The Official Website of The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association - District IV
Tigers Pull Away From Wellsboro With Big 4th Quarter
By: Ed Weaver | PIAA District IV | February 1, 2025 | Photo courtesy Dr. Robert Bair
For three quarters the Wellsboro Varsity Boys Basketball team hung in with their rival North Penn-Mansfield Tigers, but ultimately the Tigers pulled out a 72-55 win to sweep the season series with the Hornets Friday.
"Mansfield is a good team with lots of experience and size," said Hornet head coach Ron Doughtie. "They hit the shots when they needed to and you have to give them credit for that. We played really well for three quarters. I was proud of the effort on both sides of the ball. I felt like we ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and had a few letdowns on the defensive end that let it get away from us. "
The game was close early on as the Hornet held a 19-14 advantage after the opening eight minutes as the Tigers' Cooper Shaw and junior Luke Rothermel matching each other shot for shot. The Hornets got 5 points from senior Mitchel Lechler to give them the early lead. The Tigers cut the lead down to four points before the halftime buzzer sounded as they edged the Hornets 16-15, but Wellsboro took a 34-30 lead into the locker room.
The second half, however, the Tigers came alive. A 20-13 run to start the second half gave North Penn-Mansfield a three-point, 50-47 lead over the Hornets, one they would never look back on. North Penn-Mansfield closed out the game with a 22-point 4th quarter, and held their rivals to just 8 points over the final eight minutes.
Shaw finished with a game-high 25 points to lead all scorers while Brady Stetter added 17. Shaw also added 10 rebounds and made 6 assists.
Lechler led Wellsboro with 14 points, Rothermel finished with 13, sophomore Colin Fletcher added 9, junior Jonathan Carl chipped in 8, freshman Ransom Schultz came off the bench with 6 points, and junior Marek Mascho rounded out the scoring with 5 points.
Rothermel grabbed 6 boards and made 7 assists while Lechler and Schultz pulled down 4 rebounds apiece. Lechler also dished out 5 assists and Mascho made 3 steals.
In the JV game Wellsboro defeated North Penn-Mansfield 29-24 behind 11 points from Schultz and 8 points from sophomore Gideon Lawton.
The loss drops the Hornets to 9-10 overall and 8-6 in the NTL Large School Division. The team is back in action at home on Wednesday as the Wyalusing Rams come to town for Senior Night.
About the Author
Ed Weaver is the owner of Circle W Sports in Wellsboro, PA, is the Sports Director for The Home Page Network and the creator of WellsboroAthletics.com and WellsboroFootball.com. You can follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
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