BROOKVILLE, Pa. – Second-seeded Kane built an 18-points halftime lead and then held on for dear life in the second half to beat third-seeded Moniteau, 53-42, in the District 9 Class 3A semifinals at Brookville High School.
(Photo of Kane’s Carson Whiteman, who had a career-high 24 points in the win over Moniteau Thursday. Photo by Andy Close of the Warren Times Observer)
Behind the strong first-quarter play of Carson Whiteman (seven points in the first quarter) and Zuke Smith (eight points in the first quarter) the Wolves (15-8) built a 20-5 lead after eight minutes and expanded the advantage to 32-14 by halftime.
Also see: Clarion, Ridgway Boys Move into D9 2A Semifinals
But thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers in the second half, Moniteau (12-11) closed to within three points with two minutes left in the game but couldn’t get over the hump.
“I’m incredibly proud of each young man on our team for the resolve they demonstrated in the face of adversity,” Kane head coach Caleb Landmesser said.
Landmesser singled out Whiteman as a key part of the victory, as the junior finished with a career-high 24 points, his fourth straight double-digit game while adding seven rebounds.
“He played the best game of his career,” Landmesser said. “Not only was Carson great statistically, he showed poise and maturity with his decision making on offense while consistently rotating correctly on defense.”
Whiteman played a key role in Kane holding on for the victory scoring 12 of his points in the fourth quarter when he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
Smith, who scored all eight of his points n the first quarter, added nine rebounds for the Wolves in the win, while Chad Greville scored seven points and handed out five assists. Matt DeLuca and Bryce Bizak each chipped in five rebounds in the win.
Ethan McDeavitt scored seven of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter for Moniteau and was responsible for two of the Warriors six second-half 3-pointers.
Gage Neal and Nate Tack also hit two triples apiece in the second half with Tack scoring 10 points, all after halftime, and Neal adding nine points. NEal also had eight rebounds, while McDeavitt dished out four assists.
Kane is back in the District 9 championship game for the first time since winning the Class 2A title in 2016. The Wolves will play defending champion Brookville, which is playing the 3A title game for the third straight season. The Raiders had a bye into the title game, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
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Full coverage of District 9 teams in the basketball postseason can be found here.
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