Juniata Valley senior Jett Rand eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career, but the Blue Pirates pretty much dominated the game from the second quarter on, placing three players in double figures en route to a 66-49 victory.

Williamsburg bolted out to a 20-6 lead early in the second quarter and the game was never in doubt after that.

Ethan Reffner, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Williamsburg, which also got 16 points from senior Ty Uplinger and 11 from senior Preston Isenberg.

“Ethan had a big night, but we’re really playing team basketball, which is what we have to do,” said Williamsburg coach Jeff Detwiler, whose team improved to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play, forging a three-way tie for the division lead with Juniata Valley and Moshannon Valley in the process. “It’s a lot of fun watching the guys share the basketball the way that they have been doing.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Juniata Valley's Kyler Spurlin drives by Williamsburg's Ty Uplinger.

Williamsburg led 35-14 at halftime and 48-30 after three quarters, after using its strong start to the game as a springboard.

An eight-point second-quarter run expanded Williamsburg’s 12-6 lead at the quarter pole to the 20-6 margin.

Isenberg’s field goal started the surge, and 3-pointers by Reffner and Isenberg followed.

“In the past eight games, we’ve come out as strong at the start of the game as possible,” Reffner said. “We’re playing great team ball together, fighting for every rebound and every steal.”

Williamsburg used its defensive pressure to force turnovers and trigger its quick transition game.

“It was important for us to get out to a quality start, and we feel like we did that tonight,” Detwiler said. “Our defense is creating a lot of opportunities for us on the offensive end. We played with a lot of energy tonight, which is what we feel that we need to do in order to be successful.”

Valley coach Bill Lightner, whose team dropped to 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference division, tipped his proverbial cap to Williamsburg.

“They just outhustled us tonight, plain and simple,” Lightner said. “They’re a well-coached team that played a great game. They deserve all the credit. Hopefully we can learn and grow from this.”

Rand earned his share of the credit with a driving layup in the opening minute of the third quarter that enabled him to reach the coveted 1,000-point plateau. He needed five points entering the game to reach 1,000, and he wound up with 15 points.

“I was doing it for my brother (Jaxson, who graduated from Valley in 2019),” said Rand, who has been a four-year basketball starter for Valley. “I’ve always wished for it, and I’m glad that I’m there now.”

The game was momentarily stopped to allow Rand and his Valley teammates to enjoy the occasion.

“I’m super proud of Jett for getting 1,000,” Lightner said.

Detwiler also offered his regards.

“Congratulations to Jett for reaching 1,000 points,” Detwiler said. “That’s a pretty cool achievement.”

Junior Trenton Norris added 14 points for Valley, which hosts Glendale on Tuesday night. Williamsburg will visit Curwensville the same night.

A raucous crowd with a heavy fan contingent from both Williamsburg and Juniata Valley packed the gym Friday night for the key matchup between the neighboring rivals.

“We knew that this would be a big game, because of Jett closing in on 1,000 points, and also, because of how important this game was to both teams,” Detwiler said. “We knew this place would be rocking, and it was a lot of fun seeing the community coming out here to support the players.”

JUNIATA VALLEY (49): Rand 5 4-7 15, Spurlin 1 0-0 2, Lecrone 2 2-5 6, Cook 3 0-0 7, Scalia 2 0-0 5, T. Norris 6 2-7 14, Castaneda 0 0-0 0. Totals – 19 8-19 49.

WILLIAMSBURG (66): Isenberg 5 0-0 11, Reffner 10 2-2 25, Zehner 1 0-0 3, Harker 2 0-0 4, Uplinger 6 2-4 16, Mock 1 0-0 3, Clark 1 0-0 2, Recker 1 0-0 2. Totals -27 4-6 66.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Juniata Valley 6 8 16 19–49

Williamsburg 12 23 13 18–66

3-point goals: Juniata Valley 3 (Rand, Cook, Scalia); Williamsburg 6 (Reffner 3, Zehner, Isenberg, Mock).

Records: Juniata Valley (9-3 overall, 3-1 in the Inter-County Conference North Division); Williamsburg 2, (9-2, 3-1).

Officials: Steve Voytko, Dan Kiser, Nick Roman.

JV: Williamsburg, 52-41. High scorers–Trent Norris, JV, 15; Brayden Brumbaugh, W, 16.