Basketball

Slow-starting Portage wakes up in time

By Matt Michelone

sports@altoonamirror.com

PATTON -- Going back to a Dec. 21 defeat against Conemaugh Township last month, the Portage boys' basketball team has had a challenging time establishing the consistency they want in their game plan.

That night started a three-game losing streak, followed by a three-game win streak, to be followed by another three-game skid.

After a slow start in the first quarter to Wednesday night's Heritage Conference matchup with Cambria Heights the Mustangs stopped their most recent slide with a strong shooting night as they as doubled up the Highlanders, 68-34.

"We felt like our schedule has been really, really tough," Portage coach Travis Kargo said. "Coming down here is no easy task, and I thought the kids played really well. We got a lot of new guys in new positions; we replaced a lot of players from the last few years. We kept saying just keep getting a little bit better every day, and I think we saw the effect of that tonight."

Both sides traded points to start the game before Trae Kargo with a layup started to give the Mustangs some separation as he went onto score 13 points for the 17-7 lead after one.

Moving to the second and Owen Gouse went to work not long after that as he drew the and-1 on his way to scoring a game-high 17 points.

"He's definitely come a long way," Travis Kargo said. "He continues to improve; he continues to play as hard as you can ask. Hopefully everybody else we're all going to improve as we have been."

Isaac Weiland -- who led the Highlanders with 11 points -- cut into the deficit with a floater but that's as close as Heights would get.

While the outlook appears to be bleak for the Highlanders, coach Eric Nagel is still encouraging his team to make the most of what's left of this season.

"What we want to do is just get better every day," he said. "Unfortunately seniors, you're running out of time. Juniors (along with freshmen and sophomores), we got to get better every day for next year. You can't just pack it in. It was tough shooting for us tonight."

Trae Kargo struck again midway through the period as he put away a runner to stretch the advantage to 35-16. Portage took a 40-19 lead to the break.

The Mustangs picked up where they left off offensively during the third as Kargo added a runner and Brennan Kunko contributed a layup for two of his 11 points.

Gouse would add a three-pointer which helped activate the running clock for the rest of the game.

"Some of the guys we replaced were multi-year starters, significant players," Travis Kargo said. "From last year alone we replaced two 1,000-point scorers. All three of our seniors from last year are all playing a college sport. That's a lot of athleticism, a lot of production, a lot of leadership. We got to keep grinding, it's these guys time."

The Mustangs even with the roller coaster they've been through still remain within striking distance of a Heritage Conference playoff spot.

"It's an exciting time of year," Travis Kargo said. "We feel like our schedule will have us battle tested and ready to go. When you get into that playoff, you never know."

Game Notes: Ethan Hodge was the third Mustang to finish the night in double figures. The Mustangs drained seven three-pointers to the Highlanders one. Portage will host the Heritage Conference East Divison leader Conemaugh Township on Friday night. Cambria Heights will welcome Northern Cambria.

PORTAGE (68): Kargo 6 0-0 13, Kunko 5 0-0 11, Layo 3 0-0 6, E. Hodge 4 0-0 10, Gouse 6 0-0 17, Hodge 1 0-0 2, McCoy 2 2-2 6, Slanoc 0 0-0 0, Kick 0 0-0 0, Caldwell 1 0-0 3, Rocker 0 0-0 0. Totals: 28 2-2 68.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS (34): Garrison 3 0-0 7, Farabaugh 2 1-4 5, Nelen 0 0-0 0, Weiland 5 1-2 11, Yeckley 2 0-0 4, Abrams 2 1-4 5, Lobick 0 0-0 0, Nagel 0 0-0 0, Baker 1 0-1 2, Kubat 0 0-0 0, Ivory 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 3-10 34.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Portage 17 23 18 10 - 68

Cambria Heights 7 12 11 4 - 34

3-point field goals: Portage 7 (Kargo, Kunko, Layo 2, Gouse 2, Caldwell), Cambria Heights 1 (Garrison)

Records: Portage (8-7, 6-2 Heritage East), Cambria Heights (3-14, 1-7).

Officials: Skip Dry, Denny Detwiler, Clayton Heffman

JV: Cambria Heights, 45-42. High scorers - Braylon Walker, P, 17; Cam Abrams, CH, 26.