Wildcats Claw Bulldogs for 74-61 Win

AdminJanuary 11, 2019Last Updated: January 12, 2019

3 minutes read

JERSEY SHORE – It was a classic brawl on the hardwood between backyard rivals with the Wildcats clawing their way to a 74-61 win over the Bulldogs in a hard-fought contest.

Jersey Shore took the lead early on with Central Mountain tagging along within striking distance. Just when the Bulldogs thought they would have a bit of breathing room, the ‘Cats would strike back to close the gap. ‘Shore had a 19-15 advantage in the first quarter, then CM turned the table and had a 18-15 advantage in the second period. Jersey Shore was leading 34-30 with seconds remaining in the first half when Collin Jones moved the ball slowly up the court unchallenged and just before he reached the 3-point line he stopped and drained a shot to close the gap to 34-33 just before the break.

“That’s what we have been looking for all season long. Tonight we finally took the lid off,” said a relieved CM head coach, Tyler Bardo after the game, “In a game like this, emotion takes over and we had to settle in. We made some changes and the guys handled it very well.”

“We talked at practice about it’s not always what you are doing, but how you are going it,” Bardo explained, “We changed the way we were doing some things in practice, particularly in our shooting drills and it’s paid off for us tonight.”

In the third quarter, the Wildcats came out swinging and went on a ten point run before ‘Shore could get a score. Central Mountain went on to outscore the Bulldogs 20-9 in the third quarter with CM taking the lead, they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game and had a 53-43 advantage with eight minutes remaining in the game.

Central Mountain kept up the pressure down the stretch, all the while the Bulldogs kept fighting to stay within reach. Fortunately for the Wildcats, with just under 3 minutes left in the game, their shots were dropping and Jersey Shore had collected ten team fouls to put the ‘Cats in bonus land.

“Every game is a new situation and figuring out how to manage the clock with a lead late in the game was there for us tonight,” Bardo shared.

Collin Jones stepped up hitting a field goal and 4 of 5 from the penalty stripe while Conner Soo added 5 points and Tanner Lavelle dropping in 6 points down the stretch to seal the win for the Wildcats.

“Collin Jones came in and had a game we’ve been kind of waiting for from him,” said Bardo, “He was seeing his spots and going after what their defense was giving him while his teammates around him were taking good shots, taking pressure off him as well,” Bardo explained.

Overall, Jones had a team high 30 points, shooting 10 of 13 foul line, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks. Soo dropped in 20 points including 6 of 8 on free throws for CM. Jake Skrtich had 5 points while JT Pentz scored 4 points and had 10 boards on the night. Aiden Major had a 3 pointer for the ‘Cats while Zane Probst scored two free throws.

For the Bulldogs, Nate Ewing had a game high 31 points with scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trevor Gee had 9 points while Cayden Hess, 4; Sean Anderson, 3. Aaron Best and Eli Fishel had 1 point each for Jersey Shore.

The loss for Jersey Shore takes them to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the PHAC. The Bulldogs will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 when they travel to Wellsboro.

The Wildcats now stand at 3-6 for the season, 3-3 in conference play and will also be on the road Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 at Huntingdon.