On Monday, March 9, we won the 3rd Region Championship by defeating the Muhlenberg North Stars 69-64. It will be only the 3rd time in our school's history that we will be the 3rd region's representative at Rupp Arena for the Sweet Sixteen.
The first quarter was an evenly played game but North took a 17-13 lead on a 5 point play at the end the quarter. North's Jordan McElwain hit a 3 and we were called for a foul on the rebound. The foul was our 7 team foul and resulted in two free throws for Joe Gabbard.
In the second quarter our defense was great and held North to just 5 points. With the score 22-17 with 3 minutes to play in the half we made 4 3's to close out the quarter on a 12-0 run and led at halftime by the score of 29-22. Travis Johnston scored 11 first half points and Wes Smith added 9.
The 3rd quarter saw us play North even and we led 47-40 going into the 4th quarter. Tyler Saltsman hit 2 big 3's in the 3rd and finished the quarter with 8 points.
During the 4th quarter the biggest play of the night came with us leading 55-52 with about 3 minutes to play. Tyler Saltsman missed a 3 pointer but Bennett Skaggs ran down the long rebound for us to retain possession. Wes Smith received the reverse pass and drained a 3 pointer right in front of the North student section. That shot allowed us to stop North's momentum and allowed us to regain our 2 possession lead. Wes's 3 was the last field goal we would need as we calmly stepped up to the line and nailed free throw after free throw. We tell our kids all the time that free throws and layups win games and it certainly won us the championship. During the 4th quarter we made 17-20 including 9-10 from Travis, 4-4 from Bennett, 2-2 from Wes and 2-2 from Aaron Deviney. For the game we made 22-26 free throws and 9 3 pointers in 19 attempts. North hit 15-24 free throws and 7 of 16 3's.
Chosen for the all tournament team were: Travis Johnston, Bennett Skaggs, Wes Smith and Aaron Deviney.
For the game Travis Johnston led us with 22 points and 8 assists while Tyler Saltsman had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler was chosen as Player of the Game.
Wes Smith and Bennett Skaggs again led us defensively and their leadership was incredible for us.
Scoring:
Travis Johnston-22
Wes Smith-17
Bennett Skaggs-12
Tyler Saltsman-11
Aaron Deviney-6
Lance Buckler-1
The first quarter was an evenly played game but North took a 17-13 lead on a 5 point play at the end the quarter. North's Jordan McElwain hit a 3 and we were called for a foul on the rebound. The foul was our 7 team foul and resulted in two free throws for Joe Gabbard.
In the second quarter our defense was great and held North to just 5 points. With the score 22-17 with 3 minutes to play in the half we made 4 3's to close out the quarter on a 12-0 run and led at halftime by the score of 29-22. Travis Johnston scored 11 first half points and Wes Smith added 9.
The 3rd quarter saw us play North even and we led 47-40 going into the 4th quarter. Tyler Saltsman hit 2 big 3's in the 3rd and finished the quarter with 8 points.
During the 4th quarter the biggest play of the night came with us leading 55-52 with about 3 minutes to play. Tyler Saltsman missed a 3 pointer but Bennett Skaggs ran down the long rebound for us to retain possession. Wes Smith received the reverse pass and drained a 3 pointer right in front of the North student section. That shot allowed us to stop North's momentum and allowed us to regain our 2 possession lead. Wes's 3 was the last field goal we would need as we calmly stepped up to the line and nailed free throw after free throw. We tell our kids all the time that free throws and layups win games and it certainly won us the championship. During the 4th quarter we made 17-20 including 9-10 from Travis, 4-4 from Bennett, 2-2 from Wes and 2-2 from Aaron Deviney. For the game we made 22-26 free throws and 9 3 pointers in 19 attempts. North hit 15-24 free throws and 7 of 16 3's.
Chosen for the all tournament team were: Travis Johnston, Bennett Skaggs, Wes Smith and Aaron Deviney.
For the game Travis Johnston led us with 22 points and 8 assists while Tyler Saltsman had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler was chosen as Player of the Game.
Wes Smith and Bennett Skaggs again led us defensively and their leadership was incredible for us.
Scoring:
Travis Johnston-22
Wes Smith-17
Bennett Skaggs-12
Tyler Saltsman-11
Aaron Deviney-6
Lance Buckler-1
