NTL GIRLS BASKETBALL: ATHENS BOUNCES BACK FROM LOSS AT CV TO KNOCK OFF TOWANDA, 50-40 (2025-01-03)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — One night after a loss at Cowanesque Valley, Athens bounced back to knock off NTL Large School rival Towanda, 50-40, here Friday night in girls basketball action.

"It was a great team defensive effort and rebounding on both ends of the floor," said Athens coach Kelly Burkhart Allen.

"Mentally, we hung tough and fought through some foul trouble and adversity," she added.

Brynn Woodruff knocked down a 3-pointer and scored five points in the first quarter, and MaryKate Eberlin added four points as Towanda took the early lead, 13-10 after the first quarter.

Freshman Allison Kemp buried a pair of 3-pointers, sandwiched around a pair of free throws for eight points in the Wildcats' 12-4 second-quarter run that put the ahead 22-17 at the halftime intermission.

Payton Perry scored eight points in the third quarter for Towanda, and Woodruff added five points, but Athens made 7 of 8 free-throw attempts in the stanza, and senior Sara Bronson connected from behind the 3-point arc, and the Knights only trimmed one point from their deficit. Athens led 34-30 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sophomore McKenna Jarvis, who was 8-for-8 from the line in the game, and Bronson each canned 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats made 6 of 10 free throws (with Jarvis going 4-for-4) to nail down the win with a 16-10 advantage in the stanza.

Jarvis and Bronson each had 13 points and four rebounds to lead the Wildcats, and Kemp, who was 6-for-8 from the line, had a career-high 12 points and five rebounds.

Wheeler, who was honored prior to the game for collecting her 500th career rebound at CV Thursday night, added six points, nine rebounds, three assists, and eight steals in the win, while freshman Alissa Vough grabbed five boards, and senior Sophia Fairchild had four rebounds.

Athens, now 5-3, will host North Penn-Liberty Saturday at 6 p.m. There is no JV game.

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Athens senior Addy Wheeler, with coach Kelly Burkhart Allen, holds a basketball signifying her 500th career rebound, which she collected Thursday night at Cowanesque Valley. ... PHOTO PROVIDED.

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