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Wildcats named to PHAC-I all-stars

All five starters for the Wildcats earned post-season honors by being named to one of the PHAC-I All-Star squads as voted upon by the teams’ coaches.  The area all-star teams were comprised of the following players:  (Congratulations ‘Cats)

PHAC-I First Team:

Brent Forbes (Shamokin)
Zac Hoy (Mifflinburg)
Ben Barnhart (Jersey Shore)
Michael Rudy (Danville)
Tyler Pratt (Shikellamy)
Jim Sowers (Mifflinburg)

PHAC-I Second Team:

Ryan Keiser (Selinsgrove)
Ryan Hocker (Montoursville)
Taylor English (Jersey Shore)
Ryan Reichard (Danville)
M. Owens Wright (Danville)
Omar Berry (Shikellamy)

PHAC-I Honorable Mention:

Corey Murtha (Mifflinburg)
Travis Trutt (Mifflinburg)
Adam Sees (Shikellamy)
Devon Craft (Shamokin)
Cody Shaffer (Milton)
Alex Lupolt (Selinsgrove)

PHAC-I All-Defensive Team:

Kaleb Snyder (Mifflinburg)
Cody Daddario (Shikellamy)
Andrew Bean (Jersey Shore)
Michael Rudy (Danville)
Damair Anderson (Milton)
Chase Moran (Montoursville)
Kieran Kelly (Shamokin)
Alex Knitter (Selinsgrove)

Comets end Wildcats’ run

By Chris Dougherty
Published:

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

HAZLETON — The end of a sensational basketball season came to a close Tuesday night for Mifflinburg.

The Wildcats were ousted by Abington Heights, 55-41, in the second round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Hazleton High School.

Abington Heights, now 29-2, will play Eastern York Friday at a time and site to be determined.

Mifflinburg ends its season at 23-4.

Things started rough for the Wildcats as the Comets’ size and length seemed to give them fits from the start. Mifflinburg turned the ball over at an alarming rate from the beginning, something uncharacteristic from a team that protected the ball so well throughout the season. The Wildcats had nine by halftime and finished well into double digits for the game.

“They had very, very quick hands,” point guard Zac Hoy said. “We just had some mistakes at crucial parts.”

“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot with the turnovers,” added senior Kaleb Snyder. “You can’t have that many turnovers and win a game.”

Abington Heights led by three after one but turned things up in the second. The Comets broke out for a 13-1 run before Travis Trutt’s bucket started a 6-0 Mifflinburg run to end the half. Abington took a 23-15 lead at the break.

The Comets didn’t slow down after halftime. Every time the Wildcats would get a score, Abington responded. Mifflinburg was only able to score consecutive buckets once in the third, a Jim Sowers free throw and a Hoy bucket.

“I think in the third quarter we got complacent,” Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy said. “Every time we drove we seemed to come up empty, which is how we had success in the first half. But we spent too much time not going for it and got away from playing to our strengths.”

But the Wildcats did not give in one bit. The team that has fought and clawed its way through the postseason finally made its run in the early part of the fourth quarter.

Including another bucket by Trutt to end the third, the Wildcats went on a 12-2 run capped by a three-point play opportunity by Zac Hoy. He would miss the free throw, though, leaving the ‘Cats down 41-36 with just over five minutes to play.

“I had a lot of confidence we could keep going on a roll there,” Eldon Hoy said. “We had some shots after that just didn’t fall.”

Ryan Vassil’s foul on Zac Hoy was his fifth, sending him to the bench. His replacement, junior Justin Klingman, came off the bench and immediately drilled a heartbreaking 3-pointer to take the lead back to eight.

“That was a big one,” Eldon Hoy said. “We knew he could shoot but it was a kid we wouldn’t of expected to hit that. Kids step up and hit shots, and that’s what wins games.”

After Klingman’s trey, Abington Heights would take advantage of the Mifflinburg foul total at the free-throw line. Zac Hoy’s fifth foul put the Comets in the double bonus with three minutes left. Klingman and Ross Danzig sank eight freebies down the stretch to put things out of reach.

“It’s a win,” Comets coach Ken Bianchi said. “We didn’t play very well but a lot of that had to do with them. We had the size, they had the speed and determination. They were very gritty and aggressive, so a lot of credit goes to them. In the end, we were just able to make a few more shots.”

Travis Trutt led Mifflinburg with 12 points. Hoy and Jim Sowers each had 11.

