The Bradford boys basketball team was able to snap their three-game losing skid by pulling off a well-rounded 44-31 win over Punxsutawney in the regular season finale for both teams.
From the tipoff both teams played with high levels of intensity. The Owls struck first with a quick layup. Hustle plays and stingy defense made it hard for the Chucks to get to the rim. Punxsy used outside shooting for most of their scoring making three 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
Bradford led 14-12 after the first quarter against the No. 1 seed in the D9 Class 4A playoffs.
After giving up an Owls’ layup to start the second, Mason Nesbitt scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 16-16 halfway through the second. A Bradford charge would prevent Punxsy from taking the lead. Wyatt Stark found himself at the right place at the right time to grab an Owls miss and score the putback to retake the lead. With Bradford scoring two more layups in the final minute, the Owls built a 24-19 lead going into halftime.
“We took good shots,” said Bradford head coach John Bennardi. “Being smart with the basketball is key in playing a team like this. I think the fact we didn’t get out of control and stayed focused and made our shots was key in this game.”
Punxsy came out of the break by nailing a 3-pointer. From here the Owls continued to double down on defense, sending the Chucks into a four-minute scoring drought. Bradford took this chance and scored a pair of fast break layups. The Chucks were able to sink a jump shot in the final minute but were down 32-24 going into the final quarter of play.
With the start of the fourth quarter the Owls started to slow down their pace of play. Bradford had multiple possessions lasting over a minute each. Punxsy was forced to foul in order to have a few more possessions, but Bradford sank their free throw opportunities to secure a 44-31 win.
“We are playing more as a team than we have all season. They have been playing well all season and now they are starting to execute well,” said Bennardi.
The Owls were led by Adam Ward, who scored 10 points and Chase Wineberg with nine points. The Chucks were led by Nesbitt and Noah Kengersky with nine points each.
“We made a spot in the playoffs which was one of our goals,” Bennardi said. “Another bright spot of our year was our JV team. They finished 14-4 and gave us some good things to look for in the upcoming years.”
No. 2 Bradford will face No. 3 St. Marys in the D9 4A semifinals on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m., while the top seed Chucks will take on No. 4 Clearfield at 6 p.m. in a doubleheader at DuBois High School.
AT BRADFORD Punxsutawney (31)Nesbitt 4 0-0 9, Kengersky 3 1-2 9, Hallman 1 3-3 6, Thomas 1 2-2 4, Weaver 1 1-2 3. Totals:
Bradford (44)Ward 5 0-0 10, Wineberg 3 3-4 9, Warner 2 4-4 8, Reese 3 1-1 8, Franz 2 2-2 7, Stark 1 0-0 2. Totals:
Three-point goals: PXT (4) Kengersky 2, Nesbitt, Hallman, BFD (2) Reese, Franz; fouled out:
JV: Bradford 40, Punxsutawney 28
