Lady Hornets sting Troy, 59-44

By: Ed Weaver | NTL Sports | January 14, 2017

The Wellsboro Varsity Girls Basketball team picked up their seventh NTL victory by knocking off Troy 59-44 on Friday, January 13.

Following a tough loss at Athens on Wednesday, the Lady Hornets shook off the loss and rebounded for the win in their third straight road game. Wellsboro led 14-10 after the first quarter behind 7 points from junior Rachael Tuttle. Wellsboro put some distance between themselves and the Lady Trojans in the second as they went on a 14-9 run, this time behind 7 points from junior Lizzie Poirier, to lead 28-19 at the half.

The Lady Hornets scored 17 third-quarter points, but Troy made up a little ground but scoring 18. Troy freshman Morgan Gentile scored 12 of her game-high 25 points in the quarter to spark the run, but Wellsboro was able to close out the game by outscoring Troy 14-7 in the fourth.

While Gentile scored over half of Troy's points, the Lady Hornets held every other Lady Trojan to under 4 points on the night.

"It was a very, very good team win tonight," Lizzie Poirier said. "This was a win that we needed under our belts for the showcase."

Lizzie Poirier led three Lady Hornets with 20 points, her third time this season reaching that mark. She now has 493 points for her career. Tuttle picked up her first career double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Tuttle, primarily known for her rebounding, tied her career-high in points.

"My offensive game finally came in the first half of the game, thanks to my teammates," Tuttle said. "My role on this team is to play good defense and rebound the ball. I believe tonight I fulfilled that role."

Tuttle also agreed with Poirier on the game's importance.

"The game tonight was very important because it set our team up for a shot at the NTL title."

Senior Jessica Grab scored 10 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Senior Autum Kitajima added 9 points, sophomore Emma Poirier scored 4, and freshman Cathryn Brought rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

Lizzie Poirier added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, senior Janessa Davis had 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and Emma Poirier added 4 rebounds.

The Wellsboro JV team beat Troy 17-10 for their seventh straight win. Junior Mikel Shabloski and sophomores Dani Hunt and Heidi Zuchowski each scored 4 points to lead the team. The team is now 8-3 on the year.

The win improves the Varsity team's record to 8-4 (7-1 NTL). The team will be back in action on Monday, January 16 at Montoursville.