Raiders, Falcons clash in battle for survival

Coming off a playoff win over Curwensville, Cameron County now travels to Coudersport for a PIAA District 9 quarterfinal playoff game on Friday night (7:00). The winner moves on and is guaranteed at least three more playoff games, while the loser is eliminated. Underclassmen Jordan Crane (2) and Charlie Holjencin (24) are among those who have led the young Raiders to an 18-7 record.

It's rematch time on Friday night (7:00) as the Cameron County boys' basketball team heads to Coudersport in a PIAA District 9 Class A playoff game that spells elimination for the loser.

The winner will advance into the D9 final four for a likely meeting with defending state champion Elk County Catholic sometime next week.

Coudersport has defeated the Red Raiders twice this season, 61-42 and 61-33. The Falcons' success was based in large part on the inside domination of juniors Blair Heimel (6-5) and John Hau (6-3), combined with effective defense against Jordan Crane, the Northern Tier League scoring champion.

Raiders win opener

Cameron County (18-7) earned a berth in Friday's quarterfinals with a gutsy 41- 36 win over visiting Curwensville Wednesday night. That same evening, Coudersport (22-1) was warming up with a scrimmage against St. Marys Public, the only team that has beaten the Falcons this season.

Paul Burdick photos

Neither offense had much going after an initial Curwensville flurry at Emporium. The Golden Tide (14-10) scored 10 unanswered points before Cameron County dented the scoreboard. Curwensville still led 18-12 at halftime.

The hosts came to life after the break, slipping ahead 29-28 just before the third quarter buzzer sounded and using strong defense to pull away down the stretch.

After the Tide netted the score 33-33 with less than two minutes left, Dan Sullivan sank a pair of foul shots and Mike Malizia grabbed an offensive rebound and converted with 40 seconds left to give the Raiders some breathing room.

"Our defense really carried us in the second half," said Cameron County coach John Barnhart.

Sophomore Jarek Holjencin stepped up for the Raiders, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring 10 points. Crane had 10 of his game-high 11 points in the second half and blocked three shots. Malizia and Charles Holjencin added eight points apiece.

Meanwhile, Coudersport coach Chris Fink was pleased with his Falcons' performance in Wednesday's tune-up against St. Marys.

Coudersport was coming off a 66-31 win at Otto-Eldred in the regular season finale. Heimel scored 26 points with 11 rebounds while Hau tallied 17 as the Falcons broke open a close game after the intermission.