It happened again this month, when several players on the Marauders’ basketball team participated in the state title football game 10 days ago.

Some of those players aren’t quite in prime basketball condition yet, but they’ll get there. In the meantime, players like speedy junior guard Troy Ruggery are more than happy to pick up the slack in BG’s transition offensive attack.

Ruggery scored all of his game-high 22 points in the second half Monday night, leading BG to a 71-63 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over Hollidaysburg at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School gymnasium.

Ruggery converted eight of 12 free throws, along with several back door cuts and fast breaks for layups, as BG improved to 2-0 overall and in the conference in a fast-tempo game that was air-tight until late in the fourth quarter.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle's Troy Ruggery puts up a shot past Hollidaysburg's Kasen Metzger.

“Troy was great tonight,” BG coach Ryan Lestochi said. “He’s the most in-shape basketball player that I know. He goes up and down the floor full tilt on both ends, and his conditioning paid off for us tonight.

“We’re a little bit behind in overall basketball conditioning with our football guys playing into the final week of their postseason and their championship game,” Lestochi added. “This was a great atmosphere here for a high school basketball game, with two great fan bases. It’s only our second game of the season, but a game like this was a great way for us to get into our season.”

Ruggery scored 10 points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth for BG, which carried the fourth quarter, 23-17 to gain some valuable separation after leading by only two points, 48-46 entering the final period.

“We wanted to push the pace more in the second half,” Ruggery said. “Everybody else was running with me, which gave me the opportunity to score more.”

Ruggery and Lestochi both feel like the Marauders are blessed with a balanced scoring attack, and BG displayed that again Monday, as senior forward Jake Kissell and sophomore guard Alex Krimmel both chipped in 15 points for the Marauders to complement Ruggery’s output.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle's Alex Krimmel puts up a shot in front of Hollidaysburg's JJ Stultz.

“Playing the point guard position, I usually take what the game gives me,” said the 5-foot-9 Ruggery. “I feel like all the players on this team can score a lot of points on any given night.”

Monday was Ruggery’s night, especially in the second half of the game.

His four field goals and two free throws in the third quarter helped BG to a 45-40 lead, but Hollidaysburg (2-2, 1-2), as it did all night, came clawing back.

Junior J.J. Stultz converted an inbounds feed into a bucket, then hit two free throws, pulling the Golden Tigers to within 48-46 entering the fourth quarter.

A pivotal sequence occurred early in the fourth quarter with BG clinging to a 52-49 lead. Ruggery reeled off the game’s next seven points. He picked up a loose ball off a missed Hollidaysburg free throw at mid-court, broke down the floor for a fast-break layup, was fouled, and hit the free throw to complete the 3-point play and give BG a 55-49 advantage.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle's Jake Kissell puts up a shot by Hollidaysburg's Wyatt Frazier (left) and Kasen Metzger.

Ruggery added another free throw moments later to put BG ahead, 56-49, before Hollidaysburg put together an 8-3 run to get back to within two points, 59-57 on junior Tyson Delerme’s bucket with 3:23 left.

BG closed strong, scoring 12 of the game’s final 18 points, with senior Tyson Lestochi hitting three of four free throws and junior Connor Okonak converting an inside feed to give the Marauders a 64-57 spread with about two minutes left.

Hollidaysburg coach Brad Lear pointed to his team’s missed chances — 12 missed free throws coupled with 12 missed layups — as significant factors in the game’s outcome.

“We were 18 of 30 from the free throw line with 12 missed layups and 18 turnovers,” said Lear, whose team hosts Bishop McCort Catholic Friday night. “We’ve been working in practice on free throw shooting and finishing near the basket. Those are fixable things that we will continue to work on.’

Senior Kasen Metzger led Hollidaysburg with 14 points and also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Stultz added 13 points and senior guard Jayden Wolfe scored 12.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Hollidaysburg's Kasen Metzger holds off Bishop Guilfoyle's Grant Okonak.

BG, which hosts Westmont Hilltop Friday night, has made a habit of achieving scoring balance in its lineup over the past couple seasons.

“We’re a team that shares the ball well and we just want to seek the best shot, regardless of who is taking it,” Coach Lestochi said. “We feel that we’re a team that, on any given night, could have five players in double figures. Tonight was Troy’s night.”

Game notes: Hollidaysburg held a 32-24 advantage in rebounds, with Krimmel — the son of former long-time Saint Francis University men’s basketball coach Rob Krimmel — leading BG in rebounds by grabbing six … BG converted 50 percent (22 of 44) of its shots from the floor and 21 of its 29 free throws … Hollidaysburg made 21 of its 40 floor shots for a 52.5 percent clip.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (71): Kissell 4 4-4 15, Ruggery 7 8-12 22, Krimmel 5 3-4 15, G. Okonak 2 2-3 6, Lestochi 1 4-6 6, C. Okonak 3 0-0 7, Lightner 0 0-0 0, Misiura 0 0-0 0, Baker 0 0-0 0, Shellenberger 0 0-0 0. Totals — 22 21-29 71.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (63): Metzger 5 4-6 14, Zimmerman 3 0-0 6, Wolfe 4 3-4 12, Stultz 4 4-4 13, Albarano 1 3-6 5, Delerme 2 4-7 8, Padamonsky 0 0-0 0, Frazier 2 0-3 5. Totals — 21 18-30 63.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Guilfoyle 16 16 16 23–71

Hollidaysburg 9 21 16 17–63

3-point goals: Bishop Guilfoyle 6 (Kissell 3, Krimmel 2, C. Okonak); Hollidaysburg 3 (Wolfe, Stultz, Frazier).

Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (2-0, 2-0 LHAC); Hollidaysburg (2-2, 1-2 LHAC).

Officials: Wally Reimer, Sarah Fye, Davis Wright.

JV: Hollidaysburg, 46-36. High scorers–Jack Singer, BG, 9; Evan Rhodes, H, 14.