before pulling away.
Markell Garner had 19 points to lead four Knights in double figures. Boom Thompson added 14, Graham Welles finished with 13, and Darrius Farrell had 10.
Lucas Vincent chipped in with five points, as Josh Maye added two.
Tyler Caplan had 17 points to lead Wyalusing, as Shay Gartland chipped in with 10.
Cam Cole, Parker Cunningham, and Myles Kershner had six points each, with Jared VanDeMark scoring five, and Noah Kilmer adding four.
Farrell led the Black Knight effort in the first quarter with six points, while Gartland, and Kershner had four points each for the Rams.
Wyalusing saw six different players score in the second quarter, led by five from VanDeMark, to take the 1-point lead at the half. Garner had eight of his team’s 13 points in the second.
In the third Thompson and Garner combined for 10 points to lead Towanda, as Caplan went off for nine to power Wyalusing.
Up by one going into the fourth, Towanda opened the quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 50-42 lead just over a minute in.
The Rams responded with a 6-0 run to cut it to 50-48. The two teams traded points after that, then the Knights went on a 5-0 spurt for a 57-50 lead.
Wyalusing cut it to 57-52 with 2:41 left to play, but that’s as close as they got, with Towanda ending the game on a 6-2 run to secure the win.
Towanda (15-4) will host Troy for another big Large School match-up, while Wyalusing (6-11) welcomes Wellsboro. Both games are on Wednesday.
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
