Hornets erase 16 point deficit to beat Towanda

By: Ed Weaver  /  February 26, 2015

The Wellsboro Varsity Boys Basketball team will play for the District IV Class AA championship after beating Towanda 52-48 on Wednesday, February 25.

Towanda was on fire to start the semi-final game and got the Hornets down 7-0 early. Towanda kept the pressure on the Hornets as Noah Huff and Noah Wheeler hit basket after basket to put the Black Knights up 36-20 at halftime.

The second half was all Wellsboro, however, as head coach Todd Outman made excellent adjustments to shut Huff and Wheeler down. Towanda would go on a little run early in the second half, but Wellsboro battled back and started hitting some three pointers of their own. The Hornets would eventually close the gap and tied the game up at 45-45 with under five minutes remaining in the game after Senior Kieron Smethers made two of three foul shots after being fouled attempting a three pointer.

The Hornets took their first lead of the game at 47-45 with 4:12 left as Smethers picked up a loose ball after Towanda's Dylan Bates dribbled it off his foot for a spinning layup. Smethers was fouled on the play and hit the foul shot to give the Hornets a three point lead.

Huff would tie the game up at 48-48 a few moments later on a deep three, but the Hornets weren't fazed. Smethers would put Wellsboro up 50-48 on a layup. The Hornets’ final points came as Smethers tipped in a basket on a missed foul shot by Junior Dawson Prough to seal the 52-48 victory.

Smethers played the game of his life as he scored 20 of his game high 25 points in the second half. Senior Michael Pietropola scored 17 points, Dawson Prough had four, Sophomore Brandon Lamphier had three, Senior Jake Mitchell added two, and Sophomore Alden Weiner finished with one.

The Hornets will now go on to face top-seeded Loyalsock for the Class AA title on Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. at Montoursville High School.

"It was a great win for the kids," Outman said. "The team set a goal at the beginning of the season to play for a District title and now we get to go do that. Loyalsock is a great team and we'll have our hands full, but anything can happen. We're going to show up, we're going to play hard and what happens happens."