Panthers Net Important Win

Northern Bedford traveled to Southern Huntingdon for a key ICC South boys’ basketball game Feb. 23. The Rockets took a 71-56 victory over the Panthers, and sole possession of first place in the Southern Division.

Northern led early and had a 14-11 lead after one quarter. A disastrous second period, however, turned the tide. SH outscored NB and rolled to a 30-24 halftime lead.

“We were never able to recover from that and were unsuccessful at playing catchup the rest of the game,” NB coach Randy Meck said.

The Rockets lead trickled to double digits early in the fourth quarter.

“The difference was at the foul line,” Meck pointed out.

NB was just 4-for-8 while the Rockets were 19-for-30.

Senior Hayden Foor had 17 points while fellow senior Dakota Claar added 10 for NB.

• Chestnut Ridge 72, NB 69: Northern Bedford and Chestnut Ridge expected to be in an offensive shootout on Feb. 24 and neither team disappointed.

In a fast-paced game with lots of twists and turns, It was the homestanding Lions who persevered and held off the pesky Panthers by a 72-69 final score.

The first half was a tale of two quarters. Ridge went on a big run to break an early tie and led by as much as 29-16 in the second period before a 13-2 Panther run closed the gap to 31-29 at halftime.

Ridge slowly but surely pulled away in the second half and held a 10-point lead with under four minutes to play when once again the Panthers crept close.

A Hayden Foor trey with 1:34 left pulled NB to within four points at 69-65 and Caleb Diehl followed with a steal and a layup to cut the lead to two. The Lions made three of six free throws in the final minute to preserve the win but not before the Panthers had two opportunities to tie the contest.

“We had lapses tonight that cost us. We would play well in stretches and then make mistakes in others. I was pleased with the way we kept fighting back, though,” NB coach Randy Meck said.

Seniors Caleb Diehl (26), Hayden Foor (24) and Thad Leidy (12) provided double-figure scoring for the Panthers.

• NB 69, Everett 68: Northern Bedford got an important win, 69-68, at rival Everett on Feb. 26.

Northern seemingly took control of the game early in the fourth period when they went up 62-52. The Warriors, however, stormed back with a 12 point run to briefly take a 64-62 lead before the Panthers regrouped. NB took the lead on a Hayden Foor shot at 68-66 and Foor added a free throw in the final seconds to give NB a three-point cushion and enabling them to hold off Everett in the waning moments.

Senior Caleb Diehl sunk a 10-foot jumpshot from the right corner with 2:04 left in the third period to hit the 1,000-point milestone for his career. The Warriors, being gracious hosts, stopped the game and honored Diehl for his accomplishment.

“I’m very happy for Caleb as he joins his brother Kyler (a 2014 NB graduate) in the 1,000-point club at NB," NB coach Randy Meck said.

Senior Hayden Foor poured in 31 points for NB while senior Dakota Claar (17) and Diehl (13) added double-figure efforts.

The win clinches the third seed in the upcoming 5 Class 2A playoffs and Northern will host Tussey Mountain at 7 p.m. today, March 4.