Home Page Sports

The Wellsboro Hornets successfully defended home court Tuesday night, edging the North Penn-Mansfield Tigers in a tightly contested matchup to claim victory in the 12th annual Peg Berguson Memorial Trophy game. The Hornets held on down the stretch for the win, evening the all-time series at 6–6 and keeping the trophy in Wellsboro for another year.

North Penn-Mansfield struck first, with Andy Hermansen finding Jason Harer inside for an early basket. The Tigers built an early lead behind back-to-back three-pointers — first from Hermansen, then from Harer — but Wellsboro quickly settled in and began to apply pressure.

Johnathan Carl answered with a strong drive to the basket, and Wellsboro’s full-court press soon created opportunities in transition. Colin Fletcher converted off the turnover, and Luke Rothermel capped the opening quarter with an off-balance layup to give the Hornets a narrow 15–13 lead.

In the second quarter, the Tigers broke the press when Kevin Clemente-Vazquez pushed the ball ahead to Ray Nickerson, who found Harer open for a score. Wellsboro responded with inside aggression from Marek Mascho, who attacked the baseline for two and continued to apply pressure. Mascho struck again late in the half, helping the Hornets carry a 23–17 advantage into the break.

North Penn-Mansfield came out firing in the third quarter, as Harer powered through traffic for a basket and Hermansen added a tough shot in the lane. The Tigers outscored Wellsboro in the frame, but the Hornets managed to protect their slim lead, heading into the fourth quarter up 31–28.

The final period belonged to Wellsboro’s defense.

The Hornets’ press swarmed the Tigers, forcing turnovers and rushed passes. Gideon Lawton cleaned up a missed shot inside, and Griffin Morral intercepted a pass and converted the fast-break layup. Moments later, Morral again disrupted the Tigers’ inbound play, tipping the ball to Mascho for another score before Carl followed with a quick layup off yet another steal.

Wellsboro maintained control until the final buzzer sounded, sealing the victory and retaining possession of the Peg Berguson Memorial Trophy. Following the game, members of the Berguson family presented the trophy to the Wellsboro boys basketball team.

The Hornets will return to action on January 2, 2026, when they host Jersey Shore, while North Penn-Mansfield will travel to Montoursville on January 3.