JOHNSTOWN —
It’s still only the second week of the high school hoops season and already some patterns are beginning to emerge and two players have topped the 1,000-point plateau.
With a strong starting rotation returning, the defending District 5 Class A champion Shade boys have their eyes set high again this season and are currently 6-0. The Panthers emerged with the tournament title from the 35th annual Mountain Cat Tournament at Pitt-Johnstown over the weekend, downing a talented Northern Bedford squad in the title game to win the championship.
It was Shade’s second appearance in the UPJ title game and first victory. The Panthers, who also came away with the crown at the Chestnut Ridge tip-off tournament, tangled with Hollidaysburg in 2008, losing 58-57 to the Golden Tigers.
Shade’s Ryan Fyock, who scored 30 points to lead the Panthers against Northern Bedford, was selected tournament MVP, and teammate Wade Walker (16 points) was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
With just a few games in the books and section play not yet started, four boys squads in the Laurel Highlands are still unbeaten in the league, including Bishop McCort, the defending District 6-AA champion, and Greater Johnstown (2-2), the Class AAA four-time defending titlists, in Section 2, along with Penn Cambria (3-0) and Bishop Guilfoyle (2-0) in Section 2.
The Crimson Crushers head to Hollidaysburg’s Golden Tiger tournament facing the hosts in opening-round action on Wednesday. The other boys teams at the tournament include Erie McDowell and Brooklyn (N.Y.) Transit Tech.
In the girls section of the Laurel Highlands Conference, play has already been interesting with the ladies from Bishop Guilfoyle targeting themselves as the top team to beat, just as the coaches predicted.
The Forest Hills girls, who are also headed to the Golden Tiger Tournament and will face Erie McDowell on Thursday, had their hands full last Friday as Richland handed the Rangers their first loss.
And speaking of the Rams, they are 4-0 overall under new head coach Mike Urban and are 2-0 in Section 2, where Bishop McCort is also undefeated in the league. In Section 1, the Marauders (3-1) and Cambria Heights (1-2) are unbeaten.
Richland’s Katie Gehlmann topped 1,000 points on Wednesday against Penn Cambria and became the first area player this season to achieve the milestone.
A night later, Natalie Sokira of Cambria County Christian followed Gehlmann to the 1,000-point mark.
Teams will play their final week before the Christmas break and many squads will then head to holiday tournaments the following week.
Cory Isenberg is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat.
High School Sports
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Discussion
CORY ISENBERG| Season coming into focus early
- High School Sports
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Shade softball thriving on Karl’s watch
Frank Karl coached the majority of the girls who comprise Shade High School’s softball team from the time they played T-ball and coach pitch.
Karl was there when the group, as elementary-school students, once rallied from an 18-run deficit to win a game, and he hoped to be there when the group reached the varsity level. -
MIKE KOVAK| Blending schedules a challenge for athletic directors
Bishop McCort basketball gets it. So does Greater Johnstown basketball.
Go ahead and count Somerset baseball among the mix. The same goes for Ligonier Valley softball and Northern Cambria volleyball.
What is it that these different programs from various locations within The Tribune-Democrat coverage area get exactly? -
CORY ISENBERG| Stakes rise as schedules shrink
There are fewer events on the daily high school sports schedules, but the stakes are going up for area athletes as the spring season heads into its final weeks.
In track and field, the three area conferences will hold their championship meets this week.
In Portage today, the WestPAC athletes will gather for their championships while the Laurel Highlands and Heritage meets will be on Tuesday at Somerset and United, respectively. -
Seven Conemaugh Township athletes make commitments
Dillon Boyer entered Thursday’s scholastic baseball action ranked fourth in the state with a .688 batting average.
Boyer will take those impressive numbers a few miles North on Route 219 when he continues his career at the next level. The Conemaugh Township senior will attend Pitt-Johnstown and play NCAA Division II baseball for coach Todd Williams. -
Four from Richland committed to UPJ
For Sabrina Wingard, the opportunity to play collegiate soccer with her sister, Savanna, was too great an opportunity to skip.
For Bobby Colvin, Curt Colvin and Ismail Ahmad, the idea of playing highly competitive soccer next to their high school campus made for an easy choice. - Local sports in brief 4/4/2013
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Subich, Dell recognized for football
Greater Johnstown High School senior Nick Subich earned the Joe Sarra Community Service Award and took a Scholar Athlete Award at the recent Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Awards Banquet.
The Joseph D. Sarra Community Service Award is named for the long-time chapter board member and former Penn State assistant football coach. -
Trexler gets his 1,000th point in McCort victory
While much of the Northeast was belted by massive accumulations of snow, the Blizzard Nemo mostly spared the Johnstown area.
Another Nemo created a buzz on Osborne Street on Friday night, though the flurry of points had nothing to do with the winter weather. -
Chestnut Ridge advances in PIAA Class AA team championship
Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor expected District 3 champ Boiling Springs to push his team to the limit in Friday’s PIAA Class AA team wrestling quarterfinals.
And up to the end, it was a close one: Three matches went to overtime and the Lions carried a lead when the weight classes turned to the low end, but the Bubblers won four straight to end the quarterfinal round a winner, 32-25. - Local sports in brief 2/9/2013
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