But as he had all game, senior Hunter Hoy quickly turned the momentum back Central Mountain’s way.

Three straight drives to the hoop to start the stanza were met with contention, but Hoy found a way to impact the scoreboard each time, notching five-straight points to up the team’s lead back to seven. Coupled with a clutch trio of treys from Darius Shade and a stout defensive effort that saw the Bulldogs go scoreless for over three minutes of play, the Wildcats wouldn’t see their lead fall below two scores again.

Hoy finished with a season-high 29, Shade and Noah Wells attributed double-figure outings and Central Mountain scored in double figures in all four quarters, as the team defeated its rival, 63-53, under the jumbotron at Thomas Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

“I was just trying to play it safe because I was in foul trouble and do whatever I could to help the team win without putting us in positions to lose,” said Hoy. “(Thomas Fieldhouse)’s a great place to play and the community was here tonight. We had a great showing and we’re battling injuries, so it was definitely a good thing to win tonight.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Hunter Hoy drives between Jersey Shore's Tucker Hannah (34) and Ty McDermitt (31) during the teams' matchup at Thomas Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The Wildcats won 63-55.

With the game still in question approaching the midway point of the fourth, as Central Mountain’s lead dropped to four, Wells drove toward the basket before kicking it to an open Shade in the corner.

Shade’s high-arching three connected to send the Wildcat bench into an uproar. Then, he’d convert on another, and another, to give his team a nine-point lead with just over two minutes left in the game. The sharpshooter finished with 11, with nine of those coming in the game’s most crucial moments.

“When he gets going, he’s definitely a threat,” said Hoy on Shade. “That’s what he does. He hits threes and he opens up the gap of the lead.”

A Hoy three-point play with under minute remaining was the icing on the cake, a fitting end to a sound night for the senior. He put up ten alongside Shade’s nine in the fourth to keep his team in a great spot, much of which came when he had four fouls.

Hoy was impactful from the very beginning, securing a steal on their first defensive possession before taking it back for an easy layup to give the Wildcats an initial lead. He’d log 12 by the end of the period and post a huge transition three late in the second to give the team a nine-point lead heading into halftime.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Darius Shade shoots a layup during the team's 63-55 win over Jersey Shore on Wednesday at Thomas Fieldhouse.

“Hunter was aggressive from the get-go and did a great job staying downhill,” said Central Mountain head coach Tyler Bardo on Hoy. “I think it really stems from his defense. He plays with that energy, and it gives him a lot of good opportunity at the offensive end.”

Wells finished with 13, making multiple tough layups in the first and also securing two blocks to help stifle Shore’s offense. And the team’s defense was crucial as a whole, giving up seven in the second to help the team earn its cushion and three through the first half of the fourth to help reestablish it.

The win propels Central Mountain to a 4-6 record, the team’s third in five games. Bardo still sees plenty of progress left to be made, but they’ve begun to find their footing since starting 1-4.

“Sustainability is the next step. If we’re going to hit our peak at the right time, we have to be able to sustain when we have these strong starts,” said Bardo. “Understand situational basketball and continue to focus on those little things, like the decisions, the game within the game. When it becomes situational at the end of quarters and halves.”

For Jersey Shore (7-3), there were positives despite seeing their win streak end at six. Three separate players hit momentous threes in the first as the team responded well to a strong opening surge from the Wildcats. And it put itself in position to reclaim the lead late after seeing its deficit hit eight twice in the third.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Noah Wells takes a contested layup during the team's 63-55 win over Jersey Shore on Wednesday at Thomas Fieldhouse.

Landon Lathan led the team with a career-high 19 points, scoring eight in the fourth to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance till the end. And even with the defense particularly focused on him, Ben Dalton finished with 18, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the line while continuing to make an impact on the glass on both sides of the court. He also added 13 rebounds to secure his seventh double-double of the season.

Each team returns to league action on Saturday, with the Bulldogs playing host to Shamokin and the Wildcats traveling to Midd-West to take on the Mustangs. Those matchups are each set for 7:15 p.m.

Central Mountain 63, Jersey Shore 55

JERSEY SHORE (55)

Ben Dalton 5 8-8 18; Landon Lathan 6 5-9 19; Jacob Lorson 1 1-2 4; Ty McDermitt 1 3-4 6; Tucker Hannah 2 1-2 5; Roman Dittmar 3 0-2 3. Totals 18 15-27 55.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Landon Lathan (15) and Roman Dittman (35) defend against Central Mountain's Jeremy Reese during the teams' matchup at Thomas Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The Wildcats won 63-55.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (63)

Blake Walker 2 1-2 5; Max Verrelli 0 2-4 2; Hunter Hoy 10 7-10 29; Jeremy Reese 2 0-1 2; Noah Wells 6 1-1 13; Darius Shade 4 0-0 11. Totals 24 10-18 62.

Jersey Shore – 15 7 18 15 – 55

C. Mountain – 18 13 11 20 – 63

Three-pointers: Jersey Shore 5 (Lathan 2, Lorson 1, McDermitt 1, Dittmar 1); Central Mountain 5 (Shade 3, Hoy 2).

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Ben Dalton prepares to take a free throw during the team's 63-55 loss against Central Mountain on Wednesday at Thomas Fieldhouse.

Records: Jersey Shore 7-3; Central Mountain 4-6.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Max Verrelli and Jersey Shore's Ty McDermitt fight for possession during the teams' matchup at Thomas Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The Wildcats won 63-55.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Darius Shade reaches for possession during the team's 63-55 win over Jersey Shore on Wednesday at Thomas Fieldhouse.