CENTRE COUNTY — The holiday season didn’t stop the local boys basketball teams from working hard on the court. Here’s a closer look at how different teams faired on Dec. 27, 2024:
MEADVILLE 56, STATE COLLEGE 48 (OT)
Meadville’s Jack Burchard scored 31 points, and his team shut out the Little Lions in the overtime period to take the opening game of the State College Holiday Tournament. SC went into the final quarter leading by 3 points, but Meadville tied the game with seconds left to play.
WEST BRANCH 67, BALD EAGLE AREA 42
West Branch shot out to a 40-20 lead and closed out the win from there in the Philipsburg-Osceola Christmas Tournament. James Cowan scored 16 points for BEA while Kane Wolf added 15. The loss dropped BEA to 1-7 for the season.
ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY 49, P-O 47
A Philipsburg-Osceola rally fell short as the WolfPack held on for the 2-point win in the Mounties’ Christmas Tournament. Zack Meyers scored 17 points for the Mounties and Lucas Peterson had 12.
For SJCA Ethan Bowen scored 19 and Caleb Foytack had 10. The win boosted the WolfPack’s record to 6-2.
LOYALSOCK TOWNSHIP 65, BELLEFONTE 57
The Bellefonte Red Raiders fell to Loyalsock Township, 65-57, at the Loyalsock Arena.
On the following day, Dec. 28, 2024, local teams turned out the following results:
WEST BRANCH 72, SJCA 55
The 9-1 Warriors, led by senior Owen Koleno, took the Christmas Tournament championship with the 17-point victory over the WolfPack. Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy fell to 6-3 after the loss.
STATE COLLEGE 55, PHOENIXVILLE 52
The Little Lions rolled out to a big lead after the first quarter and then had to hold on through a furious Phoenixville rally down the stretch to take the Consolation victory in the SC Holiday Tournament. SC led by 15 points after the first eight minutes but then saw P-Ville outscore them 24-11 in the fourth quarter. It was the sixth win overall for the Lions against three losses.
P-O 46, BEA 42
The Mounties took an early lead, fell behind in the middle quarters, and then rallied down the stretch for the 4-point victory in the Consolation Game of the P-O Christmas Tournament. P-O’s Lucas Peterson got hot at just the right time as he scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to their first win of the season. The Mounties outscored BEA 16-9 in the final eight minutes.
UPCOMING LOCAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 2:
• State College (5-3) at Chambersburg (6-2)
Friday, Jan. 3:
• Greater Johnstown (8-0) at Bellefonte (0-5)
• Richland (5-3) at BEA (1-7)
• Somerset (1-7) at P-O (1-7)
• Bedford (2-6) at Penns Valley (3-5)
