Lewistown Lady Panther Basketball

2004-05 Season Prepping for Final Four Lady Panthers fend off Scranton Prep Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter MECHANICSBURG — In every successful play off run, a team will face many different challenges and obstacles and must overcome many to be successful. On Saturday, the Lewistown Lady Panthers hurdled one large obstacle in the form of a 6-foot-4 inch player Kristin Folk, and a sharpshooting guard, Molly Cowley. Despite the height disadvantage, the Panthers out-rebounded and outscored the Scranton Prep Classics 66-42, in the Cumberland Valley High School gym advancing them to the PIAA Final Four. Lewistown won the “battle for the boards” by a 28-24 decision. Leading the way for the Lady Panthers (28-2) was Brittney Stauffer with 19 points. Stauffer was huge from beyond the arc, with six treys. She was followed by Jenny Cunningham’s 18-point, nine-rebound, three steal performance. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for Lewistown was Jenna Craig with 16. Craig also collected 10 rebounds, one block, six assists and three steals. Emily Searer collected eight assists and had a seven point effort in the contest. Scranton Prep (24-7) was led in scoring by Cowley, who had 16 points, and Folk, who netted 12 and collected nine rebounds, in a losing effort. The game started off in the Classics’ favor on Cowley’s drive and shot that took her across the middle of the key and onto the scoreboard, 2-0. Cowley picked up two more points just seconds later on two free throws from the charity stripe, making it 4-0. Lewistown got on the scoreboard in a big way when Stauffer squared up from behind the line and launched her first triple attempt. She found nothing but the bottom of the net, bringing Lewistown to within one at 4-3. Cowley put the Classics out by three by hitting a wide open jumper, taking a 6-3 advantage. On the following Panther possession, Lewistown went back inside to Jenny Cunningham. Cunningham muscled her way into the lane and in for two points. Cunningham’s shot went right over the outstretched arms of Folk. The Panthers’ defense started to tighten up. After holding Prep on the offensive end, the Panthers got the ball to their floor leader, Searer. Searer called her own number as she went up for a trey of her own. However, Prep hacked her on the way up and forced her to go to the line and shoot three. Searer, seemingly unphased, went right to work and hit on all three attempts, putting Lewistown in the lead for the first time at 8-6. The Lewistown defense again came up big by forcing another Classic miscue. This one resulted in Stauffer’s second triple of the ball game, giving the Panthers some breathing room at 11-6. Stauffer went 6-for-8 in the contest from beyond the arc. Prep chipped away at the Panthers’ lead, picking up consecutive baskets from Cowley and Folk to cut the lead to 11-10. “Brittney (Stauffer) got on a roll early and forced them to come out on her and that opened up the inside,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “I felt we did an admirable job overall.” With the game close, the Panthers went to their hot hand, in Stauffer. Stauffer didn’t hesitate to answer the call, lighting up her third triple, again giving the Panthers a little room to breathe. The quarter ended with Prep’s Ellen Lavelle sneaking one in off the inbounds pass ending the scoring in the first, at 14-12. The second quarter started off a little shaky for “The Blue and White” when Prep went on a 4-0 run to get the quarter underway. Cowley and Folk were at it again, putting the Classics ahead 16-14. The Panthers called a quick time out to regroup, with 7:08 showing on the clock. The Panthers used the time out wisely and went on a scoring run of their own. Cunningham got Lewistown off and running on a mid-range jumper, tying the game at 16-16. Craig followed with an offensive put back on the Panthers’ next possession to take the lead again, 18-16. Rachel Griffith ended the 6-0 spurt as she went up for the easy jumper, thanks to a pinpoint pass from Craig. Prep brought the game to within two for the last time when Cowley hit a runner in the lane for the bucket cutting the lead to 20-18. However, the Panthers were just getting warmed up, outscoring the Classics the rest of the half 10-2. At intermission, the Panthers held a comfortable eight point lead, 30-22. The Panthers scoring run was led by Craig, who tallied 10 points. After both teams exited the lockeroom for the third quarter, the momentum and the lead went right to the Panthers who blew open the game by going on a scoring run of 20-5 in the third quarter that sealed the victory and give the Lady Panthers’ reserves some floor time and valuable play off experience. As the third quarter ended, the Panthers were eight minutes away from a final four match up against Mercyhurst Prep. The Panthers led 50-27 when the fourth quarter got underway. “We’re traditionally a third -quarter team,” Kodish said. “I thought we came out strong. It wasn’t bad first half, we just played a super third quarter.” Stauffer led the way for the Panthers in the period with seven. Prep tried to put off the inevitable but to no avail as the Panthers went on to the victory and a spot in the PIAA Final Four. The trip is the third in as many years for the Lady Panthers. Lewistown will face Mercyhurst Prep on Wednesday at the Tippen Center in Clarion at 7:00 p.m. for the right to play in the finals at Hershey park, Saturday. “This was a great boost to know how well we can play when we need to,” said Cunningham. “Everybody played a great game tonight.” Mercyhurst Prep advanced to the final four with a 27-26 win over Moon, Saturday. Earlier in the season, the Panthers also defeated Moon, but by six points. * * * * * * * * * * Overtime nailbiter Lady Panthers advance to face Scranton-Prep Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter CLARION — The Lewistown Lady Panthers’ playoff trail sent them due North to the familiar confines of Clarion University, where the team faced off against Villa Maria in the second round of the PIAA playoffs. The scene was a familiar one to the Lady Panthers as they fell two years ago to Villa Maria. However, Lewistown (27-2) got the best of this contest, winning 48-42 in overtime. The game was not for the faint of heart, with many lead changes and momentum shifts. Jenny Cunningham led the Panthers in the scoring department with a 20-point effort and she tallied six rebounds. Emily Searer followed up Cunningham’s performance with 12 points, going 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. In the fourth period, the Panthers found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing 32-31. The Panthers took the lead back for the third time when Cunningham took the ball right into traffic and came out with the bucket and the 33-32 lead. Searer put the Lady Panthers up 34-32 as she hit 1-of-2 from the line. Villa Maria came firing back. Steph Prishak tied the game at 34 by taking a strong shot to the hole. After a Lewistown miscue, the Victors took back the lead on a Prishak basket underneath. Villa