The season is over for the Wildcats, but they have much to be proud of. A 23-win season is not easy to come by. They ran through the Heartland Athletic Division I with just one loss en route to the league title. Although they fell short of the school’s first district title, qualifying for states is an accomplishment not to soon be forgotten.

“I told the kids they have nothing to hang their heads about,” Eldon Hoy said. “We lost to a great team tonight. Our kids battled all year. The upperclassmen should be proud, they got us here, and the underclassmen should take note of tonight so we can carry it over into next year.”

The loss ends the season and the careers for Snyder and Sowers, both seniors.

“I’m really bummed,” Sowers said. “After the first two years of playing varsity I never thought we’d make it this far, but this year we came out with a good attitude and got to the second round of states.”

“I’m disappointed, but I wouldn’t want to go out any other way,” Snyder said. “Getting this far for our senior year is pretty awesome. I’ve played with these guys since the third grade, so I have no regrets. It stinks but it was a great year.”

NOTES: Danzig led all scorers with 18. His free throw with 2:41 left gave him 1,000 points for his career. An announcement was made and he was given an ovation by the crowd.

Two District IV squads ready for second round

By Todd Stanford
The Daily Item

Take a gander at the 16 teams remaining in the PIAA Class AAA boys basketball playoffs, and you’ll probably notice a few things that shouldn’t surprise you.

District 12, which is comprised of the Philadelphia Public League and Philadelphia Catholic League, has three teams left, as does District 3 — the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster region.

Heck, District 7, the WPIAL, still has five teams alive — nearly one-third of the remaining field.

Meanwhile, the champions from five other districts have already gone home.

This shouldn’t be surprising since the areas in and around Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh have historically produced many of the best players and teams in the state.

Now here comes the surprising part: Both District 4 teams are still alive. District 4 champion Danville and runner-up Mifflinburg will be in action tonight in the second round of states. The Ironmen (19-6) will meet defending state champion Archbishop Carroll (23-4) at Central Dauphin East High School at 6, while the Wildcats (23-3) will travel to Hazleton to play Abington Heights (28-2) at 7:30.

This is the second year in a row that both District 4 teams made it past the first round in the Class AAA bracket. Last season, Shamokin and Danville got to the PIAA’s version of the Sweet 16, though neither got any further. Before then, the last time both D-4 AAA teams made it past the first round was in 1999, when Shamokin and Warrior Run did it.

“I don’t know if (District 4) is getting better but that’s pretty neat,” says Danville coach Lenny Smith, whose team beat Allentown Central Catholic 68-59 in the first round. “District 4 … plays some good basketball.”

Mifflinburg junior point guard Zac Hoy — who had a game-high 21 points in the Wildcats’ 51-38 win over Pottsville in the first round — agrees.

“We have some really good teams in this area,” says Hoy, the son of Mifflinburg head coach Eldon Hoy. “Danville is a very good team and we’ve developed and we’re playing well right now.”

Hoy credits summer-league ball for helping his team jell during the high school season. He estimates that they play 15-20 games together over the summer.

“We’ve been friends all along, but that really helps us bond,” Hoy says. “And then we become better friends, which helps us on the court.”

Mifflinburg is making its first trip to states since 2002, but Danville has been there seven times in the last eight years. This is Smith’s third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last five years; he’s hoping to get to the quarterfinals for the first time.

Smith has seen how success has bred success, especially when it comes to the teams that know what a state win feels like.

“They went through it last year,” he says. “This year they stayed calm and they know what to expect; it really helps. They see what comes with that success: It’s a pretty good ride and some good memories.”

Eldon Hoy, who was also the coach in 2002 when the Wildcats won their first state playoff game ever, is again seeing the interest that’s generated by winning a PIAA game.

“We had some young kids who wanted to have their basketballs signed by some of the players (after the win over Pottsville),” he says. “There’s no question it sparks interest in the sport, which breeds competitiveness in the program, which breeds better teams.”

Skeptics may point out that District 4’s success in AAA the past two years has coincided with a change in the brackets. For the last two years, the District 4 champ has met the District 11 runner-up, while the D-4 runner-up has played the D-11 champion.

“We used to always be matched up with District 3,” Eldon Hoy says. “I’m not making a comparison between the two, but the Harrisburg area has always produced good teams. Playing District 11 has maybe been a better matchup for us.”

