(February 27th, 2015) – PIONEER: It was with a stunning defensive effort that the Junior Varsity Blackbirds were able to soar back to Pettisville with a win over the hometown boys of North Central on Friday, February 27.
Pettisville claimed the road victory over North Central 40-24.
That defensive prowess on the part of the Blackbird boys was on full display early in the contest. They held the Eagles to just 2 points for the entirety of the first quarter, putting up 14 of their own in the process. That stifling effort for Pettisville to keep the ball out of North Central’s net didn’t let up in the second period, either. The boys of Pioneer were able to tack on 6 more points, though their counterparts from Pettisville gained 9 more points in that same span. That put the visitors from Fulton County up 23-8 heading into halftime.
North Central made a play to get back into the contest in the third frame. They played their own brand of intense defense, keeping the Pettisville boys bottled up for a mere 4 points in the period. Yet the Eagle offense still couldn’t find its way, unable to take advantage of the opportunity created by their defense as they only added 6 more points to their collective score.
In the last stanza of the game, both sides played well offensively. Pettisville racked up 13 more points, while North Central made 10 points down the stretch as well. Despite the closeness of the contest’s final quarter, the Blackbirds were still able to secure the 16 point win.
The part of lead scorer was played by Pettisville sophomore Corey Lovins. He accounted for 12 of his team’s points. Close behind was teammate and fellow second year player Brayden Hernandez. The guard totaled 11 points.
Cody Tomblin gave his team a rousing effort, putting up nearly half their final score. The freshman standout had 11 points on the evening. Another Eagle freshman Keean Livensparger also had a solid night scoring the ball. He added 5 points to the North Central effort.