Maria called a timeout to go over their strategy for the remaining 4:47. However, it was the Panthers who used the timeout to their advantage as they quickly tied the game on a Cunningham jumper from the key. The Victors refused to surrender their lead, Nicole DiRaimo hit two of her 16 points on free throws, making it 38-36 with 3:16 still left in this back-and-forth contest. The Victors went up by four, 40-36. Prishak scored on a steal of a Searer pass and went coast-to coast for the lay-in. The steal did not deter the veteran Panther team. Searer was able to shake off the interception and find an open Jenna Craig seconds later for the easy two. The game was just starting to heat up. With 57 ticks left in regulation, Panther forward Rachel Griffith made the biggest play on the night up until that point as she trapped guard Ashley Madigan up against the sidelines and then out-of-bounds. With the new found life, the Panthers made the most of their chance when they went to their bread-and-butter, a pass inside to Cunningham. Cunningham was automatic and the game was now tied, 40-40. “It feels great,” said Cunningham. “We lost to them two years ago on this same court. We came out and played as a team. I thought we played an excellent game.” Neither team was able to convert the rest of the way. As the fourth quarter ended, the game was a stalemate at 40-40. In the overtime period, the Panthers made the best of their new life and took control of the ball game. However, it wasn’t the regular high scorers for Lewistown that had the biggest shot and most memorible moment of the game, that belonged to Griffith. “It’s definitely the biggest shot of my career,” said Griffth. “I was very excited when it went in.” With the game tied at 42-42 with 1:19 left, the Panthers got the ball to Griffith, who was alone at the key and she didn’t hesitate to take the shot. The ball found nothing but the bottom of the net putting the Panthers ahead 44-42. Emily Searer added some insurance points seconds later by hitting 2-of-2 from the line. Cunningham put the last nail in the Victors coffin as she also went a perfect 2-of-2 from the line. “It was a clutch, mega clutch shot by Rachel (Griffith),” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “We practice that shot in practrice. She stepped up and wasn’t afraid to take the shot. Rachel had two big plays for us as she helped force a turnover with under minute to play. Those were two keys of the game.” In the third quarter, the Panthers went in with the lead but were outscored in the quarter 14-9. Cunningham shifted the momentum of the game by hit a follow up shot at the buzzer to put the Panthers down only by one, 33-32. The Panthers opened a big lead in early in the first. Going into the second stanza Lewistown had a 13-4 lead. However, that lead would get shortened by the Victors. Villa Maria outscored Lewistown 14-9. In the first the Panthers defense showed its fangs early by pitching a shutout for all but 45-seconds of the quarter. Villa Maria was able to notch two field goals late but found themsleves trailing 13-4. Lewistown moves into the Elite Eight with its win Wednesday and will face Scranton Prep on Saturday at a time and location to be announced. Tickets are available at the Lewistown High School this morning and cost $3 per student and $6 per adult. “We keep our streak alive,” said Kodish. “Every time we’ve won the first game of state competition we also have won our second. We’re happy to come out with the win.” * * * * * * * * * * Mission 1: Complete Lady Panthers cruise into second round of states Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter STATE COLLEGE — The Lewistown girls took their first steps on the state tournament trail Saturday as the Lewistown Lady Panthers basketball team defeated Chartiers Valley, 62-40, in the first round of the PIAA state play off . The Panthers (26-2) were led in the scoring department by Jenny Cunningham, who scored a game high 26 points. Cunningham also tallied 10 rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the contest. Teammate Jenna Craig followed with a double-double of her own scoring 19 points and 15 rebounds. Craig also had four blocks and three assists. Panther point guard Emily Searer passed out the assists tallying six on the afternoon. Rachel Griffith chipped in with five rebounds of her own to go along with two points. Rounding out the Panthers’ performers was Brittney Stauffer with two treys and three assists. “Come playoff time you have to expect anything,” said Griffith, when asked if she was surprised on the physical play of the Colts. “You either win or you go home. We knew what we had to do and what we do is play a tough defense.” The game started out in the Panthers' favor with the tip and the first possession belonging to Lewistown. The Panthers went immediately to Cunningham in the middle of the lane and she was automatic, making it 2-0. The Colts seemed undaunted as they went to their inside game with Stacie Aleski crossing for the jumper and the bucket. The Panthers crept out on a quick 6-0 run sparked by Craig who went straight into traffic for the tough jumper. After baskets from Searer and Cunningham made it 8-2, the Colts put a stop to the run with a bucket of their own with 5:10 left on the first-quarter clock. Allie Wandrisco found herself open on a backdoor move and put it in for the easy short jumper. The Panthers rallied again by going on another 6-0 run, this time sparked by the floor play of Searer. Searer put the first points of the run on the board hitting a mid range jumper to put the Panthers in double-digits at 10-4. The Panthers went right at the Colts' strengths as they forced Chartiers Valley to shoot unbalanced shots, which gave the Panthers the advantage. When the run was over, the Panthers held a convincing 14-4 lead with over four minutes remaining. The Colts mounted a run of their own with two and a half minutes left in the quarter. It started when Lindsey Hyre found herself with the ball and went coast-to-coast for the lay-up. After a Lewistown missed shot, the Colts notched a second consecutive basket. Undersized at 5 foot 7, Aleski hit a high lofting shot over the reach of Cunningham, making it 14-8. “We knew that they were a very physical team, and not having anyone over 5 foot 7 inches, they wanted to be aggressive,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “We just wanted to emphasize the things we do well. They [Chartiers Valley] made over 150 3-point shots this year and we held them to only one.” The Colts outscored the Panthers 5-3 to end the opening period of play, making it a 17-11 contest. The Colts continued their scoring run into the second quarter closing the gap to 18-15 with five minutes left in the first half. “At this point in the playoffs there are no laugher teams,” said Kodish. “You face a lot of teams with different strengths. This was a nice test early, but now we've got to get ready Monday and prepare for Villa Maria.” From there, the game phased itself from an offensive contest to a defensive one causing a scoring drought of two minutes by both