Huge Contributions from Kelly and Husted Carry Eagles to Victory
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's basketball team racked up another conference win Wednesday evening, beating Elizabethtown 80-70 inside Memorial Gymnasium.
The Eagles were propelled by efficient performances from their bigs, with Chase Husted (DuBois, Pa. / DuBois Area HS) providing 17 points and seven rebounds on a 7-10 shooting night, while John Kelly (Philadelphia, Pa. / Roman Catholic HS) adding 17 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and a steal on a perfect 7-7 shooting night off the bench. Evan Eisenhart (York, Pa. / Central York HS) provided nine points including two three-pointers, along with three steals, two rebounds and a block in a strong all-around effort. Another strong bench performance came courtesy of Gabe Guidinger (York, Pa. / Central York HS), who tallied eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a block.
The offenses started slowly for both teams, with it taking seven minutes for Juniata to reach ten points scored, while the Blue Jays passed the ten-point mark a full two minutes later. The scored remained close through the majority of the first half, with the largest lead of the half being only nine points, when the Eagles led 33-24 with 2:24 remaining. Kelly's impact from the bench was immediate, as his energy and rebounding sparked Juniata.
The Eagles entered the second half leading 35-28 and managed to maintain a cushion for the first few minutes, never letting their lead slip below five points for the remainder of the game. Much like in the first half, Kelly's efficient scoring and rebounding on both ends of the court galvanized the offense. Elizabethtown got little respite, as Husted and Kelly would swap each other on the bench and maintain a strong presence in the paint.
Two impressive long-range threes from E-Town's Jalin Robinson (New Castle, De. / Red Lion Christian Academy) in the final minute of play narrowed the gap to eight, but Kohl Bernarding (Cochranton, Pa. / Cochranton HS) put the nail in the coffin with two made free throws, restoring the double-digit advantage that Juniata held for much of the second half until the final whistle.
Juniata returns to action at home on Saturday, hosting Scranton at 2:00 PM.