COUDERSPORT – It had been a week since the Coudersport boys had defeated Kane 61-48 before heading into the holiday break.
Considering that long layoff, it might have been reasonable to expect some rust when they took to the court to host Northern Potter in the Maple Leaf Tournament at Coudersport.
However, there was little rust to be seen on Wednesday night, as the Falcons blitzed the Panthers en route to a 84-28 victory.
All told, 10 different Coudy players registered a point, while seven different players made at least one three-pointer.
Coach Brian Furman’s squad came out looking to send a message that the game was over before it even started, outscoring the Panthers 30-2 in the first quarter alone. Northern Potter didn’t make their first basket until there was under a minute left in the first frame.
“We just didn’t play well at all,” Northern Potter coach Gary Ransom said. “We’ve had some success against some other teams, but it was just a tough deal right from the start.”
Coudy set the tempo early, and it was a tempo that the Panthers simply couldn’t keep up with. The Falcons forced turnover after turnover, converting those takeaways into easy fast break points.
“We’re a pretty athletic team and we got after it defensively,” coach Furman said. “It got us some layups in transition and got us a quick lead.”
Leading the first-quarter onslaught was Owen Chambers, who found his groove early, netting 13 of his game-high 25 points in the first quarter, many of which came from long range (Chambers finished with five 3’s).
With such an enormous early lead, it was impressive to see Furman’s team not let up on the gas, playing smart, team basketball when the game was already well in hand.
“We talked about the little things,” Furman said. “We wanted to make sure we were in good defensive position and that we were boxing out. Fundamental stuff and taking care of the ball.”
Furman added that he was pleased to see how well his team responded coming off of a weeklong break.
“We had a couple practices over the break, so it was nice to see them come out and play hard like this,” he said.
While they had quickly fallen into what turned out to be an insurmountable hole, the Panthers found some better shots for themselves in the second quarter. Mac Potter ended the half in style, tossing up an off-balance three that somehow found the bottom of the basket. It provided a nice moment for Northern Potter, though they still found themselves down 45-13 at halftime.
From beginning to end, Coudy’s excellent ball movement was simply too much for Ransom’s team. The Falcons were content to whip the ball around the court, waiting until they found the perfect shot. In addition to Chambers’ big night, Jared Green (21 points) and Zach Layag (13) also finished in double figures.
On the other end, Northern Potter simply couldn’t move the ball with the same speed and efficiency as their opponents.
“They’re a very good team, there’s no doubt about it,” Ransom said. “We’ve got a ways to go.”
Coudersport remains undefeated on the season, improving to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play. Northern Potter drops to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in NTL action.
Coudersport will face Saegertown at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday to close out the Maple Leaf Tournament, while Northern Potter will take on North Clarion in the third place game.
