NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: WELLSBORO WINS RIVALRY GAME, HANDS NP-MANSFIELD FIRST LOSS (2022-01-08)
By Lance LarcomNorthern Tier West Sports ReportWELLSBORO — The Hornets methodically built a double-digit halftime lead against rival North Penn-Mansfield Saturday, and following a furious comeback attempt by the Tigers that cut the lead to one with two and a half minutes left in the game, used one of several runs they’d put together on the night to pull away and hand NPM their first loss of the season, 57-49.
Wellsboro Head Coach Steve Adams spoke prior to the game about the importance of getting the much-needed “W”.
“I don’t ever like to say a game is a ‘must win’,” Coach Adams explained, “but yeah .. we need this one!”
The Hornets were coming off a tough loss to NTL large-school-leader Troy, and Adams was anxious to see how his squad was going to respond.
“These boys played their hearts out the other night”, Adams expressed, “without two of their buddies (Liam and Drew Manning) but I think you’ll see a fire tonight we haven’t seen from them yet.”
The Hornets responded by playing perhaps their best half of basketball yet this season.
Senior “defensive stopper” Darryn Callahan, who would be tasked with containing Tiger leading scorer Karson Dominick, got the Hornets on the board first with a jumper to start the game.
A Brody Burleigh bucket for NPM was sandwiched between a Hayes Campbell basket and a Peyton McClure three to give Wellsboro an early 7-2 lead.
Burleigh scored the next seven points before Liam Manning came off the bench and scored, spurring a 9-0 run for Wellsboro which included another McClure three and baskets by Conner Adams and Campbell to give the Hornets a 17-9 lead.
Eli Shaw knocked down a three for NPM, but Cameron Brought put back an Adams’ miss to keep the Wellsboro lead at seven, 19-12, as the first quarter came to a close.
Callahan, who had not only kept Mansfield’s Dominick from scoring in the opening quarter, but also kept the prolific sophomore from getting more than a pair of touches, started the second quarter off as he had the game, connecting on a jumper.
Campbell and Brought each scored, extending the Hornet lead to 13 at 25-12, before Burleigh stopped the run with a free throw, followed by a pair of Shaw freebies to cut the lead to nine.
Brought connected once again inside, and after a basket by NPM freshman Alex Davis, McClure hit his third three of the game to give Wellsboro the 30-18 lead at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, the Tigers went on a run of their own, as Burleigh hit one-of-two free throws, Sammy Lawrence hit four from the line and Davis played in a nice reverse lay-up to cut the Wellsboro lead to five.
Callahan and Manning buckets pushed the lead back to nine, before Dominck connected on his first points of the game and Lawrence came up with a steal and the finish to keep the Hornet lead at five.
After Adams and Dominick traded threes, Shaw and Manning traded twos, and Adams went to the line for three free throws to end the third quarter. The junior point guard hit two and Wellsboro entered the final frame up 41-34.
A minute into the fourth, Burleigh sank one of two free throws and Callahan answered before Shaw knocked down a three and Davis scored, cutting the Wellsboro lead to three at 43-40.
Manning scored inside, and Burleigh again hit one-of-two from the line before Adam Green buried a three for the Tigers to get them to within one at 45-44 with two and a half minutes left.
Cue a Wellsboro run ..
A driving lay-up by Adams and yet another Callahan jumper led to a 7-0 run for the Hornets, as NPM was forced to start sending Wellsboro to the line, resulting in four free-throws for McClure, three for Adams and one for Callahan, which sealed the win.
Coach Adams was very pleased with his squad’s effort in all aspects after the game, saying, “I thought our offensive execution was the best it’s been all season. The boys reacted well and understood the situations.”
McClure would finish with 13 points to lead the Hornets’ balanced attack, as Adams scored 12, Callahan had 11 and Manning came off the bench to score nine points. The senior big man added ten rebounds and three assists.
Brought and Campbell each finished with six points, and Brought had eight boards while Cambell grabbed seven.
Callahan and Adams each handed out five assists on the night and Callahan added five rebounds, while also excelling at his defensive assignment on one of the league’s top scorers.
Coach Adams credits his whole team for their defensive effort, which resulted in holding the Tigers 13 points under their season average.
“We played really hard defensively”. Adams said, “We stayed in good position, and when they cut it to one, I was really pleased with how the boys responded.”
Dominick would finish with five points, while Burleigh led the Tigers with 16. Shaw finished in double figures with 10, and Lawrence, Green and Davis each scored six points to round out the NP-Mansfield attack.
The loss is the Tigers first, as they drop to 6-1. They’ll return to action Monday when they host 2-6 Sayre.
For Wellsboro, the win leaves them at 6-2 on the season. They’ll return to play Wednesday when they host 2-5 Williamson.
PHOTOS: Lance Larcom
