Carlisle snaps streak, powers past Cumberland Valley
Carlisle stepped on the gas in the second quarter for a win.
As Carlisle continued to pile on points in an eventual 60-33 win over Cumberland Valley, no one left their seat. Everyone that came to see the old-fashioned rivalry knows that anything can happen on any given night, and it’s never too late to come back.
As minutes ticked away in the final quarter, fans did begin to head towards the exits as Carlisle showed it was too late to comeback, and finished with a 60-33 win in a surprising domination between the two.
It’s the first win for Carlisle over Cumberland Valley since December 21, 2018, the first year of CV head coach David Vespignani at the helm.
The game started in Cumberland Valley’s favor, holding Carlisle guard Parker Smith to just two points, and leading 15-11 after the first frame. Late in the quarter, JJ Lebo hit back-to-back three-pointers for the Eagles, forcing Carlisle head coach Andre Anderson to call timeout with 1:39 remaining.
After the timeout, Carlisle limited CV to just one point on a Nolan Buzalka foul shot.
Then, things got rolling for the Herd. “Just go,” was Anderson’s message to the team in between the first and second quarter, according to Parker Smith. “It’s your last time playing here, just put it all on the court.”
Carlisle exploded for 15 points in the second quarter, but they held the Eagles to only five points, allowing for a 26-20 lead at halftime. Parker Smith took the advice from his head coach, and scoring ten in the second quarter, bringing his total to 12.
The gap was certainly manageable for Cumberland Valley, but that became the case less-and-less as time went on in the second half, as Carlisle limited CV to five points once again, and scored 18 of their own.
Smith added eight to his night, while Luke Fischer, Masyn McMeekin, Lucas Ream and Tyler Royal combined for ten. Carlisle allowed three points in the quarter from Nolan Buzalka, but that’s where his scoring night would finish, totaling just nine points.
It was key for the Herd to zero in on Buzalka, who scored 26 points in the first meeting between the two. “It was kind of a mentality thing,” said Parker Smith in shutting down Buzalka. “Yesterday in practice, we knew we already played this team once. We kind of knew everything, we just came out and had that dog mentality.”
Carlisle has been searching for a win like this one. They were key contenders late into the season last year, but lost in overtime to Cumberland Valley at home, a crushing loss that sparked struggles in the District 3 6A playoffs.
“It’s about goddamn time,” said Andre Anderson. “Print that.”
Anderson was ecstatic with his team on Tuesday night. They’ve had some tough practices, and some tough games. Chambersburg won 73-46 over the Herd last Friday. They’ve also lost to Hershey, Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley earlier in the year. Now, they take this win and head back home to host Central Dauphin on Friday night, looking to knock off two top programs in their division and District.
Another meeting with Chambersburg lies ahead.
The road is far from over Carlisle, but Tuesday night’s win is one that can turn a season around. We’ll see what happens next.
Cumberland Valley falls to 13-3, and the road gets no easier for them as well. Chambersburg is their only other loss of the season, and they visit Franklin County and the Trojans on Friday night.