Taite Beighley Striving to Reach to His Enormous Potential on the Basketball Court at Karns City

KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Taite Beighley was consumed by an indescribable feeling. 

It was almost like an outer-body experience for the Karns City sophomore guard. 

(Photo by Holly Mead)

Every shot he took went in. Every decision he made was the correct one. 

He couldn’t miss. He could do no wrong. 

Beighley was in the zone in the fourth quarter last week against Union. He scored 26 points in a frenetic fourth quarter — most coming in the final four minutes — helping the Gremlins overcome an 11-point deficit in a 61-57 victory Thursday night. 

“He didn’t even really start until there was like three minutes and 30 seconds left,” said Karns City boys basketball coach Zach Kepple. “That’s when he went off. It’s one of the craziest things you’ll even see in any sport. It was an unbelievable performance.”

To make the feat even more remarkable, Beighley was coming off one of his worst games of the season in a loss just two nights earlier when he scored just six points.

Beighley, though, was never shaken, even as he entered the fourth quarter against Union with 12 points and his team down by double digits.

Once the shots started falling — a 3-pointer in which he was fouled for a four-point play; another three and then another — it was like a cascade. There was nothing that was going to cool off the scorching-hot Beighley. 

“It was crazy. I was just feeling it,” Beighley said. “When I took a shot,  I knew I was gonna make it. I just wanted the ball in my hands. We took a timeout and I said, ‘Just get the ball in my hands.’ I was confident in everything I was doing.”

Beighley finished the night with a career-high 38 points. It was the most points scored in a game by a Gremlin since Ian McElroy poured in 40 against Northgate in December of 2016.

And, yes, it was even more points in a single game than his brother, Chase Beighley. Chase, who finished his career as the all-time scoring leader for Karns City with 1,697, topped out at 34 in a game.

The Beighley brothers, through, are radically different when it comes to style of play.

Chase was a natural scorer; Taite is a natural passer. Chase always played at breakneck speed; Taite is more deliberate and methodical. The results are the same, however — both can put the team on their backs.

“Chase Bailey was a great player, and I think Taite has the ability to be as good, if not better,” Kepple said. “They are completely different. Chase was a guy that was gonna go to the hole at 100 miles per hour. Taite’s a guy who changes up the speed. That’s why he can be so effective, because he can go from slow to fast, and he just he just gets around people. When he’s feeling a shot like he was in that fourth quarter, there’s not a whole lot you can do to slow him down.

“His potential is through the roof.”


Taite is well aware of that fact. 

Other coaches throughout the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference and District 9 have already taken notice of the younger Beighley. 

Redbank Valley coach Emmanuel Marshall said earlier this season that he thinks Taite will end up being the best of the two Beighleys when it’s all said and done. 

A-C Valley coach Anthony McGarvey echoed those sentiments a few weeks later.

Taite has been told the same from another source. 

“I’ve heard that from Chase, too,” he said, smiling.

Taite said it is sometimes difficult to balance that compliment with the pressure of living up to those high expectations.

“It puts a big chip on your shoulder,” Taite said. “I’m going to try and keep working hard. Chase and I always have the discussion about who is better, but it’s hard because we are so different.”

Chase also said it is almost impossible to compare the two.

“He can get everyone involved from tip to finish,” Chase said. “I affected the game more with scoring and trying to press the issue, but he’s very laid back. Whenever he can consistently score, he is going to be very good because he will always be a natural passer.”

And like every older brother, Chase wants to give his sibling a little nudge.

“He needs to put in more work, though,” Chase said.

Not a problem. Taite has already heeded that advice.

Taite said Chase was a big part of his development as a basketball player while growing up.

The brothers would often play one-on-one at the hoop set up in their driveway.

“Chase is a huge mentor for me,” Taite said. “He’s taught me everything.”

Taite is now trying to copy his brother’s work ethic.

“I want to work on finishing with my left hand,” Taite said. “I think I can go right very well and I can dribble with my left, I just need to finish around the basket better with my left hand.”

Kepple is looking forward to seeing just how much better Taite can get.

He is only a sophomore, after all, with just a dozen varsity starts under his belt.

“That game against Union was a big moment for Taite,” Kepple said. “After talking with him after the game, he said that it was the first time all season that he came on the court and knew the shots were going to go in. He said he hadn’t had that kind of confidence this year. Hopefully, he can build off that. Obviously, you don’t expect him to score 26 points in a quarter every game, but if he can take that intensity and confidence with him, he’s going to be really hard to stop.”