Bethel Park and Thomas Jefferson collided Friday night in a highly-anticipated bout. The two teams came into the game with a bigger prize up for grabs than just a W when the final buzzer would sound. The winner would take sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the conference.

The Hawks entered the game with an 8-3 overall record while the Jaguars held a 6-4 record. The Hawks had come off a big 81-57 win against Connellsville on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and the Jags also came into Friday’s game on a high note beating Trinity by double digits.

It was the Hawks who carried the momentum through into the first half as they held a 36-34 lead into the break. Despite TJ’s stellar three-point shooting in the first half, Shawn Davis’s 13 points led all scorers.

In the second half, the Hawks came out of the locker room on fire with senior Ben Guffey and junior Michael Mathias leading the second half scoring explosion. The Hawks ended up besting the Tigers with a final score of 82-71 with Davis leading all scorers with 24 points.

The Hawks improved to 9-3 on the year with a squeaky 4-0 record in the section. The win streak for the Hawks extends to four as they look forward to facing rival Peters Township at the nest Tuesday, Jan. 17.