STAC BOYS BASKETBALL: OWEGO COLLECTS MUCH-NEEDED VICTORY (January 28, 2026)
Tioga County Sports Report
CONKLIN — Owego picked up an important victory, defeating Susquehanna Valley, 69-58, in a STAC boys basketball cross-divisional game here Wednesday.
“A much-needed win for the Academy,” said coach Chris Evans. “Nolan Card had a career game of 28 points (14 layups) and 12 rebounds. Carter Rieg (22 points), Duke Schneider (14 assists) and Cal Smith (defensive player of the game) were all outstanding. King Brainard was instant offense as well.
“Overall, it was a solid team win against a big squad that played in an odd half-court zone. Our kids did a great job of navigating it, often finding Card inside for layups.”
Tied at 14 after the first period, the River Hawks took a 34-30 lead behind a 20-point second quarter. Card put up eight points in Q2, giving him 14 at the half. Rieg had 11 and Brainard tacked on six, hitting one 3-pointer apiece in the process.
Alex Leudemann kept Sus Valley close throughout the first half with 14 points, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc.
Rieg and Brainard added one trey each in the third quarter, scoring seven and five points, respectively. Card contributed six more points in the paint and Owego would head into the final eight minutes of action hanging onto a 53-50 edge.
Meanwhile, the defense held Leudemann to five second-half points. Sam Miller and Carter Britch would keep the Sabers close in the third period, hitting for nine and eight points, respectively.
Card added another eight points in the fourth quarter, Rieg had four, and Atlas Boland and Snyder tacked on one bucket apiece, as the River Hawks doubled up SV, 16-8.
Joining Card and Rieg in the double digit category was Brainard with 11 points. Snyder finished with five points, Boland had two and Smith added a free throw.
Rieg and Brainard finished with two treys apiece, and Rieg went 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Snyder made three of his four foul shots.
Leudemann led Sus Valley with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Miller added 17 points and Britch had 14.
The win boosted the River Hawks’ overall record to 5-8. They will need to win two of their final four games to qualify for the postseason.
Three of those games are against state-ranked teams (Delhi, Norwich, Waverly) that have already qualified for the playoffs and have 10 or more victories.
The fourth is Chenango Valley, which needs one more win to qualify and has already beaten Owego. Those two meet again Saturday afternoon at CV.
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IN PHOTO: Nolan Card. … TCSR STOCK PHOTO.
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