teams. Cunningham brought the Panthers out of the struggle with a short shot thanks to a seeing-eye bounce pass from Searer, making it 20-15. Despite the Panthers looking a little out of sync in the second quarter, they were still able to hold a 29-20 lead at the half. “I was really excited how we stepped and did what we needed to do,” said Craig after being asked how she felt about her and her teammates efforts to do anything it took to come out with the victory. “It is going to help us get that extra step in the future.” The Panthers came out of the intermission seemingly calm and ready to do battle. It was evident as the first ticks went off the clock. The Panthers seemed back on their game and outscored the Colts, 19-9. With that, the Panthers were in the drivers seat, leading 48-31 after three periods. In the fourth, the Panthers and their fans held their breath as Craig hit the floor hard after going in for a rebound. Craig fell on her shoulder and was slow getting up. However, she did get up moments later and walked off the court holding her shoulder. Minutes later, she was back in the game seemingly unscathed. “It’s just part of the game,” added Craig. “You’ll get bumps and bruises.” The Panthers sealed up the contest in the final quarter outscoring the Colts for the last time by a margin of 12-9, taking home the 62-40 victory. * * * * * * * * * * Lady Panthers are moving on to states Jason Wolf Sentinel Sports Editor LORETTO, Pa. — Breaking open a 10-point lead by blocking a shot and going coast-to-coast, Lewistown junior Jenna Craig sent the Panthers faithful into celebration mode. "Lewistown doesn’t have a 10-0 lead on us to start the game," Bellefonte coach Tina Gaughan said earlier in the week, pointing out the District 6 Class AAA title game would begin on even ground. But by unleashing a 13-0 run just moments into the second half, the Lewistown Lady Panthers snapped a deadlocked score to attain the double-digit lead Gaughan had feared, cruising to a 65-50 victory over the Lady Raiders Friday at DeGol Arena on the campus of St. Francis University. With the win, Lewistown claims its third consecutive District 6 crown and a trip to the state playoffs. "We said (to the team) at halftime, Do you want to turn your uniforms in?" Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish said. " I said, I’d like to practice next week, would you like to practice? and they came out and showed that they did." Lewistown (24-2) finished with four players in double figures. Jenny Cunningham led the Panthers with a game-high 21 points, followed by Craig’s 18 and 11 each from Emily Searer and Brittney Stauffer. Bellefonte (18-7) was paced by a 16-point effort from senior Kristin Irwin, while freshman Angie Proper chipped in 11 points, including three treys. But after knotting the score just seconds into the second half, the third quarter would prove disastrous for the Lady Raiders. "They definitely outplayed us in the second half," Gaughan said. "We just gave them too many second and third opportunities on the boards." Conversely, the Lady Raiders coughed up the ball on a plethora of their own possessions. Craig was a glass-cleaning, shot-blocking monster throughout the contest, providing Lewistown (24-2) with far more than just her 18 points. Craig said it was most likely the best defensive game she had ever played. "We brought in Chris Tressler and Mike Baker from the boys team to practice with us this week, and Chris is so fast that everyone seems so slow compared to him," Craig said. "So when they were doing lazy passes and things like that, it seemed like a field day for me, just to go pick them off. It made everything seem so much easier, so, we’ll bring him in next week hopefully to get me ready." Lewistown continues its quest to return to the state title game for the second time in as many years when it opens PIAA competition next Saturday, against either North Catholic or Chartiers Valley. "They are all going to be good now," Kodish said. * * * * * * * * * Lady Panthers steamroll to D6 title game Mercy rule imposed as LAHS routs Somerset Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter By KENNY VARNER Sentinel sports reporter kvarner@lewistownsentinel.com ALTOONA — It was back to business for the Lewistown Panthers girls’ basketball team Tuesday, blasting Somerset 61-24 in the semifinal round of the District 6 Class AAA playoffs at the Altoona Area High School Sports Complex. The Panthers are going back to the District 6 Championships for the tenth time in 11 years. After shaking off an 11-day layoff, the Panthers took off in the second quarter and never looked back as they now advance to the championship game against Bellefonte. Bellefonte defeated the Indian Valley Warriors to set the scene for a Friday or Saturday match up that will take place at St. Francis University. “We’re very happy with the win tonight,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “This will be our tenth trip to the finals. What a tribute to all the girls. We won six of the last nine final games.” It will be winner-take-all this season as District 6 changed its state playoff qualifiers from three teams to only one this season. There was a huge following of Panther fans filling the seats at the Altoona Complex, giving the atmosphere more of a home game feel for the Panthers. In the pre game, the Lady Panthers seemed to be chomping at the bit to get the contest going. The Panthers were led in scoring by Jenny Cunningham and Emily Searer, both with 15. Cunningham also added eight rebounds and four blocks to her final stats while Searer added three steals. Jenna Craig ended her night with a double-double as she notched 10 points and collected 10 boards. The Panthers offense allowed only eight offensive turnovers on the evening. The layoff seemed to slow the Panthers offense in the opening quarter as they tallied only nine points. However, Lewistown’s defense came out strong, allowing Somerset just two foul shots late in the quarter. Brittney Stauffer got the Panthers off to a quick start as she roped a trey on the Panthers’ opening possession. The Panthers defense was near perfect as they kept the Lady Golden Eagles empty after 10 trips down into the offensive end. Searer put the Panthers up 5-0 as she snared a Somerset pass and took it all the way in for the lay-up. Craig added her first bucket on the following Panther possession after Cunningham found her down underneath and wide open, making it 7-0. After leading 9-0, Cunningham had arguably the biggest play of the first half. With the Lady Eagles on a fast break, Cunningham found herself outnumbered 2-to-1. As Somerset’s Amber Tinkey set the pass to teammate Lisa Kozuch, Cunningham followed the pass and as Kozuch went up for the seemingly sure easy lay in, up came the arm of Cunningham, creating a monster block and keeping the shut out alive for “the Blue and White”. With 29 seconds left on the first quarter clock, Amber Kister hit two points via the charity stripe, ending the first quarter scoring at 9-2. Leading the way for the Panthers in the first was Brittney Stauffer with three