SPRING MILLS — The Penns Valley Area High School boys’ basketball defeated Bald Eagle Area 44-32 on Jan. 17 to complete the season sweep against its cross-county rival.
The Rams improved to 7-6 overall and 3-5 in conference play, while Bald Eagle fell to 1-12 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
As the Rams continue to improve in the standings, head coach Terrence Glunt hopes to lead his team into the playoffs.
“We just got to go one game at a time. I know that sounds cliché,” Glunt said. “We’ll play our tough defense, take good shots and play with a lot of energy because usually the team that wins the hustle category walks out of there with a win.”
Penns Valley gained control late in the first half and would not relinquish any ground to the relentless Eagles team.
Bald Eagle Area was the first on the board behind freshman guard Jaden Jones’ mid-range jumper. Penns Valley played solid defense throughout the first quarter holding an 11-8 lead.
In the second, the Eagles rocked the court again with an opening shot behind the arc by sophomore guard Andrew Bucha and tied the game.
The Eagles tried to swing momentum in their favor during a fast break, but Rams senior center Luke Snyder and senior forward Andrew Tobias rejected back-to-back shots to hold the Eagles at bay.
On the following possession, Snyder was all alone when he took a wide open three and forced Bald Eagle Area head coach Bill Butterworth to call a timeout in an attempt to slow down the Rams.
The Rams did not falter and extended their lead further when senior guard Keith Butts nailed a shot from downtown to send Penns Valley into the half with a 23-15 advantage.
The Eagles began the third on a 4-0 run, but it was cut short by Tobias who responded with three points off an and-one layup to help the Rams maintain a comfortable distance.
Later in the quarter, Snyder connected on a well-executed outlet pass to Butts for the layup.
To begin the fourth, Bald Eagle Area opened up the scoring again when Jones came up with a steal and turned it into two points, assuring his opponent that the Eagles would not go down quietly.
The Eagles were within a seven-point deficit before Tobias drove down the base line to put the Rams up 37-28.
After missing multiple contested shots in the final stretch of the fourth, the Eagles failed to make up the ground they needed to catch up to Penns Valley, losing 44-32.
Butterworth was very impressed with his team, even though they could not leave Penns Valley with a win.
“Our game plan worked, but we just had a couple break downs,” Butterworth said. “I’m proud because they played hard and we just failed to do the little things. That’s really the story of our season.”
Penns Valley next travels to Bellefonte High School to take on the Red Raiders, while the Eagles host Philipsburg-Osceola. Both games are on Thursday night, Jan. 19.
