H.S. BOYS BASKETBALL: Blue Mountain doubles up Tamaqua for Division I win

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TAMAQUA — Tyeirre Meade and Sean Gaddy knocked down a trio of threes in the first quarter and Blue Mountain never looked back for a 60-30 Schuylkill League Division I road win on Friday.

The Eagles (5-5; 3-2) defense slowed down Tamaqua (1-9; 1-4) to just two points in the second quarter. Cohen Kirby and Meade then added 10 points for a 14-8 scoring run in the third quarter for a 50-20 lead.

“A lot of our offense came from our defense and it allowed some of our guards to get in the passing lane and let us create buckets in transition,” said Blue Mountain head coach Dustin Werdt.

Blue Mountain sophomore Cohen Kirby (10) shoots the ball as Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)

Tamaqua senior Brady McCabe (2) puts the ball up as Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)

Blue Mountain junior Beck Henninger (24) shoots the ball as Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)

Tamaqua freshman Chance Makovec (32) dribbles the ball as Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)

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Blue Mountain sophomore Cohen Kirby (10) shoots the ball as Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)

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SEE FULL PHOTO GALLERY: Blue Mountain boys basketball defeats Tamaqua

Blue Mountain’s defense forced 16 turnovers on Tamaqua and Kirby brought in 10 rebounds to lead the way on the boards and pull away by double figures in the first quarter.

“It’s just another thing we work on at practice every day is getting better and bringing in rebounds,” said Blue Mountain’s Cohen Werner. “We’ve been working for these wins.”

Meade led Blue Mountain’s offense with 18 points, Kirby added 11 points and Werner posted 10 points for the Eagles.

Meade came out on fire for the Eagles when he a rolled in a layup after a defensive blocked shot before adding his first three for the 6-3 lead midway through the first.

“All across the board I thought the defensive intensity was there and it created a lot for us offensively and Tyeirre (Meade) had some blocked shots and moved the ball quickly,” said Werdt.

Terrence McDowell hit an early three for Tamaqua’s 8-6 lead just seconds later before Meade buried another three to give Blue Mountain an 11-8 lead.

Kirby went underneath for a layup and free throw for the 16-8 lead before Gaddy closed the first quarter with a three for the 23-10 lead.

“He’s (Kirby) always there underneath the basket when we need it most and he’s a great player and teammate,” said Werner.

Blue Mountain went on a 13-2 scoring run in the second quarter led by Kirby’s six points for the 36-12 halftime lead.

The Eagles started the second half on an 8-0 scoring run after a Meade steal and full court layup for the 44-12 lead.

“We sped them up a little bit and they were uncomfortable on offense and the looks they were getting weren’t high quality looks,” said Werdt. “A lot of that stemmed from the ball pressure.”

Kirby and Meade led the Eagles 14-8 scoring run in the third quarter with 10 points as Meade knocked down six points for the 50-20 lead heading to the fourth.

Beck Henninger posted five points for Blue Mountain in the fourth quarter for the 60-30 win.

McDowell led Tamaqua’s offense with 16 points, hitting four three-pointers, while Brady McCabe and Chance Makovec each dropped five points. Meade had five rebounds for Blue Mountain while Tamaqua’s Ace Schickram and Donovan Broadway each had five rebounds.

Blue Mountain travels to Northampton Saturday at 1 p.m. and Tamaqua hosts Panther Valley Monday at 7 p.m.

BLUE MOUNTAIN (60) — Meade 8 0-0 18, Setlock 2 1-2 5, Kirby 4 3-3 11, Pritiskutch 0 0-0 0, Disante 0 1-2 1, Singh 0 0-0 0, Werner 5 0-0 10, Henninger 2 3-3 7, McDonough 0 0-0 0, Wargo 1 0-0 2, Schuster 0 0-0 0, Gaddy 2 1-2 6. 24 9-12 60.

TAMAQUA (30) — Clalk 0 0-0 0, McDowell 6 0-0 16, McCabe 1 3-4 5, Edmonds 1 0-0 2, Schickram 0 0-0 0, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Shannon 0 0-0 0, Frohnheiser 0 0-0 0, Wargo 0 0-0 0, Sydusky 0 0-0 0, Makovec 2 0-0 5, Tamagini 0 0-0 0, Broadway 1 0-0 2, Lare 0 0-0 0. 11 3-4 30.

BM 23 13 14 10 — 60Tam 10 2 8 10 — 30

3-FG: Meade 2, Gaddy, McDowell 3, Edmonds, Makovec

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