points. “I was pleased on how well our defense played,” Kodish said. “Somerset came out and tried to catch us sleeping and pick up the easy bucket but our defense maintained its composure and we got some tips and steals. As the game went on I thought we shot the ball real well.” Lewistown shook off the rust in the second as they exploded for 23 points. Cunningham had more points (12) in the second half than what was scored in the entire first half. Searer chipped in with a five point effort. When the buzzer sounded for intermission, the Panthers were in total control of the contest, leading 32-10. Things didn’t fare much better for the Lady Eagles in the third quarter either as they were outscored 24-6. Searer was the top scorer in the period with an eight-point effort. The Panthers only needed to sit and watch the clock as they held a very secure 56-16 lead going into the final stanza. It was “Mercy Rule” time as the fourth quarter got under way, and Lewistown had a chance to clear its bench. Lewistown’s Dani Rhoades led the way in fourth-quarter scoring with five points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Panthers went home 61-24 winners. The Panthers will be back in action Friday or Saturday at St. Francis University against Bellefonte in the District 6 title game. * * * * * * * * * Lewistown girls topple Bishop Guilfoyle Lady Panthers capture Mountain Athletic Conference title Laura Palazzi Sentinel correspondent WINGATE — It was a long ride home for Bishop Guilfoyle after giving up the Mountain Athletic Conference Division II girls’ basketball title to the team they had beat convincingly a week ago. The Lewistown Lady Panthers, led by power forwards Jenna Craig and Jenny Cunningham, cruised to a victory of 55-41 last night in the Bald Eagle Area gym and won the MAC title. After being beaten by Bishop Guilfoyle nine days ago (one of their two losses on the season), Lewistown made the proper adjustments on defense, stifling inside play and forcing BG to take low percentage shots from the perimeter. These teams have met three times this season, each taking a game at home, but Lewistown proved victorious when it mattered most. To prepare for this rematch, Lewistown concentrated on their defense. Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish commented, “When we went up to BG we let them jump out 15-4 in the first quarter. We wanted to set the tone early, play good defense and we wanted to make them play against the zone defense. We played the zone to make them work for all of their points.” BG jumped out to another early lead (4-0) in the first quarter, but this time Lewistown answered quickly, using their height inside. Lewistown’s Cunningham cleaned up the glass on both ends of the court while putting up 21 hard-earned points for her team. Jenna Craig added another 13 to compliment her tenacious defense and overall dominating play. The second quarter was still close as BG pulled within two with six minutes remaining in the half. A few easy buckets and a great pass by point guard Emily Searer to Craig boosted Lewistown ahead 25-18. BG called a timeout late in the second when the score reached 29-18. Lewistown however kept the momentum rolling and shattered any dreams of a BG comeback. “I am very proud,” Craig said. “We played as a team and were prepared, we came out and did what we had to do. We went up there earlier in the season and lost by 13. We had a sign in the locker room reminding us of how bad we lost. It was a good motivation for us for tonight’s game.” A complete team effort was achieved by Lewistown. Scoring came from many different players. Starting point guard Emily Searer had an impressive game with 12 points, including one three-pointer. Brittney Stauffer added another four points along with Dani Rhoades and Rachel Griffith who each added two. Freshman Spring Krepps came off the bench, adding teeth to Lewistown’s hungry zone defense. In the second half Bishop Guilfoyle trailed and tried desperately to regain the lead. Due to the strong defense of Lewistown, BG never got the opportunity. Lewistown kept the lead and ended strong with a final score of 55-41. Coach Kodish had nothing but compliments for his team. “Emily Searer, our point guard, makes it all start for us. She’s been starting point guard for the last couple of years and she does a great job. Jenny Cunningham was good inside on the boards. Jenna Craig had a big first half and also did a great job with rebounds. All of our players worked together and talked on defense.” Lewistown improved their record to 23-2 and proved themselves Mountain Athletic Conference Division II Champions. Lewistown is hoping this win will not be their last as they prepare for the upcoming District 6 playoffs. * * * * * * * * * Season Sweep Lewistown girls too much for IV Jaynee Carolus Sentinel correspondent HIGHLAND PARK — Records don’t usually mean much when cross town rivals meet on the hardwood, but with a record of 21 - 2 and an early season victory over Indian Valley under their belt, Lewistown had to be feeling pretty confident as they departed their bus at the Warrior gym. After 32 minutes of play the Lady Panthers had notched another victory (89-53) and improved their record to 22-2. Indian Valley won the tip and Blayke Narehood nailed “nothing but nylon” to give the Lady Warriors their only lead of the game 3-0. Jenna Craig tossed in a two pointer, IV turned the ball over, and Emily Searer was fouled on a lay-up to score a three the old fashioned way. Courtney Bell scored to tie it at 5-5 all, but scores by Searer, Rachel Griffith (4), and Craig led Lewistown on an 8-0 run. Megan Tewksbury finally converted a free throw to stem the scoreless period by the Lady Warriors. “Tewks” later added a jumper from the free throw line extended, but the Lady Panthers wasted little time in the first quarter setting the tempo and dictating the pace of play. At the end of the initial eight minutes of play, Lewistown led 21-8. Emily Searer with 11 first quarter points outscored the entire Indian Valley squad. Lewistown’s defense was denying any inside attack and Indian Valley’s shots just wouldn’t fall; if one lives by the three, one dies by the three. