We are two weeks into the high school basketball season. A lot of cool moments and big basketball games went down.
Otto-Eldred boys continue to dominateThe senior laden Terrors are 4-0 after beating Randolph 60-35 and Cameron County 61-50. Those were maybe the Terrors two toughest games of the regular season, and they were back-to-back. The Terrors have big goals, but are continuing to take it one day at a time.
Otto-Eldred features strong athletes at multiple positions. At 6’4, Shene Thomas can jump out of the gym while Landon Francis is a skilled shooter that can fill up the stat sheet. They are balanced and tough to beat.
Bradford boys off to best start since 2019-20 seasonThe Owls are 4-2 after three straight victories over Kane, Punxsutawney, and Port Allegany. During the winning streak Bradford has held opponents to only averaging 30 points a game.
Senior Talan Reese still hasn’t returned for Bradford, which will be an exciting boost for the young roster that currently has no senior starters. Coach John Bennardi believes in his team and thinks that they will hit their stride as the season goes on.
After winning their first game of District 9 league play against Punxsutawney, Bradford hopes to remain competitive, and stack wins as the season goes on. It will be interesting to see how the team develops.
Ella Moses enjoying senior campaignPort Allegany girls’ basketball just lost their first game of the season 36-17 to Bradford but are still 6-1. Returning North-Tier League MVP Ella Moses has been great for them, especially in their overtime win against Coudersport.
Moses scored 33 points in the second half plus overtime to lead the Gators to a 59-57 victory. She hit the game winning shot with 7 seconds remaining to break the tie. Let’s see what else she does before her career is over.
Freshmen taking the spotlightOtto-Eldred freshman Bailey Francis and Kane’s freshman Addison Haight are going to be names to look out for during basketball season for the next few years. Haight is averaging over 20 points per game through four games while Francis is coming off of a 2- point game in a 63-40 game against Northern Potter.
For Haight, that is very impressive for any age, but as she matures her numbers may get to be pretty crazy. Francis comes from a basketball family with her brother Landon being the leading scorer in Terror boys’ basketball history, and her father Derrick is the boys head coach and mom Kristina was a standout player and also the former girls basketball coach at Port Allegany.
