(Editor’s note: All overall records and a complete look at the NTL standings can be found in our Scoreboard on Page B-3)
Though we’re just a few weeks into the 2019-20 girls basketball season, it seems there’s a pretty clear divide between the North Tier League’s top three teams and the rest.
Atop the standings, Coudersport and Port Allegany each hold 4-0 NTL records, while the No. 3 spot is occupied by Otto-Eldred, which stands at 3-1. That lone loss was a narrow 55-50 decision against Port A.
Meanwhile, Smethport is fourth at 3-2, with losses to Port A (56-10) and Coudersport (58-21), and Cameron County is also in the hunt at 2-2, with losses to O-E (47-45) and Port A (46-26).
Port Allegany perhaps has the most impressive resume so far, with that win over O-E as well as that thrashing of fourth-place Smethport, to go with a 7-1 overall record.
The Lady Gators are paced by an imposing guard duo of Bree Garzel and Cailey Barnett. The two are averaging a combined 29.3 points per game. Barnett is scoring 17.8 per game right now, while Garzell is chipping in 11.5 per game.
Beyond those two, Port A can pick up plenty of secondary scoring from Evin Stauffer, Shannon Curfman or Jade Evens on any given night.
The Lady Falcons, meanwhile, are 5-1 overall and boast wins by at least 30 points in three out of four NTL victories so far: 58-21 vs. Smethport, 49-12 vs. Oswayo Valley and 59-29 vs. Galeton.
Coudy features a balanced attack of its own, with Rosalyn Page, Elizabeth Frame, Sarah Chambers and Lauren Stimaker all capable of going for double-digits on any given night. Chambers has been in double-digits in each of Coudy’s last four games, for her part, and is averaging just over 12 points per game.
Frame, meanwhile, has Coudy’s season-high performance with 17 points against Galeton.
Coudy and Port A are set to meet for the first installment of their home-and-home on Jan. 3 in Coudersport. The Lady Falcons make their return trip to Port Allegany on Jan. 29.
Don’t count out the Lady Terrors quite yet, though. O-E gets a second chance against Port Allegany on Jan. 23, though the game is in Port A. Additionally, O-E takes on Coudy on Jan. 13 in Coudersport and then hosts the Lady Falcons in each team’s season finale on Feb. 11.
Most impressive individual performances
Along with some great early-season matchups so far, there have been a few highlight-reel performances thus far.
The first, and most obvious, is Barnett’s 42-point outburst during a 93-20 Port A win over Archbishop Walsh. It was a career-high night for the guard, who scored her 1,000th career point a game later against Austin.
She added 12 steals and five assists that night, as well.
Cameron County’s Hailey Hilfiger has logged the season’s only triple-double on the girls side to date. The guard put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals as the Lady Raiders topped Austin 60-16 on Dec. 19.
Otto-Eldred’s Katie Sheeler had perhaps the most clutch performance so far of any player. The freshman guard scored a team-high 20 points for O-E, including hitting game-winning free throws with just seconds to go as the Lady Terrors held off Cameron County, 47-45, on Dec. 20.
Smethport’s MyKayla Deyarmin also had some late-game heroics, as the guard hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds to go to lift the Lady Hubbers to a 33-32 double overtime win over Northern Potter on Dec. 19.
Local games this weekend
Though official NTL play doesn’t pick back up until after the New Year, local hoops fans aren’t totally out of luck.
Port A visits Wellsboro today, and Northern Potter is in the North Penn-Mansfield Tournament this weekend. Cameron County, meanwhile, is taking part in the Union Christmas Tournament. Finally, Austin is at Bucktail Saturday.
Outside of the NTL, Kane is hosting its annual Holiday Tournament this weekend, as is Elk County Catholic. A full look at the local girls basketball schedule can be found in our scoreboard on Page B-3.
(Joel Whetzel, a Bradford Era sportswriter, can be reached at jwhetzel@bradfordera.com.)