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Jenny Cunningham scored the first four Lewistown points in the second quarter. The height advantage of the Lady Panthers enabled point guard and quarterback, Emily Searer to pass the ball over the IV defense for high percentage inside shots. The much taller Cunningham and Craig took over on the inside while Spring Krepps, Griffith, and Searer scored from the outside. Cunningham ended the first half with ten points and total control of the “glass”. Without a doubt, snagging rebound after rebound, Jenny earned her position as “chairman of the boards.” Tewksbury scored six points, Allison Mitchell nailed a three, and Megan Schulze contributed two free throws, but it was too little too late. At the half, firing on all cylinders, the Lady Panthers led 46-19. Indian Valley scored nineteen points in the third quarter, as many as they had scored in entire the first half, but Lewistown’s continued defensive hustle and scoring by committee was too much to overcome. Bright spots in the Lady Warrior offense were Mitchell with 7 points and Deisha Warntz with back to back treys. Brittney Stauffer nailed two three pointers in the third quarter for the Lady Panthers. Craig, Cunningham, Griffith and Searer also put points in the book for Lewistown. As time expired in the third quarter, the Lewistown lead stood at 69-38. The Lady Warriors played hard throughout the game, but the taller, quicker, and more experienced Lewistown team owned the game on this night. Coach Roger Herto noted that “we have a long way to go on defense before playoffs begin. We must be more consistent. Our three seniors battled hard, but our younger players have got to step up.” Deisha Warntz (8) and Megan Tewksbury (7) , two of Herto’s seniors, scored all of Indian Valley’s fourth quarter points. The Lewistown ladies had scoring from Cunningham (8), Morgan Bobb (4), Heather Wilson (3) and Searer (2). “I am extremely pleased with all aspects of our game tonight” smiled Lewistown Coach Kevin Kodish. “Rachel Griffith stepped up and scored early to allow us to open a nice lead. Emily Searer runs our offense, but tonight she was phenomenal. She took it to the basket, dished it off, and shot from the outside. She had a double/double tonight.” (scoring and assists). Emily just stepped up and did a super job. We will welcome that kind of scoring in the next few games. Cunningham had a double/double too, points and rebounds.” Coach Herto extended to the Lady Panthers “we wish you well Friday against Bishop Guilfoyle as you play for the league championship.” (Lewistown plays BG at Bald Eagle Area at 6:30 pm this Friday.) Jenny Cunningham led all scorers with 24 points and 19 rebounds. Teammates Emily Searer (19), Jenna Craig (18), and Brittney Stauffer (11) also scored in double figures. Megan Tewksbury had 17 for the Lady Warriors and was joined in double digits by Allison Mitchell with 10. In the JV game, Indian Valley led 27-21 at the half before falling to the Lady Panthers 51-36. Coach Jim Fosselman remarked that “we challenged the girls to play better defense in the second half and they responded to that challenge by holding Indian Valley to only 9 second half points.” Kati Spickler led Lewistown with 18 points. Britney Zimmerman was a key 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter for Lewistown. Jesse Mernin led Indian Valley with 11 points. * * * * * * * * * Lady Panthers demolish Mounties Cunningham becomes first Panther to make 1,000 rebounds Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter LEWISTOWN — There was electricity in the air Saturday night in the Lewistown Gym when the Lewistown girls basketball team set to do battle in a Mountain Athletic Conference showdown. The electricity was not for the game itself but for Panther center Jenny Cunningham’s quest for a feat that has never been done in Lewistown basketball history, collecting 1,000 rebounds in a career. Cunningham came into the game needing 15 rebounds to hit the magical number. She accomplished that just minutes in the the third quarter, putting the Lewistown (20-2, MAC 11-1) senior in a class of her own and solidly placing her name in Lewistown Lore. “What a monster game she had,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “She’s had an incredible career. She set that goal (of 1,000 points) back in eighth grade before she ever played varsity. She wanted to get the record in her last home game, she needed 15 and she got 15. The whole team was behind her. It was great to see the entire bench rally behind their teammate.” Besides the achievement of Cunningham, the Panther fans had a chance to say goodbye to the seniors on Senior night. It was a chance for the fans to say goodbye to all the senior Panthers that graced the court for the “blue and white” for their four years. Those honored on this night were Emily Searer, Rachel Griffith, Brittney Stauffer and Cunningham. There also was a game being played between the Panthers and the Mounties. Lewistown won in a landslide 70-25. Cunningham, not only had it going in the rebound department but she also had it going in all facets of the game as she finished with a game high 27 points, six steals, and two monster blocks. Teammate Jenna Craig rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Panthers with 11 points. 10 of the 12 players the Panthers put on the court ended the night in the scoring column. The Panthers got off to a slow start as the game entered its early minutes. Fittingly, it was Cunningham who got the scoring started in the game. She put the missed Panther shot in via an offensive rebound and put back, making it 2-0. On the Mounties next possession, the Panthers defense forced an ill-advised shot and gave the Panthers the ball back with a chance to put up another two points. Lewistown did not disappoint as Searer got the break started and finished it with a pass to Stauffer. Stauffer took it in on the break extending the lead to four. The Panther defense was relentless as they forced the Mounties turnover on the following Mountie possession. Cunningham showed her toughness under the boards once again as she grabbed an offensive board and was fouled putting the ball back up for the shot. She was automatic from the line as the Panthers took a 6-0 lead. Philipsburg got its first points on the board at the 4:30 mark when Mountie center Erin Albert hit a mid-range jumper in the middle of the key cutting the Panthers lead to 6-2. Craig took over the scoring reigns for the next couple Panther touches as she scored five consecutive points to give Lewistown some breathing room at 11-2 with 3:38 showing on the first quarter game clock. With the score 11-2, the Mounties scored their second basket of the game as Ashley Cowher stepped back behind the three-point line and hit the trey, making it 11-5. Craig followed with her seven points of the ball game as she hit on a long jumper putting Lewistown up by eight. Lewistown ended the quarter on a 4-2 run and after the buzzer, Lewistown held a 10-point lead at 17-7. The second quarter belonged to Cunningham as she caught fire offensively. Of the 32 points scored by Lewistown in the second, Cunningham scored 21 of them. Cunningham also notched seven rebounds in the period, putting her two away from the 1,000 point milestone. As the half concluded, Lewistown had the game in total control leading 49-13. With the game well in check, the only excitement left was the anticipation of Cunningham picking up the record. With 5:14 left to go in the third that was taken care of also. Cunningham pulled down rebound number 15 and the crowd went wild. The ball game was stopped and she was congratulated by her teammates and family. As the game resumed, Coach Kodish pulled Cunningham to a rising ovation by the Panther faithful. “It felt pretty good,” said Cunningham when asked about how she felt when she brought down number 1,000. “I set that goal for myself and I wanted to be the one to reach 1,00 rebounds and I did that tonight.” Cunningham was then asked how it felt