Basketball

Tigers remain perfect

Hollidaysburg wins battle of unbeatens

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Hollidaysburg joined the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in both boys and girls basketball competition this season, and the Lady Tigers hosted Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic Monday night in an LHAC game that matched up two unbeaten teams and provided a good litmus test for both.

"The Laurel Highlands is a different conference with new opponents every night, and you've got to prepare differently day in and day out,'' Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said. "Tonight it was two tough Blair County teams with a lot of talent playing each other, and we had to fight through for 32 minutes.''

Down 17-16 at halftime, Hollidaysburg put together an 11-2 run at the outset of the third quarter and used it as a springboard for a 43-38 victory that boosted the Lady Tigers' overall season record to 10-0 and their conference record to 9-0.

BG, which battled gamely itself, lost for the first time this season, dropping to 13-1 overall and 9-1 in the LHAC.

Junior Bella Vent, who scored a game-high 15 points, helped Hollidaysburg get out of the blocks quickly in the third quarter.

Vent fed senior forward Samantha Shoemaker for an inside bucket that gave Hollidaysburg an 18-17 lead, then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to put the Lady Tigers ahead, 21-17.

After a jumper by BG sophomore Stella Yeskey temporarily interrupted the Hollidaysburg surge, Vent scored a field goal off an inbounds pass, then came up with a steal and driving layup.

"I think we just came out and worked together as a team,'' Vent said of the third-quarter rally. "We started doing what we usually do.''

Shoemaker, who corralled a game-high 13 rebounds, scored off a putback to give Hollidaysburg a 27-19 lead that it never relinquished, although BG would battle back to whittle the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter.

"I thought that we came out with a lot more energy in the second half, and we played as a team both offensively and defensively,'' Shoemaker said.

Hollidaysburg led, 32-28, after three quarters, but the Lady Marauders, who were led by sophomore Alana Lightner's 10 points, did not go quietly.

Lightner's bucket and a one-handed field goal by Yeskey pulled BG to within 34-32 with 4:38 remaining in the game.

After Vent scored on a jumper from the top of the key that rolled around the rim and through the basket, Hollidaysburg sophomore Makenna Weimert -- who scored six of her 12 points in the fourth quarter -- hit a jumper from the left corner to give Hollidaysburg a 38-32 lead.

After freshman Morgan Ruggery scored a field goal for BG, Weimert came up big again, corralling a teammate's airball shot underneath the basket and scoring on a nifty reverse putback to give Hollidaysburg a 40-34 edge.

Weimert -- who grabbed nine rebounds in the game -- followed with another baseline jumper to put Hollidaysburg up by eight points, 42-34, with one minute left and give the Lady Tigers some much-needed separation.

"Hollidaysburg is a great team, and they're extremely well-coached,'' BG coach Kristi Kaack said. "We missed some assignments in the third quarter and let their (defensive) pressure get to us, but I'm extremely proud of the way our kids fought back tonight.''

Led by Shoemaker and Weimert, Hollidaysburg fashioned a 34-21 edge in rebounds. Lightner's five led BG.

"There was a good crowd here tonight, and I think that our team was really excited,'' Hollidaysburg junior Lauren Stevenson said. "We didn't start well, but in the second half we played good team defense, and that led to us producing some offense.''

BG made 15 of 41 floor shots for a 36.6 percent clip, while Hollidaysburg converted 16 of 44 for 36 percent.

BG made only five of 15 free throws, which Kaack thought was a factor in the final outcome.

"We got some quality shots tonight, we just didn't make them when we needed to,'' Kaack said. "We left a lot of points on the foul line, and you don't want to do that, especially on the road.''

Game notes: Hollidaysburg has now won 23 straight home games in a streak dating back to the end of the 2021-22 season, and the Lady Tigers have a 67-4 overall record dating back to February of 2021 ... Hollidaysburg hosts Bellefonte Wednesday night, while BG faces Penn Cambria in the Jaffa Shrine Tournament Saturday afternoon.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (38): Petrecca 2 2-2 7, Querry 2 0-0 6, Ruggery 2 0-4 4, Lightner 5 0-4 10, Yeskey 3 0-0 6, Adams 0 3-5 3, Homan 1 0-0 2. Totals - 15 5-15 38.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (43): Vent 6 2-4 15, Stevenson 1 0-0 3, Shoemaker 2 1-4 5, Yohn 0 0-0 0, Weimert 5 2-4 12, Padamonsky 2 4-8 8, DiPangrazio 0 0-0 0. Totals - 16 9-20 43.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Guilfoyle 2 15 11 10--38

Hollidaysburg 4 12 16 11--43

3-point goals: Bishop Guilfoyle 3 (Querry 2, Petrecca); Hollidaysburg 2 (Vent, Stevenson).

Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (13-1 overall, 9-1 in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Hollidaysburg (10-0, 9-0).

Officials: Brock Kaufman, Shawn Sinclair, Courtney Cecere.

JV: Bishop Guilfoyle, 45-35. High scorers--Alyssa Hite, BG, 11; Kate Steiner, H, 15.