The Beaver Area Boys Basketball team is now breathing rarified air. The Bobcats have now tied the program record for wins in a season with 20. However, this success has not come without some recent bumps in the road.

February 19, after having a first-round bye in WPIAL playoffs, the Bobcats hosted Central Valley for the second time this year and the third matchup between the two teams this year.

After a hot start in the first quarter for the Bobcats, the Warriors came back and held a 2 point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. But led by a clutch 26 points from Brady Mayo, the Bobcats pulled out a 58-50 victory.

February 22, the Bobcats took a bad 71-42 defeat from North Catholic at North Allegheny High School in the WPIAL semifinals. North Catholic was led by 30 point performance from junior guard Jason Fredricks.

February 27, the Bobcats took another tough loss at home to section rival Avonworth, whom the Bobcats defeated on Avonworth’s home court to earn a split of the section title with the Antelopes. The final score was 83-57, but the Bobcats were missing a key starter in junior guard Junior Marino.

After over a week off, the Bobcats made the long drive to Holidaysburg High School for their PIAA first round playoff matchup against Central High School, the district 6 champions, March 7.

The game was back-and-forth early on but the Bobcats managede to hold a 13 point lead at halftime.

The Dragons went on multiple runs throughout the second half, cutting the lead to as little as 4. But the Bobcats withstood the Dragons’ push and pulled out a 65-49 victory. This win tied the school record for wins in a single season.

The win over Central has put the Bobcats in position for a rematch against North Catholic March 11 at North Allegheny High School at 8 p.m. Check the next ECHO for game coverage.