after it was over. “I was so excited that I could finally relax and play my game and not worry about everything.” As the clock ran out, it was Lewistown notching the 70-25 victory. In the JV contest, the Panthers also won the game going away as they took the contest, 75-34. High scorer for the Panthers was Tasha Pecht with 16 points, while teammate Heather Wilson had 13. Rounding out the double-digit scorers was Steph King with 10. With the win, the JV’s improved to 18-2 on the season. The Panthers will be back in action Tuesday as they play cross-county rival Indian Valley. With a win, Lewistown will force a play-off game against Bishop Guilfoyle for the MAC title. * * * * * * * * * Fight to the finish Lady Panthers still perfect; Cunningham notches career high 31 Jeff Gill Sentinel Reporter LEWISTOWN — For the first time this season, the Lewistown girls basketball team found themselves behind at the half, by just one point 31-30, against Mountain Athletic Conference foe Bellefonte. But, a career-high 31-points from senior Jenny Cunningham and an intesense-filled second half, gave the Lady Panthers a 64-59 win over the Lady Raiders and win number 20 on the season. “This was one of the hardest games of the year,” said Spring Krepps. “It was very physical and I had to guard (Kristen) Irwin and she is one the tallest players on their team, but I did the same up there and was prepared for it.” Bellefonte (13-4) ran out to a 6-0 lead at the 6:30 mark, before Cunningham sank a pair of free throws to start a 6-0 for the Lady Panthers. The Lady Raiders took an 8-6 lead, but Lewistown ran off six more points to take a 12-8 lead with 3:18 remaining in the quarter. But, Bellefonte stayed right with Lewistown and eventually took a 15-12 lead with 1:16 left. Spring Krepps hit a short jumper with 40.7 left to make it a 15-14 contest and Cunningham ended the quarter giving the Lady Panthers a 115 lead. Bellefonte fell behind and it looked as if the Lady Panthers were going to take control of the game, as they started off the second quarter on a 6-0 run and a 22-15 lead. But Irwin sparked the Lady Raider offense with back-to-back baskets and Melissa Clousser followed suit making it a 24-23 Lewistown lead with 3:45 left. Angie Proper hit the first of a pair of free throws to tie the game at 24, but Cunningham sank a pair from the charity stripe of her own and Krepps added a basket to make it 28-24 with 1:34 left in the half. Irwin and Cassie Proper each scored tying the game at 28, but Jenna Craig gave the lead right back to Lewistown with 30 seconds to go before the half. Bellefonte then shocked the Lady Panther faithful, as she hit a three-pointer with one second left to give Bellefonte a 31-30 lead at the half. “I’m not sure that we were not anticipating tomorrow,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “We had to move better on offense in the first half. Bellefonte played an outstanding game tonight and my hat’s off to them. They are becoming a quality team.” The trio of Rachel Griffith, Krepps and Cunningham got the Lady Panthers rolling in the third quarter. Griffith got Lewistown within one at 33-32 and again at 35-34, before Emily Searer tied the game at 35 when she hit the back end of a pair of free throws. Cunningham gave the Lady Panthers the lead with a pair of free throws. Angie Proper’s trey with 4:24 left in the quarter put Bellefonte ahead 38-37, but Lewistown would outscore their challengers 10-6 over the final 4:07 of the quarter to take a 48-44 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play. Bellefonte would take its final lead of the night when Cassie Proper drilled a three-pointer in the opening minutes of the of the fourth stanza at 49-48. Again, the Lady Panthers used a 6-0 run to take the lead 54-49 with 4:52 left to play. Melissa Clousser would get the Lady Raiders within three at 54-51 and 56-53, before Lewistown put some distance between themselves and Bellefonte and the final score of 64-59. “We might have been thinking about Harrisburg in the first half,” admitted Kodish. “But, we got a slap in the face and we had two choices. One, fall apart or pick ourselves up and take charge and not allowing someone to come into our house and beat us.” Griffith added, “We came out in the second half with a lot more intensity and we got some stops on defense and some key baskets. I think we were thinking of the weekend, but we came out knowing that we had to take care of tonight.” Cunningham accented her career-high with her third consecutive “double-double” by pulling down 17 rebounds and three blocked shots and one steal. Jenna Craig was the only other Lady Panther in double figures with 10 points. She also had six rebounds as did Griffith. Bellefonte had three players in double figures led by Angie Proper and Melissa Clousser, who each scored 12 points and 11 points by Kristin Irwin. The Lewistown junior varsity team fought off a Bellefonte half time lead to win 39-32 behind Brittney Zimmerman’s 13-points and Heather Wilson added nine, as Jim Fossleman’s team improves to 17-1 on the season. Both Lewistown boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will play in the Seventh Annual SportsFever Challenge. The game originally was to be played last weekend, but was postponed until today and will be played at Trinity High School in Camp Hill. According to head coach Kevin Kodish, the game will not be televised on PCN Network as announced. There will be no local television coverage for both Lewistown games. Lewistown (20-0) will face off against top-ranked Class AAAA Harrisburg at 3 p.m., while the boys’ will open the day when they face West York, the number-five team in the state Class AAA rankings. * * * * * * * * * Taming the ‘Cats’ Cunningham and Craig hit double-doubles for LAHS Jeff Gill Sentinel Reporter HUNTINGDON - The first time the Lady Panthers of Lewistown played Huntingdon, the Bearcats were only able to score a total of 11 points in a 60-11 rout by the Lady Panthers. Wednesday night's rematch on the Bearcats' home court saw the home score a little more, but with the same results as Lewistown remained unblemished at 19-0 on the season. The Lady Panthers were seeing "double" again as Jenny Cunningham and Jenna Craig each finished with "double-doubles" in the win. It was the second consecutive game the tandem reached double figures in scoring and rebounds.Cunningham finished with a game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Craig finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. "I was not pleased with the way we played in the first half defensively," said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. "Huntingdon is three times better the team that it was a month ago. I think we played with the thoughts of the last time we played and was looking for the lazy way out. I don't think we were mentally in the game. But, we have three tough games coming up in Bellefonte, Harrisburg and Bishop Guilfoyle and these are not easy games." Both teams came out sluggish in the first half, but the Lady Panthers were able to take a 4-0 lead with 6:06 left in the quarter. The