From staff reports
HOLLIDAYSBURG - Coming off an exhausting Mid-Penn Commonwealth loss to State College Monday, the Huskies squashed the thought of a letdown game with a convincing non-league boys basketball victory over Hollidaysburg, 75-61.
With the win, Mifflin County clinches a playoff berth in District 6 in accordance with school district qualification policy for the open tournament.
"I was a little concerned coming off the emotionally and physically draining loss to State College," Mifflin County coach Aaron Gingrich said. "Our obvious concern was how the guys were going to turn around in less than 24 hours and go on the road against a scrappy Hollidaysburg team."
The Huskies left no doubt as they built an 18-point lead heading to the locker room and knocked down key free-throws to secure the victory.
Seth Wagner led the way for the Huskies on both sides of the floor, posting a double-double with 25 points and 10 boards. Teammates Curtis Jerzerick and Hunter Wright also collected 10 rebounds apiece.
Mifflin County fell to Hollidaysburg in JV action, 46-43. Ross Torquato led the way for the Huskies.
Boys basketball
Greenwood 59, Millersburg 34
MILLERSTOWN - A trio of Greenwood boys made it into double figures as the Wildcats slowed Millersburg in a 59-34 win that clinched the Tri-Valley League boys basketball title, the fifth straight and 11th overall for the Perry County school.
Greenwood coach Kent Houser attributed the success to the defensive play more than the offense.
"I thought our defense really was outstanding tonight," he said. "I thought we had good ball pressure the whole game and didn't give up a lot of easy shots."
That in turn produced opportunity, and the Wildcats took advantage. Josh Ferguson finished the night with 16 points - double the Indians' top scorer - and the home team got 14 from Ryan Kerstetter and a dozen from Adam Harrison.
"Our defense was able to get us some easy baskets, and we started to hit some threes there in the second to give ourselves some breathing room," Houser said.
Greenwood (18-3, 14-1), which also locked up the top seed in District 3 Class A, ends its regular season Saturday at Line Mountain.
East Juniata 55, Newport 30
COCOLAMUS - A year ago, East Juniata came out of the season with a school-record 18 wins.
The repeat is official: The Tigers picked up their 18th Tuesday in a Tri-Valley League boys basketball win over Newport, 55-30, that ends the campaign for East Juniata, which now awaits its playoff fate. District 4 brackets are expected Monday.
"To finish on a positive note for our seniors and guys who have put in time in this program is a tribute to our 18 wins," East Juniata coach Brock Anders said.
Credit for the offense goes largely to Nick Lorenz, who put up 29 in the effort. But Anders said there was more than that in the winning effort.
"It's a tribute to our defense," he said. "We kept them off the three point line, and Bailey Coder blocked up the middle. He probably had nine blocks."
The Tigers end the season at 18-4, 13-3 in the TVL.
Upper Dauphin 65, Juniata 44
MIFFLINTOWN - Juniata hit the hard wood one last time this season, hosting Tri-Valley League foe Upper Dauphin with hopes to collect a win and end the season on a high note. Turnovers and second-chance buckets proved to be the difference, though, and the Indans fell 65-44.
Despite committing several turnovers in the first half, the Indians were within four points in the second quarter but a seven-point run by the Trojans deflated the home-team's hopes.
"We were playing catch up the whole time," Juniata coach Nate Geibel said. "They out rebounded us big time and got second-chance points."
Juniata finishes the season 4-18 overall and 3-13 in the TVL.
Upper Dauphin also won the JV contest, 50-37.
Mount Union 75, Claysburg-Kimmel 61
MOUNT UNION - Mount Union hosted Inter-County Conference opponent Claysburg-Kimmel Tuesday and shot a cool 60 percent from the free-throw line to propel the Trojans to a 75-61 victory.
Claysburg-Kimmel was able to cut the lead to five in the fourth but the Trojans found themselves in the bonus and traveled to the free-throw line 17 times.
Mount Union had four players reach double-figures in the scoring column. Jamal Smith dropped 19, B.J. Loner contributed 17, Klayton Heffner added 15 and Anthony Gilbert chipped in 10.
Mount Union also prevailed in JV action, beating Claysburg-Kimmel 53-32.
Mount Union returns to action Friday to host Williamsburg.
Meadowbrook Christian 45, Juniata Mennonite 36
PORT ROYAL - Juniata Mennonite took on Meadowbrook Christian Tuesday with hopes to improve its league record heading to the playoffs but missed opportunities at the free-throw line and a thin bench proved to be the difference in the 45-36 loss.
"We missed all six free-throw attempts we had in the first quarter," Juniata Mennonite coach Dennis Zimmerman said.
Despite Juniata Mennonite's top scorer being shut down, the home town Lions kept the game within striking distance but could not get over the hump.
"I'm very pleased that we didn't quit and we hung in there," Zimmerman said.
Caleb Gehman led the way for Juniata Mennonite with 13 points while teammate Jesse Watts chipped in 10 points.
Juniata Mennonite will be the three-seed in the upcoming ACAA playoffs that will begin Thursday at Northumberland Christian. The opponent and game time will be determined today by virtue of a coin flip.
Girls basketball
Claysburg-Kimmel 51, Mount Union 38
CLAYSBURG - The Mount Union girls took a tough loss to Inter-County Conference opponent Claysburg-Kimmel when missed shots and layups on the Trojans' end resulted in the 51-38 final score.
"We couldn't hit shots, layups. They pressured us, but we broke the press easily. We just didn't shoot as well tonight," Mount Union coach Jenny Cunningham said.
Mount Union's Tynita White finished with a game-high 15 points.
The Trojans (9-11) host Fannett-Metal today.
Danville 53, Midd-West 18
DANVILLE - Danville's 18-point first quarter was enough to match Midd-West's total as the Mustangs fell 53-18 to the Ironmen in a Heartland Conference girls basketball game Tuesday.
Allie Camp's eight points led Midd-West (7-13).
Junior high
Boys basketball
9th grade: Park Forest 51, Mifflin County 29. High scorer Cade Attick, 11 points.
8th grade: Mifflin County 25, Park Forest 18. High scorer Nelson Cook, 8 points.
7th grade: Park Forest 43, Mifflin County 41 (3OT). High scorer, Cade Shoemaker, 12 points. Mifflin County travels to Hollidaysburg Thursday.
Wrestling
Mifflin County 55, Hollidaysburg 42. Winning for the Huskies were Clayton Wolfgang, Joey Taptich, Logan Wise, Trent Hidlay, Kyle Smith, Hunter Michaels, Austin Emel, Quentin Milliken, Mike Bielski, Trey Hartsock. Mifflin County is 19-1.
