DISTRICT 4 BOYS BASKETBALL: TOP-SEED MONTOURSVILLE THUMPS ATHENS, 70-49, IN CLASS AAAA SEMIS (18 PHOTOS) (2020-02-26)
BY TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTROY - Top-seeded Montoursville dominated on both ends of the floor en route to a 70-49 win over fifth-seed Athens here Wednesday night in the semifinals of the District 4, Class AAAA boys basketball playoffs at the Troy Commons Building.
"(Montoursville is) a well-balanced team, maybe the best team we've played all year," said Athens coach Bob Woodward. "They're very good. They shoot the 3 very well, and they're strong inside.
"It was a great experience for us because we don't play teams like this. I'm proud of our kids.
"We battled," noted Woodward. "The ball wasn't going in the bucket, and some other things weren't going our way, like in some games maybe it has.
"We're ready for the next one," he added. "Our goal is to make it to the state tournament."
The "next one" will be the Class AAAA consolation game against Jersey Shore Saturday at noon at Milton High School. The winner will advance to the state playoffs.
Woodward does not believe their will be any ill effects from Wednesday's loss.
"I think it will be easy to bounce back," he said. "We've done it all year long.
"Our kids have bought into the team concept," noted Woodward. "People have doubted us from the very beginning, and we've taken plenty of lumps.
"Since Christmas time, I couldn't be more proud of how these guys want to play for each other. We've gotten rid of selfishness and not hustling," continued Woodward. "We just lost tonight, we get beat.
"We'll come into practice tomorrow, and prepare for our next opponent, just like we always do, and we're going to be excited for our next game," he added.
Senior Aaron Lane opened the scoring with a steal and break-away lay-up 45 seconds into the game to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
After a bucket by Austin Leo tied the game, freshman Mason Lister hit a floater in the lane to give Athens a 4-2 lead - its last lead of the game - with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter.
The Warriors used a 12-4 spurt, capped with a 3-pointer by Payton Mussina, son of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Montoursville coach Mike Mussina, to take a 14-8 lead with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter.
Sophomore J.J. Babcock knocked down a short jumper with 41 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 14-10 after the first eight minutes.
After a bucket by Leo to open the second-quaker scoring, Lane drained a 3-pointer to make it 16-13, but the Warriors scored the next 10 points to up their lead to 26-13 with 4:34 remaining in the first half.
A bucket by sophomore Troy Pritchard pulled the Wildcats within 11 points, at 28-17, with 3:53 left in the half, but Montoursville used a 10-3 spurt, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Mussina and Hunter Shearer to push its lead to 38-20 with 1:26 remaining.
Pritchard cashed in an offensive rebound with 41 seconds remaining in the first half, and senior Brady Smith drained a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to cut the deficit to 38-25 at the half.
Any thoughts of an Athens comeback were squelched shortly after the intermission as Montoursville opened the second half with an 18-5 run, capped by 3-pointers by Mussina and Dillon Young, to take a 56-30 lead with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter.
The Warriors led 59-32 entering the final eight minutes. The 32 points through three quarters was one of the lowest outputs of the season for the Wildcats.
"It was a physical game, and we had difficulty getting to the basket," said Woodward. "When we got there, it seemed we missed some opportune shots, especially early in the game, that we normally make."
Smith led Athens with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and two rebounds, while Lane had 10 points and two steals, and Pritchard had nine points and seven rebounds.
Hudson added nine points, four rebounds, and two assists for the Wildcats, while Babcock chipped in with four points, seven rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot, and Lister had six rebounds and two assists.
Leo led Montoursville with 20 points, while Mussina scored 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and Josh Burger added 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Athens falls to 18-7 on the season.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens sophomore J.J. Babcock. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
