B-A hoops squads advance to tourney finals

Blue Devils spring big upset; girls cruise to victory

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Kerry Naylor

Mason Yingling scored 28 points to lead B-A to an upset victory over Hollidaysburg.

The Bellwood-Antis Lady Blue Devils will be playing in the finals of the Eighth Annual Reliance Bank Holiday Tournament after dispatching Penn Cambria 80-58 Friday night in Tyrone. That much was expected.

What may have not been expected was the performance of the Bellwood-Antis boys basketball team.

The Blue Devils pulled off the upset of the tournament by knocking off 5A Hollidaysburg 48-46 in overtime to advance to the championship game.

Both teams will face a familiar opponent in their respective finals games, with each running back their season opener against host Tyrone. The Lady Devils topped the Lady Eagles 67-57 in a tightly-contested game in Bellwood on December 8. The Blue Devils were overmatched in Tyrone on December 7, falling 63-18, but after the Devils’ win over the Golden Tigers Friday that score can be thrown out the window.

Mason Yingling was a major factor in the shocker, nailing eight three-pointers as part of a 28-point explosion. Nathan Wolfe added 12 points inside.

The Devils, now 3-2, led 26-18 at halftime before the Tigers tied the game at 32-32 heading into the fourth quarter. It was 42-42 at the end of regulation.

Things weren’t quite as tight for the Lady Devils, who stormed past the Lady Panthers behind 31 points from Alli Campbell. Riley D’Angelo added 18, and Emilie Leidig scored 13.

B-A stormed to a 27-9 lead after the first quarter and led 43-25 by halftime.

The Lady Devils hit five three-pointers as they improved to 5-2.