Towanda Has Final Say, Gets Big W Over Athens

February 6, 2021

Towanda 43, Athens 36 (PIAA District 4)

The game of the day in Pennsylvania District 4 girls' basketball had a flare for the dramatic from start to finish. A big Towanda 4th quarter run proved to be the deciding one in a game of runs that had more twists & turns than a season of your favorite reality show.

Paige Manchester was a key contributor for Towanda as usual, finishing with 14 points in the narrow win.

The hosts established an early edge with the game's opening spurt. Towanda's early offense was fueled by turning defensive stops into transition O, and a 7-0 spurt capped by a Paige Manchester (Towanda 2023) bucket gave them a 12-5 lead late in the 1st quarter. Athens then scored six straight stretching into the 2nd stanza, four coming from Caydence Macik (Athens 2022), to set up a running back & forth theme. A 10-2 Athens run later in the quarter, capped by a Megan Collins trey, gave them their first lead at 21-18 with just under 2 minutes left in the half. Manchester sent Towanda into the locker room on a high note however, as she took advantage of not getting pressured in the final seconds of the half & stepped into a half-court bomb that rang true to tie it at 21.

They carried some momentum out of the locker room and were able to regain the lead following a long scoreless stretch for Athens, but when Athens finally opened up their 2nd half scoring at the 3:13 mark of the 3rd, it started their last major push. Kayleigh Miller (Athens 2021) knocked down a three to give them a 27-26 lead at the 1:51 mark, and Macik added buckets on consecutive possessions to end the 3rd, giving them their largest lead at 31-26. However, the 10-0 Athens run was answered with an even bigger Towanda run as they stormed back to gain control. It started with a Manchester drive & score, and they went off to the races from there, forcing several turnovers with their pressure and imposing their will around the rim. Erin Barrett (Towanda 2021) made her presence felt in a major way during the run. She converted offensive rebounds into baskets on back-to-back trips to give Towanda a 32-31 lead with 5:29 left, and then added a free throw & another bucket during the 13-0 surge. Towanda saw its largest lead of eight happen at the end of the run when Porschia Bennett (Towanda 2022) scored to put them up 39-31 with 4:02 remaining. Athens regained life for a moment after, with Macik eventually cutting the deficit to 39-35 at the 2:42 mark, but Towanda answered with more Barrett on the offensive end & several stops on D. She scored twice more, the second putting back her own miss, to push the lead back out to 43-35 in the final minute and essentially seal the win.

Erin Barrett pumped in a game high 19 points, 11 coming in the 4th quarter, and was a force on the glass for a Towanda squad that noticeably outrebounded their counterparts in the win. Paige Manchester added 14 points for Towanda. For Athens, Caydence Macik had a strong showing & led the way with 18 points, 12 coming before halftime.

Caydence Macik was a force for Athens, and she dropped 18 of their 36 in the narrow defeat.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- Towanda & Athens are two teams that know each other quite well - probably have played against each other since elementary school & a few play AAU together. Also, they're arguably the NTL's top two teams and without question two of the top three. Put all that together, and you usually get this kind of game. It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing at times, but you don't expect matchups that matter with this level of familiarity to be. It was a grind & a battle from front to back.

- To a certain extent, Towanda went as Erin Barrett went during this game. She was a presence throughout, but she had a big start & particularly big finish. Early on, she helped set the tone & spark Towanda by getting a couple transition buckets on end-to-end rim runs. In the 4th quarter, she established herself in the post and was a physical presence on the glass, often resulting in offensive boards & putbacks. She showed a high motor and also put herself in good position early to get rebounds, things that I know many coaches wish they always had out of their forwards. Her contributions were a huge reason for Towanda's victory.

- It was back & forth in large part because of how the game went when it was up & down compared to the half-court. Athens had some success slowing Towanda when they went back into a 2-3 & forced them to execute in the half-court. Towanda dominated the offensive glass throughout, but didn't have much to show for it until late. Athens' ability to slow them up, limit Towanda's opportunities to use their overall athleticism, and force them into perimeter shots did its part and made them stagnant at times.

Though it wasn't a big scoring game for Porschia Bennett (5 pts), she made major contributions on the defensive end in Towanda's victory.

- About Towanda on the offensive glass... I know they grabbed plenty of them, but I don't care as much as about the number itself. I'd be curious to know what their ORB percentage was - what percentage of missed Towanda shots turned into Towanda offensive rebounds? It was definitely a high number... I'm thinking at least 45-50%.

- I had seen Caydence Macik a few times on the AAU circuit with Elmira Fusion, but this was my first time seeing her at the scholastic ranks as the focal point of an offense. The standout Athens forward showed some stuff, particularly in the 1st half where she was able to get established in the post even around numerous bodies. She showed both back-to-basket & face-up game early, particularly taking an opposing forward off the bounce & finishing toward the rim, and she often did so through contact. 6 footer in the 2022 class with a good build & motor, and she has a legitimate skillset currently with the physical capability to build on it. I'll be keeping an eye on her development.

- Once again, thank you to Towanda athletics and girls' head coach Rob Gentile for allowing me in to check this one out! The last one was worth the trip, and this game was certainly no different. It means a lot to me - might be back again in the near future!