Lingenfelter’s athleticism sparks Curry to Lakemont title
Lakemont D3
Trending
As an all-state football player and basketball star at Central High School, Eli Lingenfelter possessed the ability to single-handedly take over an athletic competition.
Just over three years removed from the high school sports scene now, he's apparently become even better at it.
Lingenfelter scored a game-high 32 points Tuesday night, carrying Curry Fluid Power to the Division 3 championship in the Central Blair Recreation Commission's Men's Summer Basketball League with a 54-41 comeback victory over David J. Foreman General Contractor.
Lingenfelter scored 19 points in the second half for Curry, which overcame a 14-4 early first-half deficit and pullled ahead after trailing, 23-22 at intermission.
"I'm just out there playing, doing my best to help the team win a game,'' said Lingenfelter, who had been a member of the NCAA Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania football team but said that he is no longer playing football at IUP.
"I'm aiming to get into a rhythm, and once that happens, things feel natural for me,'' Lingenfelter added.
After Jade Zatek's 3-pointer at the outset of the second half gave Foreman its final lead of the game, 26-22, Lingenfelter spearheaded a 14-2 run Curry run that put the winners squarely into the driver's seat.
Curry Fluid Power won the CBRC Division 3 Summer League Basketball title. Team members include (from left): First row -- Tim McFarland, Josiah Seese, Parker Gregg, Shalen Yingling, league director Skip Dry. Second row -- Rylan Daugherty, Blake Over, Nick Wiedemer, Eli Lingenfelter.
Team photos for the Mirror by Clark Adelman
Nick Wiedemer started the Curry surge by scoring off an inside feed, then Lingenfelter took over.
His 3-pointer from the top of the circle dropped into the basket after initially being suspended behind the rim for a split-second, putting Curry ahead stay, 27-26.
Lingenfelter followed witn another 3-ball to make it a 30-26 game, and added two free throws to put Curry ahead, 32-28. After another former Central High all-state football player, Parker Gregg, scored from inside off a feed from Blake Over, Lingenfelter converted a steal into a layup to give Curry a 36-26 cushion.
Led by the hot hand of former Altoona High School and Mount Aloysius College product Demetrius Davis, who hit two consecutive 3-pointers, Foreman narrowed the Curry lead to 40-37 with 5:54 left. But Curry closed strong, finishing the game on a 14-4 run with Lingenfelter hitting two field goals and five of six free thows, and Over - who is the Central varsity girls basketball coach -- making a field goal and two free throws.
Davis, who led Foreman with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, said that Lingenfelter triggered a swing in the game's momentum for Curry.
"We started off hot, but then we started losing momentum,'' Davis said. "It was a physical game, and they out-rebounded and out-ran us, and number 3 (Lingenfelter) hit some good shots for them.''
For various reasons, Curry didn't have its entire team together this season until Tuesday's championship final, and Lingenfelter felt that made a big difference in the winning cause.
"This was the first time this season that we had our full team, and we started out slow tonight, but once we came back, we just kept on coming,'' Lingenfelter said. "I've been playing in this league for a while, and it's a competitive league with some good games,'' Lingenfelter added. "It feels nice to win here.''
FOREMAN GENERAL CONTRACTOR (41): D. Ellis 0 0-0 0, Davis 5 0-0 14
Sulesky 2 4-6 8, Swauger 3 0-0 8, Wilson 3 0-0 6, Eberlin 1 0-0 2, Dickson 0 0-0 0, Zatek 1 0-0 3, Totals - 15 4-6 41.
CURRY FLUID POWER (54): Lingenfelter 10 9-10 32, Wiedemer 3 2-2 8, Over 1 2-2 4, Gregg 1 0-0 2, Seese 3 2-4 8. Totals - 18 15-18 54.
Halftime: Foreman General Contractor, 23-22.
3-point goals: Foreman General Contractor 7 (Davis 4, Swauger 2, Zatek);
Curry Fluid Power 3 (Lingenfelter 3).
Officials: Brett Dongell, Brian Smith, Chris Smolders.