By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

Hollidaysburg graduated all five starters from last season’s team that made it to the District 6 Class 5A championship team, so a returning player like junior forward Kasen Metzger knew that he would have to step up and take an expanded role with the Golden Tigers this season.

So far this season, the 6-foot-3 Metzger has accepted that challenge admirably for the now 3-0 Tigers, and he did so again Monday night, scoring a game-high 27 points, to lead Hollidaysburg to a 65-56 victory over Altoona in the second game of a girls-boys doubleheader between the two archrival schools at the Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse.

Metzger scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, which Hollidaysburg carried, 25-16, to break a 40-40 tie after three quarters.

Another key returning player on this year’s Hollidaysburg team, senior guard Brady Steiner, chipped in 18 points, including seven in the tell-tale fourth quarter for the Golden Tigers.

“Kasen can score from inside and outside, and he’s strong — he’s worked on developing his body in the past year,” Hollidaysburg coach Brad Lear said of Metzger. “He also has very good, quick feet. He’s a complete player.”

Metzger was that again Monday, hitting shots from down in the paint and outside beyond the arc, for Hollidaysburg, which pulled away late in the game.

“I knew that I was one of the players who was going to have to take a role in leading the team this year, and keep everybody on the same page,” Metzger said. “Tonight was a cross-town rivalry game, and we controlled the ball, played at our pace, and played as a team.”

The game went back and forth after Hollidaysburg hit five 3-point shots in the first quarter en route to a 21-13 lead after one period.

Altoona battled back and held a 45-44 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 3-point shot from the left corner by junior Chris Wagner, who led the Mountain Lions with 12 points.

After Metzger scored off an inbounds feed to put Hollidaysburg back in front, 46-45, Steiner hit two free throws to give the Tigers a 48-45 lead. Junior Roan Greaser’s driving layup pulled Altoona to within 48-47, but Hollidaysburg reeled off the next four points to take back the momentum and the upper hand, 52-47, with just over three minutes left to play.

Hollidaysburg guard Jayden Wolfe made the first of two free throws but missed the second one, and Metzger grabbed a key rebound and got the ball out to Steiner beyond the arc. Steiner drained a big 3-pointer to give Hollidaysburg the five-point advantage. Hollidaysburg was never headed after that, as Metzger scored a field goal and converted six of seven free throws down the stretch for the Tigers.

“I thought that Brady hitting that big 3 swung the momentum towards us,” said Lear, whose team converted nine 3-pointers and 18 of 25 from the free throw line, including a blistering 16 of 19 in the fourth quarter.

“We shot the ball exceptionally well from the free throw line, especially late in the game,” added Lear, whose Tigers host Bald Eagle Area Wednesday night.

Indeed, free-throw shooting was pivotal in the outcome. Altoona scored three more 3-point field goals (22-19) than Hollidaysburg, but the Mountain Lions (0-3) converted just eight of 17 foul shots.

“It was a great game, and a great atmosphere,” said Altoona coach Doug Pfeffer, noting the large crowd on hand for both the girls and boys games. “It was a great idea to put the girls and boys games back-to-back.

“Our team had some opportunities and some good looks in this game, but we’re struggling to shoot the basketball right now, and they just made more plays than we did,” Pfeffer added. “Their 3-point shooting and foul shooting were the difference tonight.”

Junior Josh Lowery scored 10 points for the Mountain Lions, who battled Hollidaysburg neck-and-neck until midway through the fourth quarter. Altoona carried the second quarter, 12-6, to narrow the Tigers’ lead to 27-25 at halftime, and the Mountain Lions enjoyed a 15-13 advantage in the third quarter to create the 40-40 tie.

Metzger and Steiner had both drawn early two fouls and both sat out a good chunk of the second quarter as Altoona got its second wind. In the end, though, both Tigers’ standouts came back strong in the second half.

“We know that Hollidaysburg’s offense runs through Metzger and Steiner, and we were hoping to limit their points, but obviously, that wasn’t the case tonight,” said Pfeffer, whose team visits State College Wednesday night. “They both hit key shots at key moments.”

HOLLIDAYSBURG (65): Metzger 9 6-7 27, Wolfe 2 1-2 6, Steiner 5 4-4 18, Delerme 2 1-4 6, J. Albarano 0 6-8 6, Bell 1 0-0 2, V. Albarano 0 0-0 0, Stultz 0 0-0 0. Totals – 19 18-25 65.

ALTOONA (56): Dunkle 3 2-6 9, Greaser 2 0-1 4, Simendinger 1 0-0 2, Lowery 4 1-2 10, Barr-Baughman 0 0-0 0, Harrington 1 2-2 5, Wagner 4 3-4 12, E. Hicks 2 0-0 4, White 4 0-2 8, Pezzi 1 0-0 2, Herr 0 0-2 0. Totals – 22 8-17 56.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Hollidaysburg 21 6 13 25–65

Altoona 13 12 15 16–56

3-point goals: Hollidaysburg 9 (Steiner 4, Metzger 3, Wolfe, Delerme); Altoona 4 (Dunkle, Wagner, Harrington, Lowery).

Records: Hollidaysburg (3-0); Altoona (0-3).

Officials: Mike Andrews, Rich Gergely, Shawn Albright.