Breaking News
Local sports

Penns Valley boys scrape past county rival Bald Eagle on road, 49-42

By KENNY VARNER 5 min read

WINGATE – It was a Friday night instant classic.

Friday night, the Bald Eagle Area boys basketball team went up against a playoff-bound Penns Valley team. With nothing but pride on the line, the Eagles battled down to the wire as both teams left everything they had on the court.

The game would not be decided until the final minutes of the contest. However, the Rams were able to muscle their way to the 49-42 Laurel Highlands victory.

"Anytime you can get a win, especially against a Centre County opponent, it means a little bit more," said Penns Valley coach Robert Irwin. "Bald Eagle played very tough tonight, and I am glad we responded and hit some shots and get a couple stops on defense to help get us the win."

Both teams brought strong defensive efforts to the contest, as the two teams made great plays throughout to keep the other's offense in check.

Offensively, the Rams were led by Noah Patel who finished with a game-high 14 points. Teammate Fletcher Ironside followed him up with a double-digit finish of his own, scoring 12 points. Spencer Althouse finished with nine, but four came in crunch time when Penns Valley was trying to pull away in the fourth.

James Cowan was a strong force to be reckoned with down low for the Eagles, posting 11 points. Kane Wolf also helped keep the Eagles in the contest, scoring 11 points, with nine coming from beyond the arc.

On the boards, the Eagles were led by the relentless rebounding of Luke Hosband, who tallied 14 boards. Teammate Cowan finished with eight.

"It was a great game. It was a great environment. It was a great high school basketball game. I wish we had more like this. It was a tough finish," said Bald Eagle Area coach Kris Glunt. "We lost some opportunities. We failed to capitalize on a few things that would have made it a two-possession game. We played a lot better tonight than we did the first time. We constantly got better throughout the year which I'm very proud of."

Going into the final stanza, the Rams held a 38-32 advantage.

Wolf got the scoring started as he hit a jumper, cutting the Rams’ lead to four.

Bald Eagle's defense forced a turnover and pushed the ball up the court, which finished with a drive to the hoop in traffic by Jackson Millward, who put his team within a basket.

However, the Rams got the ball after a time out and Fletcher Ironside cut the 4-0 run, as he laid up the ball and was fouled on the play. Ironside missed the free throw, making it a 40-36 contest with 5:15 left.

Back rallied the Eagles, as they pushed the ball down the court and found a wide open Wolf beyond the arc. His shot hit nothing but net, putting the Penns Valley lead at just one, 40-39.

But the Rams went to the three on their next possession, as Julian Battaglia was found open past the line. Battaglia did not disappoint, as he hit the trey to bump the lead back up to four.

With the triple, Bald Eagle called a time out to regroup and set up a plan. But it was Penns Valley that came out and added to its lead via a lone free throw by Patel.

The Bald Eagle crew did not give up, as they got the ball back beyond the arc in hopes of hitting another triple. Their wish was granted by Millward, cutting the Rams’ lead to 44-42.

But Penns Valley's defense stood tall late, allowing its offense to go on a 5-0 run down the stretch for the victory.

In the first period, the Rams got started early with Bald Eagle's defense closely behind, posting a 17-13 lead going into the second quarter.

Bald Eagle's defense was suffocating in the second quarter, allowing only four points in the period while its offense notched eight, narrowing the gap to zero at a 21-21 tie heading into the break.

The Rams gained back an edge over the Eagles in the third quarter, outscoring the home team 17-11 and setting the stage for the excitement of the fourth.

With the win, Penns Valley improved to 13-10 on the season while bouncing back from an earlier loss in the week. It’ll look to maintain that success at Clearfield next Monday, with that game set for 7:30 p.m.

For the Eagles (5-14), they’ll look to bounce back on the road against rival Bellefonte, also on the road. That game is set for 7:30 p.m. as well.

Penns Valley 49, Bald Eagle Area 42

PENNS VALLEY (49)

Fletcher Ironside 5 2-5 12; Spencer Althouse 2 5-6 9; Noah Patel 5 4-6 14; Carter Ironside 2 0-0 6; Julian Battaglia 3 0-0 8. Totals 17 11-17 49.

BALD EAGLE AREA (42)

Jackson Millward 2 1-4 6; Luke Hosband 3 0-0 6; Kane Wolf 4 0-0 11; James Cowan 4 3-6 11; Jayden Yeaney 4 0-0 8. Totals 17 4-10 42.

Penns Valley 17 4 17 11 – 49

Bald Eagle A. 13 8 11 10 – 42

Three-pointers: Penns Valley 4 (C. Ironside 2, Battaglia 2); Bald Eagle Area 4 (Wolf 3, Millward).

Starting at /week.