NTL GIRLS BASKETBALL: ATHENS JUMPS OUT TO BIG LEAD, HOLDS OFF NP-M LATE FOR 47-40 WIN (24 PHOTOS) (2025-02-04)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Athens scored the first 14 points the game, then fended off a North Penn-Mansfield second-half comeback attempt in a 47-40 win here Tuesday night in NTL Large School Division girls basketball action.

“We hung tight in the second half when we had too," said Athens coach Kelly Burkhart-Allen.

"We had great energy and execution in the first half," she noted. "The second half we had too many turnovers and trying to force things at times.

"We were able to take care of the ball late in the game when we needed it most," added Burkhart-Allen.

Senior Addy Wheeler scored seven points in the first quarter, and sophomore McKenna Jarvis added five points as Athens built a 16-2 lead after the opening eight minutes.

Kameron Lightner scored with 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter to put NP-M on the board and cut the lead to 14-2.

Wheeler scored seven more points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer, but NP-M outscored Athens 12-11 to to close the gap to 27-14 at the halftime intermission.

The Tigers used a 14-5 third-quarter run to trim the deficit to 32-28 entering the final eight minutes.

Wheeler banked home a 12-foot jumper about a minute into the fourth quarter to make it 34-28, but Lightner hit a pair of free throws about about 10 seconds later to to close the gap to 34-30.

Jarvis made it 36-30 with a nice post move with 6:08 remaining in the contest.

Neither team scored for more than 2 1/2 minutes until Lightner hit two more free throws to make it 36-32.

Freshman Allie Kemp hit a clutch 3-pointer with 3:06 remaining to extend the lead to 39-32, then came up with a steal that resulted in Wheeler canning a pair of free throws with 2:46 remaining to make it 41-32.

NP-M scored the next three points to cut the lead to 41-25  with 2:34 remaining, and later closed the gap to five, at 44-39, on a pair of free throws by Lightner with 57 seconds remaining, but that was close as the Tigers would get.

Wheeler led Athens with 25 points, four rebounds, and seven steals, while Jarvis had 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals, and Kemp scored five points.

Bronson chipped in with four points, three rebounds, and three steals in the win, and senior Kelsie Noel chipped in with five rebounds.

Athens, now 14-6, returns to action Thursday when it hosts division-leading Troy.

JV: Athens 35 (Allison Vough-15), Mansfield 16.

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IN PHOTO 1: Athens senior Addy Wheeler. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens senior Sara Bronson. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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