ATHENS RIDES BIG FIRST HALF TO 62-40 WIN AT COWANESQUE VALLEY

By: Tim Birney  /  January 27, 2022

WESTFIELD — Athens used a 9-0 run early in the first quarter, and a 16-2 blitz that bridged the first two quarters to build a 26-point halftime lead in a 62-40 win over Cowanesque Valley here Thursday night in NTL boys basketball action.

With the scored tied at 2-2, senior Troy Pritchard, off a feed from senior J.J. Babcock, scored to give Athens the lead for good, at 4-2.

Moments later, Babcock scored back-to-back buckets, and senior Tucker Brown, off a feed from senior Nalen Carling, capped the nine-point run that left Athens up 11-2 midway through the opening stanza.

After a pair of free throws by McGwire Painter trimmed Athens’ lead to 14-6, Babcock scored back-to-back buckets, then assisted junior Mason Lister on a bucket in transition to make it 20-6 at end of the first eight minutes.

Painter scored a bucket in the opening moments of the second quarter, but Athens scored 10 straight points, including six by junior Chris Mitchell, to take a 30-8 lead.

Gage Tilton stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer to make it 30-11, but the Wildcats closed the first half with a 9-2 spurt, thanks in large part to a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by sophomore Korey Miller, to make it 39-13 at the half.

Athens kept it rolling in the third quarter as Lister scored a pair of buckets to spark a 10-2 spurt that gave the Wildcats its biggest lead of the game — at 49-15 — with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Cowanesque Valley closed the gap to 19, at 58-39, in the final minute.

Babcock led Athens with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots, while Mitchell had 10 points and four rebounds, and Lister had nine points, three assists, and one blocked shot.

Brown had six points, four rebounds, and four assists in the win, while Pritchard had six points and five rebounds, Carling added five points, three assists, and three steals, and Miller chipped in with five points.

Painter led CV with 17 points, and Tilton added nine — all on 3-pointers.

Athens, now 12-4, hosts powerhouse Dallas Saturday in a non-league contest.