Bearcats started to keep pace with Lewistown getting within two points a 6-4 with five minutes left. Lewistown then went on a 15-4 run over the final 3:30 of the first quarter to take a 21-8 lead. Olivia Hallahan led the Bearcats with six points in the quarter and Cunningham paced the Lady Panthers with eight points. Lewistown then went to work on putting some distance between themselves and their host, building a 26-10 lead with 5:55 left before the half. Brittney Stauffer then caught fire for the Lady Panthers scoring on three straight possessions from beyond the three-point arc. Stauffer's outside shooting gave her team a 37-16 lead with 3:34 left before the intermission. "I was glad to hit those shots in the first half," said Stauffer. "I wasn't able to hit anything in the second half." The Lady Panthers took at 45-20 lead with 1:37 left when Craig hit a put back shot and was foul and converted the tradition three-point play. But, Huntingdon was able to get some momentum going late in the quarter by scoring eight points over the final 1:22, including a behind the head shot by Staci Hurley with 1.1 seconds left before the half. The Panthers took a 20-point lead into the locker room at the break by the score of 48-28. Lewistown opened the third quarter with a 14-4 run to really put some distance between them and the Bearcats and 62-32 lead with 3:55 left in quarter. Still the Bearcats hung around, but still found themselves down by 30 at 72-42 heading into the final eight minutes of play. Kodish went to his bench early to rest his starters before coming off the court with the 33-point win. "I think our confidence is a lot better than what it was a month ago," said Huntingdon head coach Craig Sellers. "We are a lot better shooting wise and it has shown lately. We knew that we could not match up with them man-to-man because they would have gotten the ball inside to Cunningham, so we went to the zone and the still got some lobs into Craig." Stauffer finished the game with 17 points, while Emily Searer finished with eight points and six assists. "I just go and look for the open person," said Searer. "Jenny and Jenna are there, but it's my job to keep the ball and the team moving." Jenna Shefflield led Huntingdon with 14 points and Hallahan finished with 10 points. In the junior varsity game, the Lady Panthers had to hold off a late charge by the Bearcats to bring home a 46-40 win. Lewistown is now 16-1 on the season. Lewistown will look for win number 20 on the season as they travel to take on Bellefonte in a crucial Mountain Athletic Conference contest Friday night. * * * * * * * * * Lady Panthers dominate again at PC Sentinel Staff CRESSON — The Lewistown Area High School girls’ basketball team crushed host Penn Cambria 76-35 Monday to remain undefeated on the season. “We got off to a sluggish start,” Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish said, “but we shook it off and had a good game with very balance scoring.” Jenna Craig had a monster game, leading the Panthers with a 19-point effort while registering 10 rebounds, seven steals and four blocks. Jenny Cunningham also chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds for Lewistown. Emily Searer finished with 14 points. In junior varsity action, Lewistown won 54-27 behind an 11-point effort by Steph King. Lewistown (18-0) visits Huntingdon Wednesday. * * * * * * * * * Panther girls tame the Golden Eagles Another game and another win for Lewistown girls Jeff Gill Sentinel Reporter LEWISTOWN — Jenny Cunningham scored a career-high 26 points leading the Lewistown girls’ basketball team to an 82-41 win over Tyrone in a Mountain Athletic Conference Division Two contest. The Lady Panthers are now 17-0 overall and sit alone at 9-0 in the MAC Division Two standings. “Our guards did a great job of passing the ball inside tonight,” said Cunningham on her feat. “We are just trying to get better and get back to the states.” The Golden Eagles hung tough for the first two minutes of the game, tying the score at 4-4 with 6:25 left in the quarter. The Lady Panthers then went on a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to build a 16-4 lead, paced by Cunningham’s 14 points and Jenna Craig’s six point effort. Emily Ingle drilled a three-pointer with 1:22 left in the quarter to make it 16-7, but Lewistown scored four more points over the final minute to take a 20-7 lead after the first period. “As the “dog-days” of the long season sets in, you play a lot of games,” said Kevin Kodish. “We play three games next week and a tough schedule at that, but we have the people that are stepping in at vital times that help us to get wins like this.” Tyrone tried to get things going offensively, cutting the score to 25-12 in favor of the Lady Panthers. Spring Krepps sparked a 17-4 run over the final 5:12 to grab a 42-16 lead at the half. After Hilary McNelis got Tyrone’s first basket of the second half, but Lewistown went on an 8-0 run to take a 50-18 lead. Lewistown scored 11 more points in the quarter to take a 61-26 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play. “We like to use an up-tempo game,” said Kodish. “If we can get teams to miss their shots and we get the fast break working, we can run the floor. The girls are unselfish on the fast breaks. There were times tonight that a girl could have finished a fast break, but they passed the ball to the open person.” Lewistown was able to get the “mercy-rule” clock in motion with 5:30 left to play in the game, when they led 73-26. The Lady Panthers went on a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter. Kodish then went to his bench for the remainder of the game as the Lady Panthers coasted to the win. “We have a good bench that keeps up the pressure on teams,” said Kodish. “Our starters can not go 48 minutes and the girls that are coming off the bench continue to get better with each game. I think that Emily Searer has done a great job at point guard for us. She is the glue that keeps us together on offense and on defense. She sets the tone.” Craig and Emily Stauffer added 14 points for the Lady Panthers, while Spring Krepps came off the bench to score seven and Searer finished with six points. “As the season goes on we need to get better,” said Stauffer. “The better we are the more advantages we have down the road.” Craig led Lewistown in rebounds with 14, while Cunningham hauled in eight and Krepps with six. Stauffer had four assists and Searer three. Cunningham hit 11 of 15 from the floor in her career-high performance for 73 percent shooting. In the junior varsity game, the Lady Panthers improved to 14-1 on the year with a 63-31 win, behind Katie Spickler’s 14 points and Brittney Casner’s 10 points. Lewistown (17-0, 8-0 MAC Division II) will play at Penn Cambria on Monday, before heading to Huntingdon for an MAC battle Wednesday. * * * * * * * * * Panthers stuff Eagles WINGATE — The Lewistown girls basketball team continues to cut through its opponents like the cold January air; this time they took their high-scoring show on the road and beat Bald Eagle Area 78-40. The win puts the Lady Panthers at 16-0 