Defense propels Falcon boys to 5-0 in early going

Action was hot and heavy on the boards when Coudersport traveled to Portville Wednesday night. Here, Falcon Blair Heimel is sandwiched between two Panthers as he forces up put-back. Paul Burdick photo

Coudersport has been throwing so many different defensive styles at boys' basketball opponents in the early season that opposing coaches can only shake their heads and wonder what they'll face next.

Portville was expecting to give the Falcons a better challenge Wednesday night on its home floor, after losing by 29 points a couple of weeks ago.

Instead, the Panthers managed just 12 points in the first half and fell by a lopsided 58-35 score, improving Coudersport to 5-0 entering Friday night's game at St. Marys Public.

Coach Chris Fink had his boys alternating from a zone to a man-to-man, with various styles of press and trap formations.

"Defensively, we played well, especially in the first half," Fink said. "Offensively, I'm looking for better execution as the season moves along. I know we're capable of playing better offense and we'll need to when we face the tougher opponents."

Blair Heimel led a balanced scoring attack with 14, while Colton Corey tallied 13 and John Hau and Derek Burdick scored 11 apiece. Burdick (5 assists) swished a trio of threepointers. Hau had nine blocked shots. He and Heimel each had nine rebounds.

Coudersport was coming off a 68-50 win at Cowanesque Valley the night before. As in the Portville game, the Falcons controlled the boards.

CV cut a 20-point deficit to 10, mostly on the outside shooting of David Clark (29 points), but the visitors rebounded and pulled away in the final minutes. Heimel scored 24 and Hau added 20 for the winners.

Last Friday, Hau exploded for 27 points while Heimel scored 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in the Falcons' 78-47 win over visiting St. Marys.

They broke open a close game with an impressive 25-7 advantage in the third quarter and coasted. Burdick added 11 points.

After Friday's game at St. Marys, Coudersport makes the long trip to Troy on Monday, then plays at Galeton on Thursday.