Nevertheless, Smith reiterates his point that the teams in this area prepare one another well for states.

“Our league is pretty strong,” he says. “You go into any of those gyms and they give you a game. … If you’re not ready to play, they’re going to get you.”

Cats turn Tide

By Todd Hummel
For The Daily Item

ORWIGSBURG — Mifflinburg junior guard Corey Murtha’s assignment in Friday night’s PIAA Class AAA first-round game with Pottsville was simple.

It was the execution of that assignment that would provide some problems. Murtha knew all week his defensive assignment would be the Crimson Tide’s leading scorer, Nick Schlitzer, a 6-foot-4 guard that is Pottsville’s primary scorer, distributor and ball handler.

“I knew I had to guard Schlitzer. He’s tough. We practiced like it would be my job all week in practice. I think I was prepared,” Murtha said. “I did all I could stop him. We had some pretty good help defense and I think the work in practice is what did it.”

Murtha held Schlitzer under his average, forcing him to take 18 shots to score his 17 points, the key in the Wildcats holding the Crimson Tide to just 38 points in a 51-38 victory at Blue Mountain High School.

“Again, it was a team thing. Corey had the assignment on Schlitzer, obviously, but you notice every time there was pick set, we switched,” Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy said. “Travis Trutt switching out on to him, Kaleb Snyder switching out on him, even Zac (Hoy) switched a couple of times. Anytime they set a pick, the kids did exactly what we told them to do all week (in practice).”

The Wildcats (23-3) advance to the second round where they will face District 2 champion Abington Heights (28-2), a 58-28 victor over East Pennsboro. That game will be Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Pottsville, which won its first district title since 1990, finishes the season at 23-5.

Things looked to be working against the Wildcats early in the game. With the game just five miles from Pottsville, it was essentially a home game for the Crimson Tide.

“That was the biggest crowd we played in front of this year. It was pretty cool (walking in the gym), but it was a little intimidating because their student section was so big,” Murtha said. “We’ve never played in a state game before with this group of guys and I think we were a little nervous.”

The nerves affected both team in the first quarter with each team netting just one field goal in the first four minutes of the contest and the score was 8-8 after one period.

“We knew they were going to be in aggressive man-to-man. In practice, we were able to drive right away against it, but against (Pottsville) we weren’t able to drive right by them,” Mifflinburg point guard Zac Hoy said.

The game was still just 9-8 with the Crimson Tide in the lead when the Wildcats took a lead they would never relinquish. Murtha scored five consecutive points to spark a 9-0 run that opened up a 17-9 lead for MIfflinburg on a Hoy jumper with 3:14 left in the second quarter. That lead held heading to the locker room at halftime as Hoy hit a short jumper with 15 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 22-13 advantage at the break.

Mifflinburg faced a little more adversity in the third quarter thanks to the combination of foul trouble and the heat in the Blue Mountain gymnasium. Murtha didn’t come up to start the second half and Trutt had to leave the floor in the third thanks to the heat. Two other Mifflinburg starters, Snyder and Jim Showers, were in foul trouble.

“I’m not sure this team met adversity like that all year. It was so hot in there. Corey Murtha went down at the beginning of the second half and had to leave. We had to start Connor (Pierce) in the second half. You saw Travis Trutt go down in the second half cause of the heat,” Eldon Hoy said.

It didn’t hurt the Wildcats as Pierce, a sophomore guard and Michael Wiand, a freshman forward, played big minutes off the bench.

“Connor Pierce and Michael Wiand just played some awesome minutes for us. It was all on the defensive end,” Eldon Hoy said. “We didn’t lose a beat defensively when those two were in the game.”

The Crimson Tide made a run at the Wildcats to start the third quarter, scoring the first seven points to pull within 24-22 on a Josh Whalen layup with 4:25 left in the third. Trutt would score on back-to-back fast break baskets to push the lead back to six.

Pottsville would cut the lead to two on a Schlitzer bucket with 2:13 left in the third, but Murtha hit a pull up jumper with 20 seconds left and Trutt came back after leaving the game to convert a three-point play to start the fourth to push the lead to 33-26.

The fourth quarter is when Mifflinburg’s defense really began to affect the Crimson Tide. They weren’t able to convert a field goal until the 2:55 mark of the fourth and left a lot of shots short.

“You could tell they were running low on energy. They were really aggressive out in the passing lanes in the first half and early part of the third quarter, but you could tell they weren’t as aggressive later in the game,” Zac Hoy said. “That really helped us on the offensive attack.”

