Wildcat boys keep flying, topple Milton, 77-47
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – Saturday night could have been what they call a trap game for the Central Mountain boys’ basketball team, the possibility the Wildcats might be off their game against Milton and instead looking ahead to a mid-season showdown next week at Shamokin. That wasn’t the case, however, as the Wildcats led from start to finish on the way to a 77-47 win.
CM is now 10-0, the best start in school history, and sets up next Wednesday’s trip to 7-2 Shamokin. Coach Tyler Bardo’s team handily dispatched Milton, jumping to a 6-0 lead at the start extending it to 20-4 late in the first period and maintaining a comfortable lead throughout, again allowing the coaches to go deep into their bench.
Senior guard Essex Taylor keyed the hot start, hitting eight first period points as an aggressive Wildcat defense, forcing multiple turnovers, kept the visiting Black Panthers from establishing a rhythm. Sophomore guard Hunter Hoy took over offensively in period two, scoring 13 in the second stanza, on the way to a career-high 25 points.
Coach Bardo said Hoy’s offensive showing may have been a surprise to some, “but not a surprise to us.” He said with teams keying on senior standouts Jack Hanna and Hayden Pardoe, it presented opportunities for Hoy. He said the coaches asked Hoy to be aggressive and he has responded both Saturday night and earlier in the week against Shikellamy.
The Wildcats spread around the offense, Taylor finishing with 10, as did Hanna. Pardoe finished with 17. Ten Wildcats in all scored; others were Dom Longworth 5, Caleb Mahoney 3 and 2 each from Levi Schlesinger, Brady Myers, Darius Shade and Matt Myers.
Milton, now 4-5, was led by Nigel Hunter with 19 points.
As for the trip to Shamokin, coach Bardo it’s a tough place to play, said good things about the Indians and said, “we’ll be ready.”
Central Mountain came from behind to win the jayvee game, 43-42.
CM 22 19 20 16 = 77
M 10 10 19 8 = 47
