Wildcats drain 13 threes in dominating win over outmatched Claysburg-Kimmel 83-39

MILL HALL, PA- Prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, Claysburg-Kimmel found themselves short a pair of games when a tipoff tournament they were scheduled to compete in was canceled. The Bulldogs a small 2A program out of the Inter-County League Eat were searching for games to fill their schedule. They found a game one and half hours away in Mill Hall against a hot shooting Central Mountain team.

The Wildcats would pick apart Claysburg-Kimmel’s zone defense and drain 13 from downtown enroute to a huge 83-39 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Caleb Mahoney’s inside dish to Blake Walker would start a 13-0 run by Central Mountain to start the contest. Hunter Hoy’s pair of three-point baskets during that run would spark the Wildcats and they would never look back.

Poor shooting and a lockdown Central Mountain pressure defense would keep the visitors from ever really getting much offensively going.

CM’s 22-8 first quarter lead would only swell in the second quarter. Hoy would drill three more three-point baskets in the second frame, on his way to a 13-point quarter.

Seven different Wildcats scored in a huge 33-10 second quarter to push Central Mountain’s lead to 55-18 at the break.

With the mercy in place during the second half, head coach Tyler Bardo called off the Wildcats’ pressure defense. It didn’t matter on this night.

Central Mountain closed out the game with a 14-6 third quarter advantage. The Bulldogs did manage to outscore CM in the fourth quarter 15-14 when many of the Wildcats’ reserves were finishing out the contest.

Hunter Hoy led the Wildcats with 20 points, including 5 three-point baskets. Max Verrelli dropped in 17 points, thanks in part to 4 three-point baskets.

Ritchey led C-K with 19 points and Haney finished with 14 in the loss.

CM will hit the road on Wednesday and will be tested at DuBois. The Beavers are 2-0 following wins over the weekend against  Clarion and Oil City.

C-K 8 10 6 15 39

CM 22 33 14 14 83

C-K (39)

Haney 6 0-0 14, Ritchey 8 1-3 19, Treon 1 2-2 4, Walter 1 0-0 2, TOTALS- 16 3-5 39

3FG- 4 (Haney 2, Ritchey 2)

Central Mountain (83)

Myers 2 2-4 6, Hoy 7 3-4 20, Mahoney 2 0-0 4, Foltz 2 0-1 4, Walker 4 0-0 9, Grenninger 2 2-2 7, Persun 1 0-0 3, Wells 2 4-4 9, Verrelli 6 1-2 17, Shade 1 0-0 2, Charles 0 0-0 0, TOTALS- 29 12-17 83

3FG-13 (Hoy 5, Verrelli 4, Walker, Wells, Persun, Grenninger)