BRADFORD, Pa. – District 9 had a solid day in the PIAA Class 2A boys’ first round Saturday with two of the three D9 teams moving on to the second round.
(Cover photo of Coudersport’s Owen Chambers. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
Here is a look at each game:
COUDERSPORT 80, UNITED 45
BRADFORD, Pa. – Owen Chambers exploded for a career-high 35 points, his first 30-point game of the season and second of his young career, to lead Coudersport to an 80-45 win over United at Bradford High School.
Chambers, only a sophomore, scored 18 first-half points including 11 in the second quarter helping the Falcons (25-0) turn a two-point game 15-13, at the end of eight minutes into a 20-point, 40-20, halftime lead.
Jared Green added 10 points in the second quarter and 21 for the game, while Zach Layag chipped in with 10 total tallies.
United (14-13), the fourth-place finisher in District 6, tried to make it a game in the third quarter cutting the Coudersport lead to 12, 57-45, after three quarters. But any hopes of a Lions comeback were squashed when they were held scoreless in the fourth quarter while the Falcons netted 23 points.
Luke Means paced United with 16 points while hitting four 3-pointers or two fewer than Chambers hit in the game.
Coudersport’s task gets much taller in the second round, as the Falcons face one-loss Greensburg Central Catholic, the fourth-place finisher in the WPIAL who entered the WPIAL postseason as the top seed before being upset in the semifinals by Our Lady of Sacred Heart.
COUDERSPORT 80, UNITED 45
Score by Quarters
United 13 7 25 0 – 45
Coudy 15 25 17 23 – 80
UNITED – 45
Collin Moore 2 4-4 8, Luke Means 6 0-0 16, Kyle Silk 1 3-4 5, Nate Fabrizio 3 0- 1 6, Devin Mack 2 0-0 4, Aiden Aingler 1 0-0 3, Alex Aingler 0 0-2 0, Joey Montunti 0 0-0 0, Matt Stephans 1 1-2 3. Totals 16 8-13 45.
COUDERSPORT – 80
Zach Layag 4 2-7 10, Aaron Wolfinger 2 2-2 6, Kullen Crosby 0 0-0 0, Owen Chambers 12 5-6 35, David Rigas 0 0-0 0, Derek Keglovits 1 2-2 4, Khalik Murray 0 0-0 0, Jared Green 9 2-5 21, David Burd 0 0-0 0, Dillon Keglovits 1 0-0 2, Kolby Vanwhy 1 0-0 2, Hunter Ricke 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 13-22 80.
Three-pointers: United 5 (Means 4, Aiden Aingler). Coudersport 7 (Chambers 6, Green).
BISHOP CANEVIN 74, BROCKWAY 38
CLARION, Pa. – All season long Bishop Canevin has been ranked in the top five in the state.
Saturday in the opening round of the PIAA Class 2A boys’ basketball playoffs the Crusaders showed why overcoming a sloppy start to roll past District 9 runner-up Brockway, 74-38, at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
The game was tied at 12 at the end of the first quarter and at 14 early in the second quarter, but Bishop Canevin (20-5), which was upset in the WPIAL playoffs finishing in third place, used an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to open up a 22-14 lead.
Then, after Brockway (16-11) cut the deficit back to four, 24-20, the Crusaders ended the half with an 11-4 run fueled by four points from Kellan Gustine and a pair of second-chance buckets, to open up an 11-point, 35-24 halftime lead.
Mitchell King then took over the game in the third quarter hitting three consecutive 3-pointers and scoring the first 13 points of the second half for Bishop Canevin fueling a half-starting 17-4 run that put the game away.
King finished with a game-high 27 points while adding six rebounds and was named the Hager Paving Player of the Game.
He talked about the performance.
Walter Bonds added 17 points with Gustine chipping in nine points and eight rebounds for Bishop Canevin.
Jarrett Esposito paced Brockway with 12 points and eight rebounds but was in foul trouble all night long picking up three in the first half before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Bishop Canevin faces District 10 champion Wilmington in the second round Wednesday at site and time to be determined.