overall and atop the Mountain Athletic Conference Division 2 standings at 8-0. “We wanted to take control early and we did that,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “We had a 14-point lead after the first quarter and built it to a 21-point lead at the half. The Lady Panthers ran out to a 23-9 lead after the first quarter, with Jenna Craig and Emily Searer scoring seven and five points, respectively to lead the way for the Lady Panthers. Lewistown took a 42-21 lead into the locker room at the half. The Lady Panthers continued to put some distance between them and the Lady Eagles, taking a 63-38 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play. Kodish went to his bench and sent in the reserves, who played well, according to Kodish. “All the kids off the bench did a good job tonight,” said Kodish. “Spring Krepps, Brooke Kodish and Morgan Bobb all came off the bench and really contributed. Everyone is doing their job.” Craig led all scorers with 23 points, she also had 13 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots. Jenny Cunningham followed with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Searer finished with nine points. Mindy Garner and Christy Garner led the Eagles with 12 and 10 points, respectively. In junior varsity action, Morgan Bobb scored 10 points to lead the Lady Panthers to a 44-23 win. Lewistown returns to MAC action Friday night when they play Tyrone at home. * * * * * * Heating it up Lewistown girls remain undefeated Jaynee Carolus Sentinel correspondent LEWISTOWN — With the frightful, frigid weather last evening, both players and fans alike were thankful that, in December 1891, basketball was created to provide a new indoor winter activity. Since then, the game has become a “thrill to play and a thrill to watch” and last evening was no exception. The Lady Panthers entered the contest with an unblemished 14-0 record and when the final buzzer sounded, they were 15-0 with a 67-34 victory over Central Mountain. Shooting on both ends of the floor started out as cold as the winter wind. “I think we suffered a post-rivalry let down at the beginning of the game” retorted Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish. “The same thing happened to us last year”. Central Mountain initiated the scoring with a three pointer from Courtney Fornwalt. Jenny Cunningham answered with a deuce for Lewistown before the Lady Wildcats scored five unanswered points to take an 8-2 lead. The Lady Panthers picked up the intensity on defense and in doing so, seemed to jump start their offense. Cunningham powered her way into the paint to score two more cutting the lead to 8-4. Jenna Craig and Emily Searer each added four points before Arlene Bowes added two for the Lady Wildcats. The first quarter ended with Lewistown ahead 12-10. The second quarter was dominated by the Lady Panthers as they outscored the Lady Wildcats 23-7. Craig and Cunningham took turns “cleaning the glass” and igniting the fast break, Emily Searer quarterbacked the offense, and Brittney Stauffer hit back to back tri fectas and then back to back deuces as everyone turned it up a notch at both ends of the court. During one stretch of play, Lewistown reeled off 21 unanswered points. In this second stanza, Stauffer put in 10 points, Cunningham and Searer four apiece, Craig three points, and Britteny Casner two. At the halfway point, the Lady Panthers led by a 35-17 margin. The third quarter began much in the same way the second quarter ended: great defense and strong offense. Emily Searer dished out some fine feeds enabling Cunningham and Craig to score on the inside (seven points each), and Krepps and Stauffer on the outside. Freshman Emily Williams and sophomore Abby Lawless each scored four for Central Mountain. Throughout the second half Lewistown played everyone on the bench, mixing substitutes and starters, giving everyone a chance to play together. Coach Kodish noted that “13 girls played tonight. The youngsters got some quality court time and valuable experience playing with the veterans. We have four games this week, as we did last week. It keeps everyone’s legs fresh when everyone gets to play.” Jenny Cunningham set the standard of play with three steals, five blocks, 10 rebounds and 17 points. “Cunningham had a good day at the office,” smiled Coach Kodish, The Lady Panther JV team of Coach Jim Fosselman improved its record to 12-1 with a 55-32 victory over Central Mountain. Heather Wilson (12) and Stephanie King (10) scored in double figures for the Lewistown squad. * * * * * * Lewistown 78, Indian Valley 59 Cunningham explodes for 19-point first half Kenny Varner Sentinel Reporter LEWISTOWN — To most Mifflin County high school sports fans there are two kinds of games during the year. In one group there are the regular scheduled contests, and then there are the Indian Valley vs. Lewistown contests. Saturday night, it was the girls turn to renew their hardcourt rivalry and in the end it was the Lewistown Panthers remaining unblemished with a 14-0 record and a 78-59 win over their cross-town rivals. Jenny Cunningham spearheaded the Lewistown (14-0) victory with 25 points. Cunningham’s 19-point first half led the Panther charge that broke it open. Teammate Jenna Craig added 24 in the contest rounding out the double-digit scorers. “Jenn (Cunningham) took control early,” said Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish. “She was determined to have a good game tonight and she did. She played a fantastic ball game.” Indian Valley (8-7) was led by leading scorer Megan Tewksbury who ended up with a team high 16 points while Megan Schulze added 13. Teammate, Allison Mitchell rounded out the double-digit scorers for Indian Valley with 10. In the first quarter, Indian Valley came out strong against the undefeated Panthers and showed its toughness on defense as they covered Lewistown tightly, forcing them into uncharacteristic mistakes. The Warriors looked unintimidated by the Panthers as they walked onto the court. Lewistown got the tip to start out the game and the Panthers went right inside to Cunningham. Cunningham did not disappoint as she tossed in the first bucket of the game and the first free throw of the game, all on the same play. Cunningham was perfect on both as Lewistown went out to a 3-0 lead. After an Indian Valley miscue, the Panthers went up 5-0 as Cunningham used her offensive presence under the boards to collect the rebound and hit on a follow up. On the Warriors third possession, Megan Schulze got the Indian Valley offense off and running as she went strong past Cunningham and in for the bucket. After two more consecutive Cunningham buckets, making it 8-2, Indian Valley went back to Schulze. Schulze was the recipient of an spectacular save by Megan Tewksbury. Schulze again went hard to the hoop and cut the lead to four at 8-4. “We shot the ball poorly,” said Indian Valley head coach Roger Herto. “When they went into the zone defense we got the shots we wanted to take but they just weren’t going in. Thats been our season so far. We work hard to get the shots we want, it just isn’t going in for us.”