Mifflinburg would build an 11-point lead and then clinched the game from the line. Zac Hoy made 10 consecutive foul shots over the final two minutes to seal the game.

Hoy led the Wildcats with 21 points, while Murtha had 11 points and eight boards. Trutt scored all nine of his points in the second half.

Schlitzer had 17 points to lead the Crimson Tide.

Wildcats come up short in final

By Chris Dougherty
Published:

Saturday, March 6, 2010

MILTON — Friday night’s District 4 Class AAA final was one for the ages. It had everything you could ask for — physical play, big leads, comebacks and gutsy performances.
In the end it was Danville who came out on top of Mifflinburg, 61-58, in an unbelievable title game in The Jungle at Milton.
The way things began it looked as if Danville (18-6) would easily run away with the title. The Ironmen built a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and led 30-21 heading into the break, with Danville’s Ryan Reichard and Mifflinburg’s Zac Hoy traded buzzer-beating treys to end the first and second quarters, respectively.
After the third, Danville held a 40-28 advantage. Things looked to be on cruise control for those sporting orange and purple, as the Ironmen were red hot from everywhere on the court.

“It was a tale of shooting percentages,” Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy said. “We weren’t shooting well and they were.”
The tides turned, though, as the teams seemed to reverse roles. Danville went cold and Mifflinburg began to heat up.
The Wildcats (22-3) showed the true meaning of a team in the final three minutes of the game. Starting senior Kaleb Snyder fouled out, the deficit reached 17, and things were looking bleak.
But the team that relies so much on chemistry and unselfishness showed its true grit, putting together a 14-2 run to get within 53-49 with 90 seconds to play. Zac Hoy, Jim Sowers and Corey Murtha accounted for every basket during the stretch.
“They’ve been doing it all year, picking each other up,” Eldon Hoy said. “They’re emotional kids who never give up and really pulled it together after that deficit.”
Danville’s Reichard and Mikeal Owens-Wright would ruin their comback bid.

With Mifflinburg over the foul limit, Reichard hit 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final minute to keep Danville on top. His only miss left things at 58-55, giving the Wildcats another shot. However, Connor Pierce’s 3-point attempt was blocked with six seconds left, Owens-Wright sank his free throws and the game was over.
“We played excellent for three quarters,” Danville coach Dwayne Heeter said. “It’s pretty painful to watch a big lead slip away, but I think we did just enough down the stretch to hold on.”
The loss leaves Mifflinburg still in search of its first district title in the sport.
“When both teams play excellent basketball and one team hits more shots than the other, you’ve got to give them credit,” Eldon Hoy said. “It just wasn’t meant to be (for us) tonight.”
Reichard led all scorers with 26. Owens-Wright had 14 and Andrew Andreychik chipped in 12.
Zac Hoy led Mifflinburg with 23. Murtha added 14 and Sowers 13.
The season is not over for the Wildcats, though, as they qualified for the state tournament. They will play District 11 champion Pottsville at a time, date and place to be determined. Danville takes on District 11 runner-up Allentown Central Catholic at a time, date and place to be determined.
NOTES: Mifflinburg put up 30 points in the final frame…Snyder fouled out with 4:38 left…Travis Trutt fouled out with 1:17.

Trutt’s heroics send Wildcats to finals

d4-semi-last-shot
By Chris Dougherty
Published:
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

DANVILLE — After escaping the mob by his teammates and coaches, Travis Trutt shared a hug with his father, Terry.
And what a memorable one it will be.
Trutt’s jumper with 2 seconds left lifted Mifflinburg over Shikellamy, 30-28, in the District 4 Class AAA semifinals Tuesday night at Danville.
The win sends the Wildcats into the finals against tonight’s winner of Shamokin and Danville on Friday or Saturday.

“As soon as I let it go I knew it was in,” Trutt said. “(Corey) Murtha set a great screen to get me open, and it just went in”
The win was a hard fought one for Mifflinburg, now 22-2. The Braves are the last team to beat the Wildcats, a 70-49 loss back on Jan. 30. That game was much different compared to the one on Tuesday.
Shikellamy (14-10) took its time on offense trying to break through the 2-3 zone given by Mifflinburg. The long possessions on defense made it difficult for the Wildcats’ run-and-gun offense to really get going.
“That is definitely not our tempo,” Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy said. “We had visions of holding them to 35 and putting up 45, but they’re a good defensive team. We told the kids to be patient and they just stayed cool and finished it.”
Things were even through nearly three quarters. In fact, no team lead by more than four until Trutt drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to set off an 8-2 Mifflinburg run into the early part of the fourth. Jim Sowers’ bucket capped the run and made it 28-21 with just over three minutes to play.
“Those possessions really hurt us,” Shikellamy coach Tim Foor said.