BISHOP CANEVIN 74, BROCKWAY 48
Score by Quarters
Bishop Canevin 12 23 20 19 – 74
Brockway 12 12 8 6 – 38
BISHOP CANEVIN – 74
Walter Binds 7 3-7 17, Eugene Goodwine 2 2-2 6, Kellan Gustine 3 2-2 9, Mitchell King 11 2-2 27, Julian Bonds 3 0-0 6, Richie Bochiccio 3 1-1 7, Donavin Meriweather 0 0-0 0, Nathan Kirsch 1 0-0 2, Brian DeSchon 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 10-14 74.
BROCKWAY – 38
Zane Puhala 2 0-1 4, Hunter Miller 1 0-0 3, Jarrett Esposito 6 0-0 12, Carter Adams 3 0-0 7, Quade Lundberg 2 0-2 4, Jake Wineberg 0 1-2 1, Quenton Jackson 2 0-0 5, Hunter Antonuccio 0 0-0 0, Jake Gorham 0 0-0 0, Tim Brosky 0 2-2 2, Jesse Johnson 0 0-0 0, Noah Vokes 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-7 38.
Three-pointers: Bishop Canevin 4 (King 3, Gustine). Brockway 3 (Miller, Adams, Jackson).
RIDGWAY 54, NORTH PENN-MANSFIELD 50
MANSFIELD, Pa. – Neil MacDonald and Justin Kasmierski combined for 35 points, as Ridgway upset District 4 champion North Penn-Mansfield, 54-50, in what was a virtual home game for the Tigers at Mansfield University’s Decker Gymnasium.
In what turned out to be a close game throughout the second half, the Elkers (22-5), the third-place finisher in District 9, used a 6-0 run early in the second half to erase its only deficit of the game and then held on through a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter.
Ridgway had to survive having a shot blocked with under 20 seconds to play up by two and a foul that sent North Penn-Mansfield’s leading scorer Brock Burleigh to the free-throw line shooting a 1-and-1 with 13.7 seconds left.
But Burleigh missed the front end of the charity shot opportunity, and MacDonald hit two at the other end to seal the win.
MacDonald finished with 18 points with Kasmierski chipping in 17 and Andy Breier 10.
Kasmierski and Breier each scored six first-quarter points, as Ridgway got off to a quick start and led 16-9 after a quarter.
But the Tigers (21-6) fought back in the second quarter and closed the gap to one, 29-28, at halftime.
North Penn-Mansfield then took its only lead of the game, 30-29, early in the third quarter before Ridgway answered with a 6-0 run that put them up 35-30.
Ridgway led by two, 42-40, going to the fourth quarter, and the Tigers were within one, 44-43, with four minutes left and again, 48-47, with 1:11 to play.
Breier put the Elkers up 52-48, but Burleigh, who scored a game-high 21 points, answered on the other end to make it 52-50 before the Tigers got the big defensive stop that gave them a chance to tie the game.
Ridgway will take on District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley in the second round Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. Despite both teams being traditional “Western Region” teams they are both in the “Eastern” half of the PIAA bracket.
RIDGWAY 54, NORTH PENN-MANSFIELD 50
Score by Quarters
Ridgway 16 13 13 12 – 54
Mansfield 9 19 12 10 – 50
RIDGWAY – 54
Kyle Jordan 0 0-0 0, Aaron Hinton 0 0-0 0, Ben Ames 1 0-0 2, Josh Thorwart 1 0-0 2, Neil MacDonald 7 4-5 18, Daunte Allegretto 1 2-2 5, Andy Breier 5 0-2 10, Justin Kasmierski 8 1-1 17. Totals 23 7-10 54.
NORTH PENN-MANSFIELD – 50
Jayden Andrews 0 0-0 0, Derrick Merost 0 0-0 0, Brock Burleigh 9 3-8 21, Nick Casper 2 0-0 5, Brent Burleigh 1 0-1 2, Konnor Minikowski 5 4-8 15, Joel Whitteker 0 1-2 1, Shane Kelly 3 0-1 6. Totals 20 8-20 50.
Three-pointers: Ridgway 1 (Allegretto). North Penn-Mansfield 2 (Casper, Minikowski).
