IAC BOYS BASKETBALL: BOMBARD'S CAREER GAME LIFTS TO SEASON-OPENING WIN OVER S-VE (24 PHOTOS) (December 12, 2025)

Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Junior Jackson Bombard pumped in 20 of his career-high 32 points in the second half to lead Tioga to a 62-38 season-opening win over S-VE here Friday night in IAC South Small School boys basketball action.

"I thought we played well tonight for it being our first game, and with it also being the first week of practice for us as a full team," said Tioga coach Connor Hutchinson. 

"On the defensive side, I thought we played hard all night and were flying around, which was good to see.

"Spencer (VanEtten) made a lot of tough, contested shots early on, and the guys responded well by just continuing to force tough shots, which eventually led to misses," noted Hutchinson. 

"We got good minutes out of guys off the bench tonight, which was huge with some early foul trouble.
 
"What I liked most about tonight was how after a slow start offensively and a close game at half, we responded the right way, showing the maturity and grit you want to see," added Hutchinson. "That’s why we were able to have a good second half to close the game."

Senior Dominic Palmer and Bombard, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, scored eight points apiece in the first quarter to help Tioga to a 16-13 lead.

Bombard scored four points in the second quarter, and senior James Miller canned a 3-pointers as Tioga maintained its three-point lead, at 26-23, heading into the halftime break.

S-VE's Lukas Carling scored 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the first half, and Nick Oakes drained a trio of 3-pointers for nine points to keep the Panthers in the game.

Bombard took over in the third quarter, penetrating into the heart of S-VE's zone defense for 11 points to fuel a 17-8 run to give the Tigers a 43-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Bombard scored nine more points in the fourth quarter as the Tigers put the game away with a 19-7 run.

Bombard had six rebounds and six assists to go along with his 32 points and three 3-pointers, and Palmer had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

Miller had five points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the Tigers, while junior Gavin Kithcart had five points, eight rebounds and two assists, and senior Talon Wood chipped in with four points, three rebounds, and one blocked shot.

Carling led S-VE with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Oakes had nine points, Jackson Bennett had seven points, and Noah Ingram chipped in with four.

Tioga returns to action Tuesday when it hosts O-M.

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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Dominic Palmer. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga's Jackson Bombard. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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