NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: ATHENS RIDES DEFENSE TO 51-31 WIN OVER SAYRE (24 PHOTOS) (2025-01-29)
Valley Sports ReportATHENS — Sayre led by one point after the first quarter, but Athens' defense dominated the next two quarters, and its offense took over in the final stanza of a 51-31 win here Wednesday night in NTL boys basketball action.
The win is the fourth straight for the Wildcats. It's also the fourth consecutive loss for the Redskins.
"Simply put, defense won that game for us tonight," said Athens coach Jim Lister.
"Offensively in the first half, we got good looks but struggled to make shots even from the foul line," noted Lister. "Team defense kept us in it though.
"I kept telling the kids to keep playing great defense, and the shots will start to fall
"They did not let up defensively in the second half and held a good Sayre team to only 31 points tonight," said Lister.
"It's another nice team win for the 'Cats tonight and we are looking forward to Senior Night against Towanda on Friday night," he added.
Sayre senior Nick Pellicano scored five points in the first quarter, and senior Zach Senese added a 3-pointer to help the Redskins to an 8-7 lead after the first eight minutes.
Junior Adam Kemp knocked down a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the half, and scored five points in the quarter to spark a 13-6 run that pulled the Wildcats ahead, at 20-14.
"A big shout-out to junior Adam Kemp, who hit a well-needed three at the end of the first half to finally get the seal off the basket and give us some huge momentum going into the half," said Lister.
Athens outscored Sayre, 9-4, in the third quarter to take a 29-18 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
The Wildcat offense clicked into gear in the fourth quarter, with Kemp scoring nine points, with a pair of 3-pointers, including a rare four-point play, to fuel a game-closing 22-13 run to sew up the win.
Kemp led the Wildcats with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior Troy Rosenbloom scored eight points, senior Jase Babcock and junior James Friend added six points apiece, and sophomore Lucas Schultz and junior Nick Grazul chipped in with five points apiece.
Pellicano led Sayre with 14 points, while senior Hudson Trump had six points, Senese added five points, and senior Ryan Ressler chipped in with four points.
Athens, now 7-10, hosts Towanda Friday, while Sayre, now 12-7, travels to Williamson.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Adam Kemp. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens' Jace Babcock. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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