Shamokin Edges ‘Cats, 58-55

AdminJanuary 31, 2020Last Updated: January 31, 2020

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BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – In their third outing of a four game week, Central Mountain came up short in a 58-55 loss to visiting Shamokin.

Everything was going the Wildcat’s way in the first quarter as they were putting up points and holding the Indians at bay for a 10-6 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

The worm would turn in the second period as Shamokin started to dial in their shots, outpacing the ‘Cats, 23-7 for a 29-17 halftime lead.

The pendulum would swing back in the third quarter when Central Mountain returned the favor, besting Shamokin, 22-16 though they were still trailing, 45-39.

The Wildcats kept chipping away at the Indian lead and were in contention at the close of the fourth quarter, edging Shamokin 16-13 but still a bit short of their goal. That final period was highlighted with a 6-9 effort from the penalty stripe in the final minute of the game for CM and Conner Soo put up a 3-point shot at the buzzer that just missed the mark.

“We gave ourselves opportunities, and there were some areas we could have done better,” shared Tyler Bardo CM head coach, “Every detail matters at the end of the game.”

The Wildcat win-loss record may not look great at this point of the season, that statistic does not reveal their fight.

“Time and time agin we are in these situations and we show we are a good team at 4-13,” Bardo explained, “Otherwise you don’t continue to see yourself with opportunities to win against the teams we are playing with the schedule we have. I think the belief is coming, we just have to learn to finish and take care of every single detail.”

Soo finished with a team high of 14 followed by Zane Probst with 10, Ujjval Adroja and Trevor Adair had 8 points each while Nick Long added 7, Jack Hanna with 4. Can Baker scored 3 points and Cayde McCloskey had a free throw to his credit.

The loss takes Central Mountain to 4-13 overall, 3-7 in conference play. The Wildcats will be back in the CMHS gym Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 for their fourth game in six days.