Basketball Recap: State College Takes Loss Despite Strong Performances from Charlie Yartz and Reed Melvin

State College lost against Central Dauphin back in February of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The State College Little Lions took a 59-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Central Dauphin Rams. While losing is never fun, the Little Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while the Rams are ranked sixth).

Reed Melvin and Charlie Yartz certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Melvin posted 15 points in addition to seven assists and six boards, while Yartz went 8 of 15 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. The dominant performance gave Melvin a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Salazer, who had seven points and five assists.

Wayne Fletcher II was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 27 points and nine boards for Central Dauphin. That makes it three consecutive games in which Fletcher II has scored at least a third of Central Dauphin's points. Another player making a difference was Jelani Easter, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 12 points and five assists.

State College has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. As for Central Dauphin, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-1.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. State College will head out to take on Altoona at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Central Dauphin, they will venture away from home to face off against Wilson at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.