Dominant Night
KARNS CITY — The outcome had long been decided, but the final minute of Karns City's boys basketball playoff game against Ridgway Thursday night offered a bit of drama — and one more important basket.
Gremlins' senior forward Nathan Waltman's fourth and final basket of the night put him at 1,000 for his varsity career. His 11 points and 14 rebounds helped KC dominate the visiting Elkers, 59-34.
Waltman became the 13th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. As such, his name will be added to a banner in the gymnasium.
“It's a great accomplishment, but it will be another great accomplishment if we can put something up on that wall,” Waltman said, pointing to the opposite end of the gym, where a number of banners display the school's many teams that have earned a district championship.
The Gremlins will get a chance to do that Saturday when they host Coudersport in the District 9 Class 2A title game.
Due to injuries, Waltman played in just nine games his junior year.“I didn't realize I had a shot at 1,000 until this year, the last few games of the regular season,” he said.What Waltman has become since starting half the games his freshman year is a source of confidence for the Gremlins ... and one of frustration for his opponents. At 6-foot-5, he's good for double-digit rebounds and several blocks almost every game.“He's become a leader for us,” said KC coach Chris Bellis. “And as a post player, he's become probably our best passer.”Waltman and the Gremlins (21-2) wasted no time in putting Ridgway in a huge hole. Late in the first quarter, the Elkers trailed 19-2.“Ridgway's a team that likes to slow it down and we forced the tempo, made them play fast,” Bellis said.The Elkers (6-9) were the two-time defending district champions. Their run for a third crown received a glimmer of hope in the second quarter. Dan Park's 3-point play with 4:00 left before halftime cut KC's edge to 24-13.But Ridgway simply could not match the Gremlins in baskets or on the boards as KC owned the glass, 36-14.“We started making some shots, but missed a lot of layups,” said Elkers' coach Anthony Allegretto. “Karns City would rebound the misses and go down and score themselves.”The second half began with the Gremlins protecting a 33-15 lead.“We had a good lead and at that point, we wanted to play a slower game to take time off,” said Bellis. “Sometimes when you change defenses like that in the middle of a game, a team can struggle with it. I thought our guys did a good job with the switch.”Chase Beighley scored 18 points for the Gremlins and Luke Cramer added 11.<b>RIDGWAY 34</b>Domenic Allegretto 1 0-0 2, RJ Miller 2 0-2 4, Aaron Sorg 2 1-2 6, Alexander Bon 0 2-2 2, Dan Park 3 4-5 10, Jack Benninger 3 4-4 10, Dylan Goetz 0 0-2 0, Dominic Gaudino 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 11-17 34.<b>KARNS CITY 59</b>Eric Booher 1 2-2 5, Cole Sherwin 1 0-0 3, Taite Beighley 1 0-0 2, Micah Rupp 3 0-0 6, Chase Beighley 5 7-9 18, Luke Cramer 5 0-0 11, Luke Garing 0 3-4 3, Nathan Waltman 4 3-5 11, Jacob Callihan 0 0-0 0, Braden Grossman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 15-20 59.Ridgway 5 10 7 12 — 34Karns City19 14 10 16 — 593-point goals: Ridgway 1 (Sorg); Karns City 4 (C. Beighley, Cramer, Sherwin, Booher).Saturday: Coudersport at Karns City, District 9 Class 2A championship game, 6 p.m.
