Local high school boys’ basketball teams are turning toward the home stretch of their seasons, but some are struggling to get in the games on their schedules. Others, like Philipsburg-Osceola, have had only minor problems and are hovering near the top of the 2021 District 6 standings. Here’s a brief look at where each of the Centre County teams stands and what lies ahead for each of them.
STATE COLLEGE (1-4) VS. HARRISBURG (2-1) FEB. 5, 7:30 P.M.
The State College Little Lions broke through with their first win of the season against Mid-Penn foe Altoona on Jan. 26. After a tight first half, the Little Lions clamped down on defense and pulled away for a 60-48 victory over the Mountain Lions. Jaden Mitchell led SC with 18 points as his team improved to 1-3 for the season. The high did not last long for the Lions, however, as 6-1 Central Dauphin asserted itself and cruised over SC 60-36 on Jan. 29. The Rams, always near the top of the Mid-Penn, used a 16-5 second-quarter run to take control of the game and then coasted out from there. Ram senior Ryan Smith was high scorer in the game with 21 points. Harrisburg, another perennial Mid-Penn power will visit State College on Friday, and then the Lions will take on CD East at home on Tuesday.
ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY (3-6) VS. DUBOIS CATHOLIC FEB. 11, 7 P.M.
The Wolfpack has had a string of postponements and cancellations, and the next time it will be on the court will be at home against DuBois Catholic on Feb. 11. After the high of senior Brendan Scanlon scoring his 1000th point for SJCA, the Wolfpack suffered a tough 51-46 loss to Bishop McCort on Jan. 23. That, unfortunately, was the last time SJCA played, and its season is now scheduled to continue on Feb. 11 against DuBois Catholic.
BALD EAGLE AREA (1-2) AT TYRONE (7-1) FEB. 5, 7:30 P.M.
Bald Eagle Area is 1-2 so far this season after beginning the season with losses to P-O and Bellefonte and then breaking through with a 59-24 win at Bucktail on Jan. 25. Nine BEA players scored in the game led by Chase Thompson with 12, Owen Irwin with 10 and Alex Gavlock with 10. The Eagles finished out the game with a 20-point fourth quarter, their best offensive quarter of the season. Unfortunately for BEA, games against Clearfield and Central, which were scheduled for the first week in February, were postponed. Next up for the Bald Eagles will be a big Mountain League matchup at 7-1 Tyrone. Tyrone and Clearfield so far have been battling for the top spot in the Mountain League, and facing the Golden Eagles on Friday will be a major challenge for BEA. After Friday, BEA is slated to host Mount Union at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday and Glendale at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
BELLEFONTE 43, PENNS VALLEY 40
After an 0-3 start, Bellefonte won its fourth straight with a 43-40 victory over Penns Valley on Thursday night. The Raiders’ Blair Eckley-Jones led all scorers with 15 points and added five rebounds, while Ty Kroell contributed 10 points. Penns Valley, led by Zach Braucht’s 14 points, fell to 3-4 on the season.
Bellefonte’s home game scheduled for Friday against Philipsburg-Osceola has been postponed until Feb. 13. Instead the Raiders will travel to Clearfield for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff on Friday, then host Tyrone (Feb. 9) and Brookville (Feb. 11).
PV will host Clearfield on Feb. 9 and Juniata Valley on Feb. 10.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (5-2) VS. CENTRAL FEB. 9, 7:30 P.M.
After seeing games against Moshannon Valley and Tyrone postponed last week, the Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties jumped right back into things with victories over Huntingdon and East Juniata. Against Huntingdon, a team that is just beginning its season, the Mounties got 18 points from 6-foot-6 senior Ryan Whitehead and pulled away from the Bearcats for a 71-60 win on Jan. 29. It was the Mounties’ third win in a row, and then they extended that streak with a 67-34 romp over East Juniata the next night. P-O led the game throughout as four players, including Ryan Whitehead and his brother Jeremy, scored in double figures. Now at 5-2, the Mounties are tied with Marion Center for the No. 2 spot in the District 6, AAA standings. After Friday’s game at Bellefonte was rescheduled for Feb. 13, the Mounties will next be at home against Central on Feb. 9 and Penns Valley on Feb. 12.
Pat Rothdeutsch covers high school sports for The Centre County Gazette.
