Clarks Summit University’s mid-season turnaround in men’s basketball includes an 84-66 victory at Keystone College when the local rivals met in a Colonial States Athletic Conference game Jan. 25.
The Defenders are 4-2 since starting the season 1-11.
Ashton West scored 22 points in the win while Abington Heights graduate Hunter Plantz added a pair of momentum-boosting dunks while posting a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Latief Mustafa added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kelvin Chest hit four second-half 3-pointers to add 12 points.
Javen Flowers-Smith scored 22 points and made four steals to lead Keystone. Daviel Jackson added 21 points and 15 rebounds.
The Defenders forced the Giants into 26 turnovers.
Clarks Summit followed up the win over Keystone by beating Bryn Athyn, 81-76, to even its CSAC record at 4-4 heading into February
Keystone (8-11 overall) is also 4-4 in the CSAC, but headed in the opposite direction.
After winning four straight conference games, the Giants lost their last three of January.
WOMEN’S
Clarks Summit ended January on a three-game winning streak and had four wins in its last five games, starting with an 88-62 victory over visiting Keystone Jan. 14.
Alison Aten drilled nine 3-pointers, including seven in the first half, to finish with 33 points.
Elizabeth Singleton added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Kaitlyn Slaboda came off the bench to lead Keystone with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Clarks Summit led 25-10 at halftime and used a 17-8 third quarter to build the lead to 68-42.
Singleton passed 2,000 points for her career with a third-quarter 3-pointer Jan. 26 while scoring 16 points in a 67-49 victory over Cedar Crest. At that point, she was fifth in the country in scoring by National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III players at 22.8 per game.
Ashlyn Messinger from Clarks Summit is the latest CSAC Offensive Player of the Week after providing 36 points and nine rebounds to a pair of wins in the team’s last two games of January.
The Defenders are 8-3 in the CSAC and 10-7 overall.
Keystone is 6-6 in the conference and 7-12 overall.
