BASKETBALL
The Heritage Conference teams are scrambling to get in their games before next week’s conference semifinals, and it’s created some unique scenarios.
The Marion Center boys will host West Shamokin today as part of a boys/girls doubleheader. The second game features the key girls matchup between Penns Manor and Marion Center, with first place in the Heritage West on the line. We’ll have both games on Renda Digital TV, with the airtime for the boys game at 5:15.
Also tonight, the Homer-Center boys visit River Valley. Homer-Center and Marion Center are fighting it out for second place in the Heritage West, and after tonight’s action, it will be the Wildcats and the Stingers tomorrow morning at Homer-Center, airing at 10:45 on Renda Digital TV.
Then tomorrow night, the Marion Center boys will return home to play Penns Manor at 7 PM. The Comets, by the way, will make the long journey to Conemaugh Township for an 11 AM game tomorrow, so they and the Stingers will both be playing two games in one day.
Also on Renda Digital TV, the Marion Center girls will play West Shamokin tomorrow afternoon, airtime 2:15.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Indiana took on Latrobe in a Section game at Fifth Street Gym. Pat Dougherty has the recap.
Portage stays alive in the battle for the second spot from the Heritage East with a 60-41 win over Conemaugh Township. Kendall Bednarski led the Mustangs with 18 points and Mya Burda scored 11. Portage will host Cambria Heights tonight, with the winner advancing to the conference semifinals next Tuesday.
RIFLE
Indiana Rifle beat Penn Trafford, 794-53x to 785-31x. Top shooters for Indiana were Gavin Dicken and Chloe Williams with perfect 100-10x and Hunter Williams scored a 100-9x.
Indiana improves to 6-6 overall, 5-3 in section play.
SWIMMING
On their Senior Night, Homer-Center splits a meet with Punxsutawney, with the Wildcats boys winning 92-65 while the girls fell 101-43. Homer-Center honored seniors Morgan Nagy, Natalia “Tilly” Thomas, and Landon Shoup, three of the founding members of the program.
Double winners included Morgan Nagy in the 100 breaststroke and 200 freestyle, Blake Lucas in the 100 and 200 free, Brady Frazer in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM, Trevor Cameron in the 100 backstroke and 500 free, and Landon Shoup in the 50 free and 100 butterfly. Homer also won the boys 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, and 400 free relay.
From Homer-Center Swim:
Thursday, January 29, 2026
INDIANA, Pa. – On a frigid Thursday night at the John A. Pidgeon Natatorium on the campus of IUP, the Homer-Center Wildcats split their dual meet with the visiting Punxsutawney Chucks, as Homer’s boys powered to a 92–65 victory while the Wildcat girls fell 101–43. The meet also marked Senior Night for the Wildcats, as Homer-Center honored their seniors, Morgan Nagy, Landon Shoup, and Natalia “Tilly” Thomas, three founding members of the program. It was an honor to celebrate the swimmers who helped build the team from the start and have been its steady heartbeat ever since.
The boys set the tone early with a win in the 200 medley relay and never let up on the momentum, stacking points across all 11 events. Individually, Homer had a long list of first-place finishes, including Nagy in the girls’ 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, plus boys’ wins from Blake Lucas (200 free, 100 free), Brady Frazer (200 IM, 100 breast), Tevor Cameron (500 free, 100 back), and Landon Shoup (50 free, 100 fly). The Wildcats also picked up key relay victories, winning the boys’ 200 medley relay with Cameron, Frazer, Chase Shoup, and Nate Bilo, the girls’ 200 freestyle relay with Nagy, Thomas, Andrea Kravetsky, and Maria Frazer, the boys’ 200 freestyle relay with Carter Henry, C. Shoup, L. Shoup, and Lucas, and the boys’ 400 freestyle relay with Cameron, Lucas, L. Shoup, and Frazer.
And even on a night when the air outside felt like it could freeze the deck, Homer-Center still found plenty of warmth in the details that matter most in January: time drops. Several Wildcats delivered, including Blake Lucas (-1.47) in the 200 free, Andrea Kravetsky (-4.80) in the 200 IM, Nathaniel Bilo (-1.35) in the 50 free, Maria Frazer (-1.77) in the 100 back, and Chase Shoup (-1.21) in the 100 breast.
Homer-Center will send a strong group of District VI qualifiers to the championship meet on February 20–21 at Penn State University. Several Wildcats earned qualifying marks in key events, including Morgan Nagy (200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke), Blake Lucas (200 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Brady Frazer (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), Landon Shoup (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly), and Trevor Cameron (500 freestyle, 100 backstroke), with additional individual qualifiers Maria Frazer (50 freestyle) and Nathaniel Bilo (50 freestyle).
With another meet tucked into the season’s logbook, the Wildcats keep moving, out on the road to Marion Center on Wednesday, then back to familiar water on Saturday for the Annual Mark Hess Invitational at IUP.
The Mark Hess Invitational is the kind of meet that fills the natatorium with noise and nerves in the best way: lanes packed, times chased, and every race carrying that little extra edge; one more chance to sharpen details before championship season arrives.
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