By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Through the first 16 minutes of their game against Punxsutawney, the Bradford boy’s basketball team looked sharp.
Sure, they had had a rocky start, but then they once again found their footing. The pace was there, the defense, the offense and most importantly, the lead was there. However, in the next eight minutes, things got nervous and through the final eight, the game was out of their hands, ultimately dropping their first loss of the year to the Chucks, 49-43.
Returning home after three consecutive wins against Class A opponents, Punxsy stood as the Owls’ first 4A matchup, as well as their initial meeting with a fellow District 9 League team, and the size showed immediately. Standing down in the paint was 6’3, 225-pound Brett Thomas, the Chucks’ big man who forced the Owls to slow their game out of the gates.
“(Thomas) is a big physical guy, going D1 for football,” said Bradford head coach Andrew Terwilliger. “ We worked the ball and it was tough on the inside. We tried to be patient with the ball and work for a great shot.”
Striving to get looks at the rim, Bradford eventually found their way, however constant contests from Thomas and Co. produced point-blank misses. While Punxsy posted four quick points to their side of the scoreboard, the Owls had to wait until midway through the quarter to break the ice, when Tarren Reese split a trip to the free throw line.
As the first period of play wound down, Bradford continued to meticulously probe from the perimeter, sending cutters through the middle looking for entry passes. Their shuffling offense paid off as they found Reese open for a 3-pointer to tie the game at six going into the second quarter.
Following several minutes of continued patience, which garnered the Owls more looks in the paint that went astray, Bradford finally began to open the throttle. Finding themselves down 11-10 with three and a half minutes left in the half, Reese got the ball rolling with an offensive rebound and eventual backdoor cut that produced two points. The next time down the floor, Cole Blatchley knocked down a triple before an Owls’ steal gave way to a Marcus Terwilliger fastbreak layup.
Although the Chucks would score three points in their next two possessions, going 1-for-2 at the line and scoring on a drive, Bradford was setting the pace. Using long outlet passes that began under their own basket, a staple of their signature style, the Owls ran up a 14-3 scoring stretch. During that window, Evan Trosi scored seven consecutive points, scoring twice in transition before knocking down a momentum three, leading Bradford to a 24-15 advantage heading into the break.
However, coming into the second half, all that newfound inertia was left in the locker room. Starting on the very first possession of the third quarter, the Owls suffered continuous turnovers, opening with back-to-back giveaways and tallying five within the first few minutes.
“I don’t think I did a good job of rotating guys in. We like to put the pressure on and I thought our guys got tired against a big physical team like that. I didn’t do a good enough job rotating guys in like I should have,” said Andrew Terwilliger. “That’s something that I need to do a better job of and I think that could have helped us a little bit, getting a rest and some fresh legs.”
Meanwhile, Punxsy eyed a comeback from beyond the arc, spreading the Owls’ zone defense with quick passes and fluid player movement. While their opponents searched for 3-pointers to no avail, Bradford found several ways to pull away, but failed to capitalize on them. As they had all game, the Owls drove and rebounded their way for looks close to the rim, but still couldn’t put the ball in the hoop. Earning several trips to the free throw line proved less than fruitful as well, as Bradford shot 2-for-9 at the charity stripe through the third quarter.
All the while, the Chucks began to chip away at the lead. With a mixed bag of offense that included more shots from deep, some of which began to fall, as well as drives that either produced made layups or walks to the free throw line, Punxsy sparked a 7-2 run to narrow the deficit to just two heading into the fourth.
Both the Chucks’ heat streak and Bradford’s lull carried over into the final eight minutes. While the Owls started the period with another turnover, Punxsy knocked down a triple, taking their first lead since early in the second quarter. As Bradford scraped and clawed their way to sporadic points, the Chucks looked at ease as they seemed to score however they wanted. And apparently they wanted to score from deep.
Midway through the quarter, Punxsy became red hot from beyond the arc. Max Presloid connected on his first long ranger of the night to retake the lead at 36-34 before hitting another on the next trip down the floor. The Chucks continued to bury Bradford from deep, hitting four triples in a row to build up an eight point lead with less than four minutes remaining.
“We knew where the shooters were and we knew we couldn’t let (them get hot.) We knew we had to get to them as quickly as possible. I think that’s what jeopardized us in the end. We didn’t rotate quick enough and they just knocked them down,” said Andrew Terwilliger. “It was an important part of the game and we gave up a couple easy layups not rotating back towards the hoop quick enough. In a game that’s tight, every possession counts.”
Becoming desperate, the Owls rushed up the court, battling the clock as they threw up shots that refused to fall. Despite fighting under the boards for second chance opportunities, the points they earned took too much time off. Ultimately, facing a five-point hole with a minute to go, the Owls were forced to intentionally foul. A few clutch free throws later and Punxsy had sealed their first win of the season while delivering Bradford their first defeat.
Reese ended with a team-high 11 points, also recording two steals and two assists, while Trosi came away with 10. Marcus Terwilligers’ 9 points were accompanied by six rebounds, four
assists and two steals while Danny Marasco concluded the night with six points and 10 rebounds.
The road only gets rougher for Bradford who faces another big, physical team in DuBois on Thursday. Leading the Beavers is Maddox Bennett, a 6’8 senior who recently scored his 1,000th point and can light up the court from beyond the arc.
“I have a gameplan for Thursday and we have some matchups that we need to make sure that we’re accountable for,” said Andrew Terwilliger. “They’re another big team, if not a little bit bigger than what we saw tonight. It’s going to be another test for us. We definitely need to get some rest and come ready to play.”
AT BRADFORD
Punxsutawney (49)
E. Presloid 6 0-2 16, Thomas 3 4-6 11, Hetrick 3 4-7 10, M. Presloid 2 0-0 6, Dax 1 0-2 2, Burkett 1 0-0 2, Hetrick 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 8-19 49
Bradford (43)
Reese 3 4-9 11, Trosi 4 0-0 10, Terwilliger 4 1-2 9, Marasco 3 0-0 6, Roulo 2 0-2 4, Blatchley 1 0-0 3, Lohrman 0 0-2 0. Totals: 17 5-15 43
Punxsutawney 6 15 28 49
Bradford 6 24 30 43
Three-point goals: PX (7) E. Presloid 4, M. Presloid 2, Thomas, BD(4) Trosi 2, Reese, Blatchley; Total fouls: PX 14, BD 20; Fouled out: None.
JV: Bradford 40, Punxsutawney 32, OT
