By Kenny Varner

MIFFLINTOWN – Lets play two. Friday night, the Juniata boys and girls both hosted cross county rival East Juniata in basketball action.

The boys started off in the opening game as the Tigers were looking to pull the upset on the Indians.

Juniata came into the contest sporting an 11-9 record while the Tigers rallied a record of 5-16.

It also met the match up between Tri-Valley League top scorer Wyatt Smith, who is averaging 23.83 points per game and Jasper Shepps, who is third in the TVL in scoring with a 17.25 average.

Both put on a great showing but in the end it would be Juniata that would pull it out in the second half that took home the 66-43 rivalry win.

Shepps finished with a game-high 24 while Smith finished with 18.

“I thought we played well as a team. When you get a rivalry game like this, no one can say this isn’t a rivalry game because it is a rivalry,” said Juniata coach Al Ream. “The kids know each other and everything else. So it’s a good win for us. They (East Juniata) has some good players. Wrett Smith is a heck of a player. They came and played hard. We got it going in the second half. The kids played well together.”

Going for the season sweep, the Indians got off to a strong start.

Shepps led the way for the Indians as he got a lot of help from his teammates.

Both teams battled back and forth throughout the first half, exchanging leads a few times. But the Indians would go into the second half with a slim 27-21 advantage.

Opening the second half, Smith got the Tigers on the board with a tough shot in the lane.

Juniata retaliated with a bucket by Isaac Carlson who put it up from underneath.

The Tigers would close the gap to 34-29 before the Indians offense started to sizzle.

Later in the third, with the score 36-29, the Indians started to heat up offensively going on a 7-0 run. Shepps tallied all six points as he took on to the hoop to start. He followed with an old fashion three-point play, getting fouled on a made shot and then hit the free throw. He ended the run hitting 2-of-2 from the charity stripe, upping the lead to 41-29.

With just 45 ticks left in the third, East Juniata scored to end the run. Silas Strickhouser hit a jumper in the lane to make it a 41-31 Juniata advantage.

But the Indians had the last say of the quarter as Caden Swailes, who finished with 11, roped a buzzer beating triple.

When the two teams went into the final stanza, Juniata held a 44-31 advantage.

Coming into the fourth, Juniata added to its lead on another bucket in the lane by Carlson.

Damien Vance heated up posting three triples in the period to help distance the Indians by posting some insurance points.

However, despite being down by double digits, East Juniata scored some late points.

But the Indians finished the night going on a game clinching 8-0 run to take the 66-43 contest.

Juniata  66, East Juniata 43

EJ  11 10 10 12 –  43

JU  16 11 17 22 – 66

Scoring: EJ – Wyatt Smith 9 1-2 18, , Jordan May 2 0-2 4, Bryant Carraasquillo  2 0-0 4, Sam Kopacki 3 2-2 9, Silas Strickhouse 1 2-2 4, Chase Hoffman 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 5-8 43. JU –  Jasper Shepps 9 3-3 24 , Ricky Guante 3 3-3 9, Caden Swailes 4 1-2 11, Jadon Nealman 1 0-0 3,  Brian Kuhns1 0-0 2. Totals 15 5-7 66.

Played but didn’t score: EJ – Nathan Carolus 0 0-0 0. JU –  None.

Three-point shots: EJ – Smith 2, Kopacki , . JU –  Shepps 3, Nealman  Vance 3.