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By CHRIS MASSE
cmasse@sungazette.com
MUNCY–Although it did not win its season opener, Muncy may win more future games because it played such a quality opening-night opponent.
Muncy had some chances against undefeated Class AAAA Mifflinburg Friday, but the Wildcats answered every second-half Indians run with one of their own and won, 50-37 in the first-ever Muncy Tournament. Milton won the game’s first game in exciting fashion, defeating Towanda, 61-48 in overtime. Mifflinburg will play Milton in Saturday’s final at 7:30, while Muncy and Towanda, coached by 2017 Hughesville graduate Landon Henry, meet at 2.
Muncy went 14-4 a year ago and earned District 4’s Class AA top seed but was upset in the quarterfinals. Playing a team which was a shot from capturing the 4A crown likely can only help it as it tries making a deep run this season.
“We’ll learn a lot from this. We’ll get to see a lot of things on film and be able to correct some things,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “We got to learn a little bit about ourselves, and we still have to find some chemistry.”
Milton (2-1) displayed its chemistry in overtime against Towanda. After rallying from a four-point deficit late to force overtime, Milton outscored the Black Knights, 14-1 in the extra period. Jace Brandt scored eight of his team-high 16 points in overtime and finished with seven steals, while Xzavier Minium scored 15 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Dante Ottaviani scored a game-high 18 points for Towanda and Elias Shrawder added 13.
Henry became Towanda’s coach in September after playing four years of college basketball at Wilkes. Like Gresh, Henry understands that while losses like Friday’s sting, they could lead to better things down the road.
“These guys compete, there’s no doubt about that. The biggest thing we’re trying to do with these guys is to get them to communicate together on the court,” Henry said. “These guys played a lot over the summer, so they’ve grown a lot but there’s still a heck of a lot more room for growth as far as being on the same page and communication.”
Muncy is hoping for similar growth after playing Mifflinburg tough but struggling through several rough stretches. Muncy led by as many as five in the first quarter and three in the second but the Wildcats (3-0) used a 9-0 run, took a seven-point halftime lead and never relinquished it.
The Indians cut that deficit to two three times early in the second half. Each time Muncy started gaining momentum, however, the Wildcats took it back. An 11-0 run put Mifflinburg ahead 40-27 late in the third quarter and Muncy never pulled closer than nine again. Four Wildcats scored in double figures and Mifflinburg also dominated the boards with those same four players collecting at least five rebounds each. The Wildcats efficiently worked their offense throughout the second half and consistently set up quality shots.
Tyler Reigel ignited the game-changing third-quarter run and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Ethan Bombgardner was outstanding in the post, securing six of his 12 rebounds in the first quarter and producing 12 points. Cannon Griffith also scored 12 points and added seven rebounds while Carter Breed totaled 11 points and seven rebounds.
“They did what a more experienced team does and that’s what we have to learn to do. We’d get a little momentum to swing our way and then they would settle and attack the hoop and get a layup,” Gresh said. “That’s jut something we have to learn to get better at.”
Muncy executed well at times, but also endured a rough shooting performance, going 14 of 45. The Indians were one of the last District 4 teams to open their season and had just one scrimmage so it was one part Mifflinburg tough defense and one part rust.
Point guard Branson Eyer shined, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds and adding three assists. Ross Eyer scored eight points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Eli Weikle provided a spark off the bench and scored six points in addition to playing strong defense.
“They’re in first place in 4A, so we will get a lot of mileage out of a 13-point loss,” Gresh said. “There’s a lot of positives and a lot of negatives which show us what we have to do to get better. In the long run it’s going to help us.”
Milton earned a second crack at Mifflinburg with its comeback win. The Black Panthers lost their opener against Mifflinburg last Friday but have won two straight. They trailed 10-0 early before taking an 11-10 lead into the second quarter. A six-point fourth-quarter lead, though, turned into a four-point deficit with 2 minutes, 25 seconds remaining. Two Luke DeLong (10 points, 6 rebounds) free throws and a Minium basket in the paint tied the game soon after and neither team could score over the final two minutes, forcing overtime.
Ashton Krall (8 rebounds) tapped the jump ball to Brandt who scored just four seconds into overtime. Milton never looked back with Brandt scoring six of the first eight points in overtime. Milton’s defense put the clamps on and Milton put the game away at the foul line after building a seven-point lead two minutes in. Brandt, DeLong and Minium made eight free throws in overtime. Austin Gainer helped fuel the defense and also grabbed five rebounds and Dillan Guinn-Bailey added six points off the bench.
Milton 61, Towanda 48, OT
TOWANDA (48)
Dante Ottaviani 1 4-6 18, Jack Wheaton 1 0-0 2, Teagan Irish 0 1-1 1, Justin Schoonover 3 2-2 8, Elias Shrawder 6 0-0 13, Grady Flynn 0 0-0 0, Mason Hartmann 3 0-0 6, Octavius Chacona 0 0-1 0. Totals 18 7-11 48.
MILTON (61)
Jace Brandt 6 4-10 16, Xzavier Minium 6 6-12 15, Luke DeLong 2 5-6 10, Ashton Krall 1 0-0 2, Austin Gainer 2 2-2 6, Dillan Guinn-Bailey 2 2-2 6, Carter Lilley 2 0-0 4, Nijel Hunter 0 0-0 0, Joel Langdon 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 19-32 61.
Towanda 10 13 10 14 1-48
Milton 11 14 10 12 14-61
3-pointers: Towanda 5 (Ottaviani 4, Shrawder); Milton 2 (Minium, DeLong).
Records: Milton 2-1. Towanda 0-3.
Mifflinburg 50, Muncy 37
MIFFLINBURG (50)
Tyler Reigel 5 0-0 13, Cannon Griffith 5 2-5 12, Jarrett Foster 1 0-0 2, Carter Breed 5 1-2 11, Ethan Bombgardner 4 4-4 12, Eli Trautman 0 0-0 0, Lane Yoder 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-11 50.
MUNCY (37)
Ross Eyer 3 0-0 8, Branson Eyer 4 4-6 12, Gio Persun 2 0-0 5, Noah Confer 1 2-2 4, Loudon Boring 1 0-0 2, Mike Fry 0 0-0 0, Eli Weikle 3 0-0 6, Eli Slamka 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-8 37.
Mifflinburg 9 16 15 10-50
Muncy 9 9 11 8-37
3-pointers: MIfflinburg 3 (Reigel 3); Muncy 3 (R. Eyer 2, Persun).
Records: Mifflinburg 3-0. Muncy 0-1.