NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: LANE SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT; LEADS ATHENS TO 65-47 WIN OVER TROY (5 PHOTOS) (2020-01-21)
Valley Sports ReportTROY "” Senior Aaron Lane scored his 1,000th career point, and led Athens to its third consecutive impressive win over a Large School rival a 65-47 decision over Troy in NTL boys basketball action here Tuesday night at the Troy Commons Building.
Lane, who pumped in a game-high 29 points, only scored two points in the first quarter as the Wildcats fell behind 15-12, but that bucket put him over 1,000 points for his career.
"I'm really proud of Aaron," said Athens coach Bob Woodward. "In the last week-and-a-half, he's really picked it up, in all areas of his game, not just scoring.
"And, I know that he knows that his teammates have a lot to do with this accomplishment," he added.
With the win, Athens, now 9-3 overall and 7-2 in NTL play, remains 1-game behind Wyalusing in the Large School standings, and moves ahead of Troy into sole possession of second place.
In their last three games, the Wildcats have beaten Wellsboro, 71-51, first-place Wyalusing, which was unbeaten in league play, 53-31, on its home floor, and second-place Troy on its home floor.
"A week-and-a-half ago, we had a team meeting, and we - coaches and players - all decided that the only way we were going to start to become the best version of ourselves was to play together on the offensive end, and make some changes to how hard we play on defense," said Woodward.
"I know two things. I know on defense, everyone is working hard," he noted. "And, I know on offense, we're making the extra pass "”our assists have improved, and we're rebounding a little harder.
"The kids and the coaches have started to buy into it; that's really the difference," added Woodward. "It's nice to see them have some success, but we have a lot more work to do."
Lane knocked down both of his 3-pointers, and scored 13 points in the second quarter, and sophomore J.J. Babcock added nine points to fuel a 22-13 spurt that gave the Wildcats a 34-28 lead the half.
Lane, who also had four rebounds and three steals in the game, and freshman Mason Lister scored six points apiece in a 16-10 third-quarter spurt that pushed the lead to 50-38 entering the final eight minutes.
Lane, who was 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and Babcock added six points as the Wildcats put the game away with a 15-9 spurt.
Babcock had 19 points, nine rebounds, including five offensive boards, and two blocked shots in the win, while sophomore Troy Pritchard added seven points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, Lister chipped in with six points, senior Damian Hudson dished out four assists, and senior Brady Smith contributed four assists, and three steals.
Ty Barrett led Troy with 18 points, and Ethan VanNoy added 11 points.
Athens returns to action Thursday when it hosts North Penn-Mansfield.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens senior Aaron Lane. ... PHOTOS BY CARTER PARKINGS.
