MUNCY - Gold medal in his mouth, young Cole Weaver ran after his dad, Muncy coach Craig Weaver, as he accepted the Muncy Rotary Tournament championship trophy Saturday night.
Little Cole, who sat perched behind his father most of the game, will not remember any details about last night's win. But his father can one day tell him about a night his team played an excellent game and about a night when every player he used made a big impact while helping Muncy capture its second straight tournament crown.
And Cole had a great view of it all.
Crystal Good played a sensational all-around game, tournament MVP Brianna McLaughlin had 15 points and seven steals and Jordan Jones added seven more steals as Muncy routed Hughesville, 54-30 and won its championship in emphatic fashion. Mackenzie Marple scored a career-high 24 points in the night's first game as Wellsboro edged Northwest, 50-44 and took third place in a tournament that donates all its funds to students.
"We all worked really hard in the offseason and the preseason and this was a good way to start," said Good, who scored nine points, grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, dealt six assists and made eight steals. "It was really nice to come out right away and get two wins. We feel like we can play with anyone as long as we keep working hard."
That was not a problem last night. The Indians overwhelmed Hughesville (1-1) with tenacious full-court pressure and forced 21 first-quarter turnovers. The defense fueled the offense as Muncy went on a 16-0 run in just 2 minutes, 20 seconds. It led 16-3 at that point and was never threatened. By halftime, Muncy had 20 steals.
"It's no secret what we're trying to do this season. We're going up-tempo and we're pushing it on offense and trying to be aggressive on defense," Weaver said. "The defense stepped it up and was aggressive. Brianna has quick hands and feet and can make it difficult for any point guard to bring the ball up the court."
McLaughlin had 17 steals in the tournament's first six quarters. She had plenty of help, though, as Muncy made life difficult and ball-handlers and clogged passing lanes. McLaughlin, Jones and Gina Paisley (11 points) hounded the guards while Crystal and Charity Good were outstanding inside.
The Good sisters are starting together for the first time and are off to a great start. While Crystal made a run at a triple-double, Charity had seven points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
"She's a senior and it's great to see her (Charity) coming out and doing well," Crystal said. "It's a lot of fun."
Hughesville was playing without leading scorer Kierra Croucher but never backed down despite a 33-12 halftime deficit. The Spartans stayed aggressive and outscored Muncy 13-6 in the final quarter a night after upsetting Wellsboro. All-tournament selection Hannah James played a nice game, grabbing eight rebounds while Kaitlyn Peterman scored seven points and made three steals.
It was Muncy's night, though, as the Indians effectively moved the ball and set each other up for good shots. Paisley, like Charity Good, is a first-time starter but is wasting little time making an impact. She scored a career-high 11 points last night, made 5 of 7 shots and drained a 3-pointer.
"We have the the three returning starters everyone knows about, but Gina worked so hard in the offseason," Weaver said. "She lived in the gym."
Marple was sensational in the night's first game. In addition to scoring 24 points, the senior point guard grabbed eight rebounds, dealt five assists and made five steals. She had a hand in 22 of Wellsboro's first 24 points and the Green Hornets never trailed despite Northwest's Alivia Womeldorf scoring her 1,000th career point.
The Hornets have a nice mix of veterans and talented freshmen bursting with potential and that was a potent mix against the Rangers. Hannah Zuchowski scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds while freshmen Sarah Ingerick and Jada Jackson combined for 15 rebounds. Kim Acorn added six points and four assists.
"We're quicker and longer than in the years past and I think with the help of this game we're going to have some pretty strong years to come," Marple said. "We have some experience and a lot of potential with the freshmen and I think they can be a powerhouse the next few years."
Wellsboro 50, Northwest 44
WELLSBORO (50)
Mackenzie Marple 9 5-8 24, Hannah Zuchowski 3 2-4 8, Sarah Ingerick 3 0-1 6, Kim Acorn 3 0-1 6, Jada Jackson 1 0-1 2, Kiana Acorn 1 0-0 2, Jordan Butters 0 1-2 1, Jeni Intallura 0 0-0 0, Maggie Smith 0 0-0 0, Alexa Singer 0 1-2 1, Jesse Catherman 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 9-19 50.
NORTHWEST (44)
Alivia Womeldorf 10 6-10 26, Brina Sotelo 2 1-1 5, Emily Buerger 2 0-0 4, Kelsey Yustat 1 4-4 6, Susie Mendegro 1 0-0 3, Olivia Piestrak 0 0-2 0. Totals 16 11-18 44.
Wellsboro16 13 9 12-50
Northwest4 16 10 14-44
3-pointers: Wellsboro 1 (Marple); Northwest 1 (Mendegro).
Records: Wellsboro 1-1. Northwest 0-2.
Muncy 54, Hughesville 30
HUGHESVILLE (30)
Megan Shaner 1 1-4 3, Hannah James 1 1-2 3, Carly Rogers 2 1-2 5, Gabby Gavitt 0 3-4 3, Courtney Wood 0 0-0 0, Allison Russell 0 0-2 0, Olivia Dudek 0 1-2 1, Trista Rathmell 1 2-2 4, Lexy Avery 0 1-2 1, Kayla Stackhouse 0 0-3 0, Brianna Stroup 1 1-4 3, Kaitlyn Peterman 3 0-2 7. Totals 9 11-29 30.
MUNCY (54)
Jordan Jones 4 0-2 8, Brianna McLaughlin 7 0-1 15, Crystal Good 3 3-3 9, Charity Good 3 1-1 7, Gina Paisley 5 0-0 11, Allison Edwards 1 0-0 2, Nikki Scott 0 0-0 0, Tierney Shaible 0 0-0 0, Autumn Temple 0 0-2 0, Haley Gyurina 1 0-0 2, T'Neal Koch 0 0-0 0. 24 4-9 54.
Hughesville6 6 5 13-30
Muncy20 13 15 6-54
3-pointers: Hughesville 1 (Peterman); Muncy 2 (McLaughlin, Paisley).
Records: Muncy 2-0. Hughesville 1-1.
All-Tournament Team: Mackenzie Marple, Wellsboro; Jada Jackson, Wellsboro; Alivia Womeldorf, Northwest; Hannah James, Hughesville; Jordan Jones, Muncy; Tournament MVP-Brianna McLaughlin, Muncy