The Braves would not go quietly, though, answering with a 7-0 run of their own. Omar Berry’s putback off an Adam Sees miss tied the game at 28 with 1:11 left.
“We had a nice run there to put ourselves in position to win,” said Foor.
Mifflinburg held out for the final shot, calling two timeouts in the meantime. During the second one, coming with 9 seconds left, Eldon Hoy drew up a play the Wildcats never ran before.
“They ran it to perfection” Eldon Hoy said. “We told Travis to go off the screen and to see what he could get. He gets to the hole really well so we were thinking maybe he could get fouled. Having him hit that is a bonus.”
Trutt’s trey at the end of the third and the game-winner were his only points of the game. Talk about clutch
Mifflinburg will get a chance to win the first district championship in school history.
“It’s so sweet, I don’t even know how to explain it,” Trutt said.
“It’s hard to believe,” added Zac Hoy, who led the Wildcats with 10 points. “It’s half a dream. The other half is winning it.”
NOTES: No team scored more than nine points in a quarter…The largest lead was 28-21 by Mifflinburg…Murtha had seven while Jim Sowers added six for the Wildcats. Berry led the Braves with 10.

Wildcats use big second half to top Seals

By Marion Valanoski
For The Daily Item

SELINSGROVE — With Mifflinburg going through a stretch of foul problems in the first half, Selinsgrove coach Ray Moyer knew his squad had to take advantage of the situation in order to stay within striking distance in order to pull off the upset.

The Seals battled and went into halftime trailing by only five points (32-27). Unfortunately for the Seals, they still had to play another two quarters.

Jim Sowers collected 11 of his 19 points in the second half and dominated the boards on the offensive end as the Wildcats used a solid defensive effort in the fourth quarter to break away from Selinsgrove, 62-44, Wednesday in Heartland Conference Division I action.

“We were able to make a run with (Zac) Hoy on the bench just to stay close in the first half,” Moyer said. “Unfortunately, in the second half they turned up the defensive pressure and we didn’t have anyone step up offensively, especially in the fourth quarter when the final outcome was still not determined.”

Travis Trutt displayed his offensive capability in the opening period with seven points to help the Wildcats (19-2, 12-1 HAC-I) jump out to a 17-11 lead. The Seals trailed by as many as 14 points in the next stanza (30-16), but were able to make a slight run with Mifflinburg’s guards sitting on the bench with foul problems.

Selinsgrove used a six-point outburst by Justin Keiser and four consecutive points by Spencer Hotaling to trim its deficit to 32-27 by the half.

“I thought we exhibited high intensity early but the foul problems hurt us,” Wildcats’ mentor Eldon Hoy said. “We had some inexperienced people in there and Selinsgrove took advantage to force some mistakes.”

The Seals got within three (32-29) on Alex Knitter’s basket, only to have Corey Murtha answer with a trey for the Wildcats that doubled the lead for the visitors to 35-29. Trutt contributed a five-point outburst and Hoy scored on a driving layup just before the buzzer that put the advantage at double digits, 48-38, heading into the last eight minutes.

Any hopes of making senior night a happy celebration ended with Sowers scoring three straight points and the defense clamping down on the Seals’ shooters to finish the quarter with a 14-6 advantage that secured the victory.

“Trutt hurt us early and Sowers quietly came through with a solid four-quarter performance,” Moyer said. “The key to the outcome was their defense down the stretch and Sowers on the boards and in the paint.”

Trutt contributed 15 points to the winning effort and added seven rebounds while Sowers chipped in with 12 boards as the Wildcats held a 31-19 advantage on the glass while forcing 14 turnovers.

Justin Keiser paced the Seals with eight points while Ryan Keiser, Dan Ryan and Hotaling all pitched in with seven.

Wildcats clinch HAC-I title

By the Standard Journal
Published:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mifflinburg 68
Milton 36

MILTON — Jim Sowers poured in 16 points, Corey Murtha added 14 and Connor Pierce came off the bench for 11 as Mifflinburg downed Milton Monday to claim the Heartland Athletic Conference-I title.

