COUDERSPORT — When a team is clicking at the rate Coudersport is offensively, there’s really not much the opposition can do to stop it.
After putting up 98 points in their last contest, the Falcons handled Austin 89-40 in the first round of the Maple Leaf Tournament on Wednesday night.
Austin held tough in the first quarter, but were outmatched and outshot down the stretch, as Coudersport pulled away by putting up 52 points in the second and third quarters.
Junior Owen Chambers led the Falcons (4-1 overall, 2-0 NTL) with 31 points, and last year’s North Tier League MVP Jared Green added 18 of his own.
Chambers hit five three pointers, and Coudersport went 9-for-17 as a team on Wednesday night. Austin, a team with good perimeter shooting, struggling mightily beyond the arc, going just 2-for-18.
Austin (5-2, 0-2) has been one of the NTL’s top teams this season, but after the game even head coach Rich Glover was at a loss for words in explaining how to stop that Coudersport offense.
“They were just clicking on all cylinders, Glover said. “It’s hard to stop that offense. I mean you’ve got to really put some hard pressure on them. They are just a well-oiled machine.”
After losing to Johnsonburg on Dec. 18, the Falcons have been on an absolute tear. They’ve won their last three games by an average of 47 points. In addition to their potent offense, Coudy hasn’t allowed an opponent to score over 40 points in any of those games.
“They are a little bit hungrier,” Falcons head coach Brian Furman said. “We practiced a little better after that loss and I think the guys realized that we have to get better everyday in practice and every game. So far, I like their attitude.”
The turning point in the game was the run Coudersport went on after halftime. Even though the score was 52-25 at the half, Austin was able to at least stay within striking distance of their NTL foe. Green said that he preached better defense to his team in the locker room, and they responded in the third quarter by holding the Panthers to just one field goal and two points for the entire quarter en route to scoring 28 points of their own.
“They just came out with intensity and fire and we just laid flat there for about eight straight minutes and there is no coming back from that,” Glover said.
The Falcons also benefited from having a deep and experienced bench. Nine players registered points on the scoresheet against Austin, and Coudy scored at will no matter who was in the game.
Nevertheless, the offense ran through Chambers, an NTL All-Star as a sophomore last year, who is on pace for more accolades in 2018. He was also a force on the defensive end, recording five steals.
“He puts the work in. He spends a lot of time shooting the basketball and it pays off when the game comes around,” Furman said. “We certainly were able to get out in transition and get some shots in transition and knock some things down. We were hitting our threes also.”
Coudersport is back in action on Friday against Northern Potter. Austin, who began the season 5-0, but has dropped two straight, will look to right the ship Thursday against that same Northern Potter squad. Although it’s a quick turnaround, Glover is hoping his squad can return to the form that made the team the NTL’s best over the first two weeks of the season.
“Today, stuff wasn’t working the way it normally does,” Glover said. “I mean we’ve got to get better on attacking the rims and getting rebounds. We were doing that earlier in the season and once we get back to controlling the rebounds, we’ll be fine.”
AT COUDERSPORT
Austin (40)
Dempsey Glover 5 0-0 10, Burgett 3 0-0 7, Parker Glover 3 1-2 7, Valenti 1 2-2 5, Rees 2 0-0 4, Shupe 1 0-0 2, Jackson Glover 1 0-0 3, Fowler 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 3-4 40
Coudersport (89)
Owen Chambers 12 2-2 31, Jared Green 8 2-2 20, Ricke 6 0-1 14, Derek Keglovits 4 0-0 9, Keck 2 0-0 4, Daniels 2 0-0 4, Dillion Keglovits 2 0-0 4, Burd 1 0-0 2, Crosby 1 0-0 3. Totals: 38 4-5 89.
Austin 17 25 27 40
Coudy 28 52 80 89
Three-point goals: Coudy 9 (Chambers 5, Ricke 2, Derek Keglovits 1, Crosby 1), Austin 3 (J. Glover, Valenti, Burgett); Total fouls: Coudy 6, Austin 4; fouled out: none
JV: none
