On Monday, January 5, the West Branch Warrior basketball team traveled to Curwensville to face the Golden Tide in the annual Hoops for Hope game. The Warriors entered the game at 2-5, while the Tide was 1-7. Before the game, players from both teams came together to support two families battling cancer. 

The Warriors were the first to get on the board, with a Caleb Hudson layup. The Tide, however, came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, getting an early 6-2 lead, which quickly prompted head coach Parker Emigh to call a timeout. The Warriors used the timeout to gain their own momentum, pushing the lead to 15-11, with an Owen Gibson three. 

The Tide continued to succeed from beyond the arc in the second quarter, with multiple three-pointers. Senior guard Easton Emigh came out of the game with an apparent knee injury late in the second quarter. The Warriors scored just 5 points in the quarter, giving the Tide a 28-20 lead at halftime. 

The Warriors came out strong in the third quarter on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, cutting the deficit to 39-36. In the fourth quarter, senior point guard Coby Kephart scored 5 straight points, cutting the deficit to just one. Junior guard Hansen Lannen also left the game with an injury to his knee. Senior Dylan McGonigal tied the game at 46 a piece with two key free throws, with just one minute remaining. Despite the effort, Curwensville sealed the game at 51-46 with a pile of free throws. 

Senior Dylan McGonigal commented on the loss: “We came out flat in the first half, which caused us to fall behind at halftime, and there were a few calls that didn’t go our way. Two injuries took our energy away, but despite that, we still battled back in the second half.” 

Dylan McGonigal and Caleb Hudson led the charge for the Warriors with 14 points each, Coby Kephart had 10, and Owen Gibson had 6.

The Warriors, now 2-6, will host Clearfield on Thursday and Glendale on Friday.