Bouncing off a big Mountain League win, Tyrone (2-3)) came into Dec. 23’s game hungry for another great performance against the (3-5) Central Mountain Wildcats. The Golden Eagles rode a huge first quarter by Byron Kost to a 56-45 win that evened their record at 3-3.
The score was tied 8-8 when Byron Kost substituted in with 3:25 left in the first quarter when he not only hit his first shot, but stroked his next four as well giving him 12 first quarter points and a Tyrone 20-12 lead after the first quarter.
Kost started the 10-2 run that put them way ahead early and forced Central Mountain to try and come back from this huge deficit. This Tyrone offense has been explosive in their last two games scoring 42 first quarter points and taking commanding leads to start off the game.
The Wild Cats pulled off an 11-0 run with just 2:37 to go in the first half, taking a one point lead as coach Mike Harris calls a frustrating timeout. With a big momentum swing, Tyrone needed a half time lead to get back into the game as they allowed the Wildcats to make a run and a defensive stop to pull themselves ahead.
After a brief timeout, Tyrone came out and set up a play that gave Adam Corle a back door layup and the Eagles a one point lead, 26-25.
The ball was turned over several times within the next two minutes of the half as Josh Clark hit one of two foul shots, giving Tyrone a 27-25 lead going into the half.
“Byron played really well tonight coming off the bench,” coach Mike Harris said. “Jason Haney also had a nice game as well. The guys came off the bench and played really well which we’re going to need that down the stretch.”
With the momentum of the game up for grabs, Tyrone and Central Mountain slugged it out through the third quarter, trying to pulverize and take control of the game.
Leonard Wilson and Adam Corle scored Tyrone’s first four points in the third giving them a four-point lead and control of the game.
However, Central Mountain called a timeout to regroup and slow down this Tyrone offense.
With a four-point lead and 7:10 left in the third quarter, Central Mountain scored eight straight points giving them the lead 35-31 with 5:00 to go in the third, making Tyrone sweat on their home floor.
Tyrone managed a comeback with a couple of fast break lay-ups and a beautiful no look pass from Corle going on a 10-2 run to end the third quarter. This was what the Golden Eagles needed to stay ahead in the game and get that momentum they lost in the second quarter.
Tyrone started the fourth quarter out with another trey from Byron Kost, shaking the house down with the crowd going wild. Shooting three-for-three from the floor and three-for-four behind the arc, Kost definitely took the legs out of the Wild Cats for the night with 15 points.
Tyrone, led by Kost, snapped off an 8-2 run to start the fourth quarter, giving them a 10-point lead, 49-39, with just over three minutes to go in the game.
Kost wasn’t the only guy off the bench making the plays. Jason Haney received a ball in the post, pump-faked at least five times sending Central Mountain defenders into a confused whirl as he laid it in all alone for two.
As the game concluded, Tyrone’s only remaining shots were foul shots as they finished the game shooting 17-31 from the foul line. The foul shooting percentage wasn’t the best, but they managed to pull out a victory despite 14 possible points at the foul line missed.
“We really need to improve our foul shooting,” coach Mike Harris said. “That was our problem last year. Now we’re scoring the points, but our foul shooting is still not where it is supposed to be.”
Tyrone’s Byron Kost led Tyrone with 15 points and was the only Tyrone team member to reach double figures Thursday night. In leading the Eagles in scoring in both the junior varsity (22 points) and varsity games, Kost becomes the first Tyrone player to pull off this double against Indian Valley since 1982.
Central Mountain was led by Ryan Monoski’s performance as he had 15 points.
Editor’s note: This story was missed last week due to problems concerning the Daily Herald’s email and early press times. We apologize for the inconvenience.
