Wildcat boys fend off DuBois, 69-47
BALD EAGLET TOWNSHIP, PA – On a night when their three-point shots were not falling as much as normal, the Central Mountain boys’ basketball team did a lot of other things really well, the end result a 69-47 win over visiting DuBois. The victory put coach Tyler Bardo’s team at 2-0 on the young season; the loss dropped a rebuilding Beaver team to 1-2.
The Wildcats put up a strong defensive effort, forcing 23 DuBois turnovers, while the offense spread things around, totaling 18 assists as four starters were in double-figures. Coach Bardo said he liked the teamwork, terming the squad “unselfish” and while acknowledging that mistakes will be made in the compressed start to the season, “We have to be happy where we are and will keep building.”
The Wildcats never trailed and took a 9-point lead into the locker room at halftime, 35-26. The Beavers were still within reach after three, trailing 51-39. Then the two CM senior standouts took over offensively to start the final period. Jack Hanna and Hayden Pardoe combined on a 9-point run punctuated by a 2-hand thunderdunk from the 6-6 Pardoe, effectively putting the game out of reach for a battling DuBois team.
Pardoe finished with 22 points and Hanna followed with 15. Levi Schlesinger finished with a career-high 13 points and was complimented by coach Bardo for his work inside. Essex Taylor had 10 and Hunter Hoy with five. Xaiver Persun added a 3-pointer. Beaver junior Tyson Kennis all but single-handedly kept his team in the game, finishing with a game high 25 points as the Wildcats worked successfully to shut down the Beavers’ perimeter game, allowing Kennis to score from inside.
The Beavers took the jv game by a 53-24 score.
Central Mountain begins Heartland Conference play at Mifflinburg (0-0) next Tuesday. The Wildcats will be on the road for rest of December.
D 16 10 13 8 = 47
CM 18 17 16 18 = 69