The Wildcats improved to 18-2, 11-1 in league play with the win. Mifflinburg wins the league with two games remaining.

Mifflinburg ran out to an early lead and cruised to the victory. Travis Trutt added eight and Zac Hoy finished with seven.

Milton (2-18, 0-13) was paced by Domair Anderson’s 10-point night. Ike Yost finished with seven.

Both teams are back in action on Wednesday. Mifflinburg will travel to Selinsgrove, while Milton is at Montoursville.

Wildcats clinch at least tie for title

By Todd Hummel
For The Daily Item

MIFFLINBURG — The previous two seasons, Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy has fielded a young team that has taken its lumps at times.

That is not the case anymore and now the Wildcats have just one loss in the Heartland Athletic Conference Division I heading into the final week of the season. It was obvious Saturday night the lessons learned the last two seasons were huge in a showdown with second-place Danville.

“At halftime, I told them ‘You guys have played enough basketball now to know that there is a run coming (in the second half).’ It was matter of who was going to have the first run,” Hoy said.

Mifflinburg had that initial run, opening up an 11-point third-quarter lead. But it was his team’s reaction when Danville rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead that really got Hoy’s attention.

“I think I’m more happy with how we reacted when they took the lead. We didn’t get rattled at all,” he said. “It was a very physical game and we were mature enough to handle that.”

The Wildcats held the Ironmen scoreless for four minutes in the final period, scoring 11 points in a row to turn a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead in a 55-46 victory.

The victory clinches at least a share of the HAC-I title for Mifflinburg. The Wildcats (17-2, 10-1 HAC-I) now own a two-game lead in the loss column over the Ironmen and Shamokin with road trips to Selinsgrove and Jersey Shore remaining. Danville drops to 13-6, 9-3.

Mifflinburg led 22-19 to start the third quarter, but a 9-0 run midway through the third quarter gave them a 33-22 lead with 3:03 left on three foul shots by Zac Hoy. Jim Sowers had six points in the run.

However, a Danville team that had struggled with turnovers for most of the game, finally got its offensive clicking late in the third quarter. Ross Litz converted a three-point play to spark 13 consecutive Danville points. Ryan Reichard capped the run with a three-point play of his own with 6:29 left in the game to give the Ironmen a 35-33 advantage, its first lead of the contest.

“When we got the lead, we got impatient a little bit, it sort of went downhill,” Danville coach Lenny Smith said. “We wanted to get the ball inside and we went through stretches where we didn’t get a shot, because we kept turning the ball over.”

It looked like the Ironmen would add to their lead when point guard Andrew Andreychik stole the ball, but when he tried to save it out of bounds, it went right to Mifflinburg guard Travis Trutt, who was open for an easy layup to tie the game at 35-35. That broke a five-minute scoreless drought for the Wildcats.

“Trutt played very well for them. It seems they had the answers at the end of the game,” Smith said. “Zac did a real good job of breaking our pressure late.”

Trutt’s hoop started an 11-0 run for the Wildcats. His 3-pointer with 3:28 left in the game pushed the Mifflinburg lead to seven and then Corey Murtha added a driving layup 20 seconds later for a 44-35 Wildcats lead with 2:55 left.

Danville would get the lead to six, twice, but Mifflinburg hit 5-of-7 foul shots in the final minute to seal the game.

Trutt had 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor. Zac Hoy added 14 points and Sowers had 12. Michael Rudy had 14 points to lead the Ironmen. Andreychik finished with 11 points.

Sowers leads ‘Cats to victory

By The Daily Item

BOYS BASKETBALL

MIFFLINBURG — A seven-point lead after the first quarter quickly grew to 20 at the break as Mifflinburg ran away for a 65-45 victory over Montoursville in a Heartland Athletic Conference Division I game on Saturday.

Jim Sowers once again was the sparkplug behind the offensive attack for Mifflinburg (16-2, 9-1 HAC-I). Sowers had a game-high 22 points in addition to the nine rebounds he pulled down.

Also for the Wildcats, Zac Hoy had 11 points and six assists, Corey Murtha had 12 points and Kaleb Snyder chipped in four points and six rebounds.

“Snyder and Sowers both rebounded very well, we had 13 assisted baskets and we played well as a team,” said Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy.

Ryan Hocker paced Montoursville with 15 points.