Dragons Improve Record to 10-1

The Central Dragon basketball team raised its record to 10-1 on the season with a pair of Mountain League wins last week.

On Wednesday, Jan. 9, the Dragons defeated Philipsburg-Osceola and on Friday, Jan. 11, Clearfield. Both games were on the road.

Central will play its next five games at home, which started Tuesday, Jan. 15, against league rival Tyrone.

CHS 53, P-O 46

The Dragons came out on fire against P-O, taking a 21-8 advantage after one quarter. Central connected on four early 3-pointers, with Braden Kitt accounting for 10 first-quarter points.

During the middle two quarters, Central went cold and was outscored 20-15. Entering the final quarter, P-O trailed just 36-28.

Both teams picked up offensively in the final frame, combining for 35 points, with the Dragons escaping with a 53-46 victory.

Hunter Klotz finished with 15 points, followed by Kitt’s 12 and 11 by Noah Muthler. Thad Albright scored seven points and also dished out six assists. Muthler added five assists ands seven rebounds. Klotz paced the team with 10 boards and Kitt added seven.

CHS 53, Clearfield 44

On Jan. 11, the team traveled to Clearfield and returned with a hard-fought 53-44 win. The Bisons led 13-12 after one quarter and 20-16 at the half. Hunter Klotz scored eight of his season-high 23 points in the opening half.

The Dragons regrouped after intermission and got their offense in rhythm. Central won the third quarter 19-9 to take a six-point advantage and won the final frame 18-15.

Braden Kitt scored 12 second-half points to finish with 14, while Lleyton Kling added seven. Klotz finished with nine rebounds and Kitt seven. Thad Albright grabbed five boards and dished out eight assists.

“Both games were competitive wins on the road,” Central coach Reggie Nevins said. “We came out hot against Philipsburg but after that we were out of whack. The guys played a solid fourth quarter to hold on. Clearfield plays great man defense and caused us a lot of problems after the first five minutes. Hunter hit a huge three to finish the half and we came out in the second half with a lot of confidence.

“It was another nice win on the road. Now we’ll get eight of our final 11 games at home, starting Tuesday.”