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The Towanda Black Knights varsity basketball team hosted their longtime rivals, the Athens Wildcats, on Friday, January 30, in a tightly contested matchup that came down to the final seconds and required overtime to decide a winner.

Athens jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter behind Lucas Shultz, who scored with a spin move into a floater from the right side. Towanda answered quickly as Graham Welles cut inside for a jumper to keep the Black Knights within striking distance. The Wildcats closed the opening quarter strong when Shultz drove hard from the top of the key, finished at the rim, and drew the foul for an and-one, giving Athens an 11–8 advantage.

The Wildcats extended their momentum into the second quarter when Nick Grazul kicked the ball out to Aidan Briggs for a wide-open three-pointer. Towanda responded with Lucas Vincent working his way into the post and finishing through contact with a spin move layup. Athens continued to apply pressure as Adam Kemp shook the defense with a series of fakes to score an easy basket. Despite the back-and-forth action, the Wildcats carried a narrow 23–20 lead into halftime.

Both teams battled through the third quarter, refusing to let the other pull away. Towanda forced a tough shot and capitalized on the rebound as Markell Garner read the play and cleaned it up for the Black Knights. Athens answered just before the buzzer when James Friend rejected a Towanda attempt and quickly moved the ball ahead to Gage Marmor, who converted to give the Wildcats a 34–32 lead heading into the final quarter.

Defense took center stage in the fourth, highlighted by Shultz cutting off driving lanes and coming up with a steal for a breakaway layup. As time expired, Towanda found its moment when Darrius Farrell knocked down a deep three-pointer through traffic, tying the game and sending it into overtime.

With the crowd energized, the Black Knights took control in the extra period, knocking down shot after shot and outpacing the Wildcats to secure a 54–49 overtime victory.

Towanda will be back on the court tonight as they defend home court against the Wyalusing Rams. Today’s Home Page Sports highlights are brought to you by Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, where they’re taking the deals the other guys won’t.