Having played one of the toughest non-league schedules in the area, the undefeated Coudersport boys basketball team is battle-tested.
With wins over District 9 Class AAA top-seed Kane and AA second-seed Ridgway, as well as playoff-bound Clarion (16-6) and St. Marys (13-9), the Falcons have four quality, non-North Tier League wins under their belt.
“I think that was real important that our schedules included those games,” Falcons head coach Brian Furman said.
Like a year ago, the Falcons (22-0), are poised to make another deep playoff run. Last season in the Class A bracket, Coudersport advanced to the district final against Elk Catholic and won a game in the state playoffs before falling to District 10 powerhouse Kennedy Catholic.
In the six-team Class AA bracket, Coudersport faces the winner of Wednesday’s Clarion-Limestone vs. Clarion matchup.
The Falcons made the long trip south to Clarion on Feb. 7 and beat the Bobcats, 66-42.
“It will be a brand new game,” Furman said. “We played well at Clarion. They’re playing well now. They had a nice win over C-L this week. They’re going to be dangerous.”
In the other semifinal, Ridgway (20-3) gets the winner of No. 3 Keystone (18-4) and No. 6 Brockway (14-8).
Ridgway and Coudersport have played three close games – with two needing overtime – since last February, with the Falcons holding a 2-1 advantage head-to-head. In last year’s D-9 Class A semifinals, Coudersport outlasted the Elkers in double overtime at St. Marys High School.
In this year’s meeting on Jan. 6, the Falcons needed just one overtime for a 56-54 win.
Could they be on a collision course?
“The Ridgway game feels like a long time ago,” Furman added. “I feel like they’ve only gotten better.”
That might just be the case with the Elkers, which have won nine straight and play in tonight’s Allegheny Mountain League championship game.
There is a potential downfall for the balanced Falcons, a team that relies heavily on its guard-play and perimeter shooting – rest. With the preliminary brackets released Friday saying Class AA semifinal games are scheduled for the week of Feb. 27, Coudersport will have had more than two weeks off since last playing Smethport on Feb. 10.
Furman said he and his staff are cutting practices back a bit and setting up scrimmages with other schools.
Elk Catholic, the only other unbeaten team in District 9, is trying to make it back-to-back district titles after last season’s win over Coudersport snapped a relative championship drought since 2011. To do so, the winners of 59-straight regular season have to navigate a seven-team bracket made up of four NTL teams. Four of the seven teams advance to the state playoffs.
The Crusaders have a bye into the semifinals, also set for the week of Feb. 27, and get the winner of No. 4 North Clarion (13-9) and No. 5 Port Allegany (12-10). Cameron County, which finished strong with a 15-7 record, is the second-seed. The Red Raiders get a potential trap-game off the bat against an up-and-down Johnsonburg (10-12) team.
No. 3 Otto-Eldred (13-9) and No. 6 Oswayo Valley (12-10) look to advance to the state tournament.
In Class AAA, Kane (16-6) will try to win back-to-back district titles for the first time since 2000. To do so, they’ll have to avenge an ugly loss suffered at Brookville when the two teams meet Thursday at Clarion University’s Tippin Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. Prior to that game, No. 2 Karns City (15-7) and No. 3 Moniteau (14-8) clash in a duel of two Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference rivals.
