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By Kevin Petrochko
For the Mirror
LOYSBURG -- The Claysburg-Kimmell Bulldogs came into Friday night's matchup with the Northern Bedford Panthers looking to play spoiler on NBC's senior night.
Led by a 21-point performance from junior Brayden Haney, they did just that as they beat the Panthers, 58-51.
With the win, the Bulldogs qualified for the Inter-County Conference playoffs this upcoming Friday. The finals are Saturday.
"We played really well out there ," Claysburg-Kimmel coach Mike Harris said, whose club will get a semifinal game on Friday. "It was a great battle for us; we played well down the stretch."
Besides Haney's 21 points, freshman Blake Kulick and junior Christian Treon tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"Feels good; the team worked together," Haney said. "Good ball movement, everyone was doing their part, it was a good team win."
Fellow junior Cory Walter contributed 16 points in the victory as the Bulldogs improved to 12-9.
"Cory Walter played his best game of the year," Harris said. "That dude was all over the place. He played really well."
In the third quarter, Walter racked up eight points for Claysburg, including four-of-five from the charity stripe.
"I missed that first layup of the game," Walter said. "You always got to look forward to the next play, and I'm just looking to help my team anyway I can. "
With the win, the Bulldogs carry a nine-game winning streak going into their game against Moshannon Valley on Monday.
"These guys have been playing really hard in every win, and now they're all locked in, and they realize what it takes, and they're all focused," Harris said.
Despite the loss, Northern Bedford seniors Alex Kochara and Wesley Horsh finished the night with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
"Our seniors have been a catalyst of everything we've done all year," Northern Bedford coach AJ Weyant said. "Horsh is no exception, he's a team captain, he brings it every night.He's got a lunch-pail mentality."
The Panthers (5-17) will now play the waiting game in terms of their playoff future.
"This senior group is special to me," Weyant said. "We hope tonight wasn't the (last) night, but if it was, they went out with an effort worthy of Panther basketball."
Claysburg-Kimmel will host Moshannon Valley Monday, then await its ICC semifinal opponent.
Northern Bedford's regular season has now concluded.
CLAYSBURG KIMMEL (58): Haney 5 10-15 21, Kulick 4 0-0 11. C. Treon 4 0-0 10, C. Walter 5 6-9 16. Totals 18 16-24 59
NORTHERN BEDFORD (51): Norwood 3 0-0 8, Horsh 4 3-3 12, Kochara 5 2-2 17, Eckenroad 3 1-4 7, Foor 2 0-2 4, Cottle 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 6-11 51
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Claysburg-Kimmel 17 11 16 14 - 58
Northern Bedford 7 16 10 18 - 51
3-point field goals: Claysburg 6 (Haney, Kulick 3, C. Treon 2) Northern Bedford 9 (Norwood 2, Horsh, Kochara 5, Cottle)
Records: Claysburg-Kimmel (12-9), Northern Bedford (5-17).
Officials: Mike Baum, Justin Fisher, James Will
JV: Northern Bedford, 36-25