Sutton scores 1,000th in Towanda win

For much of the first half the Wyalusing Rams seemed determined to make Sutton wait another day to reach the milestone.

The Rams held Sutton scoreless in the first quarter and took an early lead on the Black Knights, before Towanda closed the opening quarter with a 17-16 lead.

In the end the night belonged to Sutton and Towanda as the junior hit two free throws early in the second quarter and with 6:49 left in the half she hit a jumper giving her 1,000 points for her career and helping to lead Towanda to a 69-59 victory.

"I'm really excited," Sutton said. "But, I couldn't have done any of this without my team. They made all of this possible.

"It's really exciting, I'm glad I could do this."

Sutton finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds, to go with two blocks, two steals and two assists.

Alison Wickwire led the Black Knights with 26 points, 19 rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and an assist.

For Sutton the slow start was in part because of nerves and also because of a strong Rams defense.

"I knew a little about how close I was, and I kind of got a little bit of nerves," Sutton said. "Eventually I was able to shake them off. I wasn't really worried about it. I didn't really think about it, this is just a good team."

And after getting her 1,000th point Sutton hit the deck a few times in the game, like many of the players in this matchup as both teams played a physical game.

"It was a tough game, they are very physical," Sutton said. "They are a tough team, they are very good. It feels good to have this win, now we have to come out next game and play well."

Towanda took control of the game in the second quarter, holding the Rams to just two points, but Wyalusing fought back and kept within striking distance in the fourth quarter, scoring 22 points in the final eight minutes.

The Rams are 5-5 on the year, but all five losses have been by 10 points or less and their last three losses have been by a combined 22 points.

Mariah Monahan had 12 points for Towanda and added eight assists and three steals and Darien Lantz finished with eight points, while Cassie Benjamin had six points.

Lantz had five steals and two assists and Benjamin had five assists and three steals.

Gabby Edsell led Wyalusing with 17 points and Erica Crawford and Erin Goodwin had 11 points each.

Alexis Daly had nine points and Lindsay Schulze had six points, while Elesha Schulze added five points.

Towanda won the junior varsity game 27-20. Chelsey Davis led Towanda with 10 and JoAnna McGee and Arielle Kneller had seven each for the Rams.