Green Dragons down Wildcats in rivalry game
Standard-Journal
Mon Feb 11, 2008
Reprinted with permission
LEWISBURG — Anytime Lewisburg and Mifflinburg meet there’s a lot on the line.
After all, it’s a rivalry game for the Little Brown Jug.
Add to that Lewisburg’s Senior Night and the Wildcats in need of a win to qualify for districts and you get an emotional game that was exciting to watch.
In the end it was the Dragons that prevailed in a 69-60 contest that wasn’t decided until the final minute or so of the fourth quarter.
Lewisburg, now 13-11, will try and use the momentum to good effect in the District 4 Class AA playoffs this week. The Wildcats finish their season 11-13.
“The kids played great,” said Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy. “They played very well with a lot of energy, a lot of support from the kids off the bench.”
The energy showed on both sides at the beginning of the game as the defensive pressure from both sides kept the score 0-0 until the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
By the end of the opening stanza the score was 13-9 Lewisburg largely because of a trio of 3s by Graham Huber, Devin Cassels and Kyle Ranck who hit the last shot of the quarter after Lewisburg coach John Vaji yelled, “shoot it!”
The Wildcats answered in the second with a 19-11 effort with the last five points coming in the final minute to go into the locker room up 28-24.
The Mifflinburg halftime lead had Vaji worried. He had to sit Cassels, Huber, Steven Walling and Jared Young at the end of the second stanza because they all had two fouls but thought his team was playing well without them. And yet they were down at the half.
“At halftime I was worried,” he said. “And even with all those guys on the bench we were up with a minute to go. How are we going to respond?”
The Green Dragon coach who just the night before could not find a go-to guy in the third quarter against Hughesville had him Saturday in Cassels.
The senior guard reeled off 14 points for two thirds of the Green Dragons’ 21 points in the third to put Lewisburg up 45-40 going into the final period.
For a time Cassels seemed unstoppable hitting nothing but net every time he threw the ball up.
“He was catching in a rhythm and shooting it,” said Vaji.
In first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Lewisburg was able to increase its lead to 10. After a couple of technical fouls on Mifflinburg and a Huber trey, the Dragons were holding a 15-point lead and it looked like bleak for the Wildcats.
But it wasn’t.
With less than four minutes left to play the Wildcats fought back. Wildcat frosh Zac Hoy hit a trey, sophomore Jim Sowers fought for position in the paint and rewarded the passes with a deuce and senior Mark Musser canned two unanswered field goals to bring his team to within four with 1:55 left on the clock.
It was not to be though as Musser fouled out and Young, Cassels and Walling hit their shots from the charity stripe to seal the win.
“It was great senior leadership,” said Vaji.
For seniors Huber, Walling, Cassels and Young the last chance to play on their home court was not going to be squandered.
“The four of us have been playing basketball together in our driveways since we’ve been 10,” said Cassels.
“I thought before the game it was the last time we’d be on this court,” said Huber. “We’d have to have each other’s back.”
The win was all the sweeter for the foursome because it was Mifflinburg.
“It’s been a good ride with these guys,” said Young. “It was good to go out beating out rival Mifflinburg on our home court.”
“It was a great way to go out,” said Walling.
Notes: Cassels was the game-high scorer with 21 points. Huber finished with 17 for the Green Dragons and Bell chipped in 15. Hoy was high scorer for Mifflinburg with 15 points, including four treys. Mark Musser also finished in double figures with 12 in his final game as a Wildcat… Lewisburg will take on Wyalusing Friday at Mansfield in District 4 action.
After all, it’s a rivalry game for the Little Brown Jug.
Add to that Lewisburg’s Senior Night and the Wildcats in need of a win to qualify for districts and you get an emotional game that was exciting to watch.
In the end it was the Dragons that prevailed in a 69-60 contest that wasn’t decided until the final minute or so of the fourth quarter.
Lewisburg, now 13-11, will try and use the momentum to good effect in the District 4 Class AA playoffs this week. The Wildcats finish their season 11-13.
“The kids played great,” said Mifflinburg coach Eldon Hoy. “They played very well with a lot of energy, a lot of support from the kids off the bench.”
The energy showed on both sides at the beginning of the game as the defensive pressure from both sides kept the score 0-0 until the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
By the end of the opening stanza the score was 13-9 Lewisburg largely because of a trio of 3s by Graham Huber, Devin Cassels and Kyle Ranck who hit the last shot of the quarter after Lewisburg coach John Vaji yelled, “shoot it!”
The Wildcats answered in the second with a 19-11 effort with the last five points coming in the final minute to go into the locker room up 28-24.
The Mifflinburg halftime lead had Vaji worried. He had to sit Cassels, Huber, Steven Walling and Jared Young at the end of the second stanza because they all had two fouls but thought his team was playing well without them. And yet they were down at the half.
“At halftime I was worried,” he said. “And even with all those guys on the bench we were up with a minute to go. How are we going to respond?”
The Green Dragon coach who just the night before could not find a go-to guy in the third quarter against Hughesville had him Saturday in Cassels.
The senior guard reeled off 14 points for two thirds of the Green Dragons’ 21 points in the third to put Lewisburg up 45-40 going into the final period.
For a time Cassels seemed unstoppable hitting nothing but net every time he threw the ball up.
“He was catching in a rhythm and shooting it,” said Vaji.
In first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Lewisburg was able to increase its lead to 10. After a couple of technical fouls on Mifflinburg and a Huber trey, the Dragons were holding a 15-point lead and it looked like bleak for the Wildcats.
But it wasn’t.
With less than four minutes left to play the Wildcats fought back. Wildcat frosh Zac Hoy hit a trey, sophomore Jim Sowers fought for position in the paint and rewarded the passes with a deuce and senior Mark Musser canned two unanswered field goals to bring his team to within four with 1:55 left on the clock.
It was not to be though as Musser fouled out and Young, Cassels and Walling hit their shots from the charity stripe to seal the win.
“It was great senior leadership,” said Vaji.
For seniors Huber, Walling, Cassels and Young the last chance to play on their home court was not going to be squandered.
“The four of us have been playing basketball together in our driveways since we’ve been 10,” said Cassels.
“I thought before the game it was the last time we’d be on this court,” said Huber. “We’d have to have each other’s back.”
The win was all the sweeter for the foursome because it was Mifflinburg.
“It’s been a good ride with these guys,” said Young. “It was good to go out beating out rival Mifflinburg on our home court.”
“It was a great way to go out,” said Walling.
Notes: Cassels was the game-high scorer with 21 points. Huber finished with 17 for the Green Dragons and Bell chipped in 15. Hoy was high scorer for Mifflinburg with 15 points, including four treys. Mark Musser also finished in double figures with 12 in his final game as a Wildcat… Lewisburg will take on Wyalusing Friday at Mansfield in District 4 action.
Posted: February 11th, 2008 under JV-Varsity.
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