COUDERSPORT — With the graduation of District 9’s all-time leading scorer Owen Chambers and the departure of longtime head coach Brian Furman, it was certainly fair to wonder if the Coudersport boys basketball team could continue its dominance in the North Tier League this season.
The Falcons put those questions to rest once and for all Wednesday night.
Against Cameron County (5-2, 5-1), which had won its first five NTL games by an average of 23 points, the Falcons dominated the visitors on both sides of the ball from start to finish to cruise to a 71-38 victory.
The win is Coudersport’s (8-2, 6-0) 70th straight in league play. But more importantly for first-year head coach Scott Easton and his Falcons is the fact that they seem to be getting better with each passing game and did not let two early-season losses to New York teams derail their season.
“Well, we’ve still got work to do,” he said. “As a coach I’m always going to say that. We’re going to keep focused on the endgame. First, we’ve got to do our job in the Northern Tier, get through that, head into districts, and work through that way. This was the first step in the right direction.”
After a hard-fought game with Port Allegany on Monday, Coudersport came out firing against the Red Raiders. The Falcons hit five of their six 3-point attempts in the first eight minutes and played strong defense on the other end of the floor. Kolby VanWhy outscored Cameron County by himself with an 11-point quarter as his team led 19-9 after eight minutes.
In the second quarter, the Coudy offense ran through Dillon Keglovits as the big man registered eight points in the period. The Falcons then held Cameron County scoreless for the final five minutes of the half to enter the break with a 37-18 lead.
The Red Raiders’ Caden Beldin and Dino Brown, who average nearly 40 points per game combined, were limited to just 14 points in the first half.
“We focused on helpside (defense),” Easton said. “We knew that they would try to pound the ball into Caden and he’s a tough ballplayer. Basically anytime the ball went into him we tried to double him right away and make him get rid of the ball.
“And Dino, he’s quick. We did everything we could do to stay between him and the basket and limit his touches away from the ball. We came in basically wanting to play a really physical man-to-man game and that’s what we did.”
Beldin finished with a team-high 14 points and Brown chipped in 13.
Coudersport’s physical game plan translated into a strong rebounding edge, as well. The Falcons got plenty of second-chance opportunities in the game, with Keglovits turning some of his game-high 14 rebounds into 16 points.
“Dillon’s a tough competitor and that’s the best part about him,” Easton said after last Friday’s game against Ridgway. “He can defend, he boxes out and he does a lot of little things. He’s one of the team leaders and he’s one of the guys on the team that gets the kids fired up and keeps them motivated.”
Hayden Keck had a strong second half for the Falcons, registering 13 of his 17 points over the game’s final 16 minutes as Coudy built upon its lead.
Keck was one of four Falcons to hit from deep in the game. Coudersport went 9-for-16 from 3-point land, with VanWhy tallying four from long range and Derek Easton three. Cameron County, meanwhile, went just 2-for-13.
“We’re getting good penetration right now and kicks and that’s a big part of it,” Easton credited for the success from deep. “When you’re able to penetrate and it forces the weak side to help with the penetration, it leaves guys wide open for shots.
“We take a lot of 3’s or a lot of layups. We focus on layups or 3’s in Coudersport and we’ve done that all the way through Coach (Brian) Furman and continue to do that. Our goal is either to get to the rim or kick it out for open shots.”
The Falcons, which have won the last four NTL championships, now control their own destiny in their quest for a fifth straight.
AT COUDERSPORT
Cameron County (38)
Caden Beldin 7 0-0 14, Dino Brown 1 10-13 13, H. Brown 3 1-2 8, Guisto 1 1-2 3 Totals: 12 12-17 38
Coudersport (71)
Kolby VanWhy 8 1-1 21, Hayden Keck 7 2-2 17, Dillon Keglovits 7 2-3 16, Easton 3 0-0 9, Frame 2 0-0 6, Da. Keglovits 0 2-2 2. Totals: 27 7-8 71
Cameron Co. 9 18 29 38
Coudersport 19 37 54 71
Three-point goals: CC 2 (D. Brown, H. Brown), Coudy 10 (VanWhy 4, Easton 3, Frame 2, Keck 1); Total fouls: CC 7, Coudy 15; fouled out: None
JV: Cameron County won
