TEAMWORK: Redbank Valley Uses Balance on Both Ends of the Floor to Run Away From Union

NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT/D9) — First it was Kieran Fricko.

Then Ty Carrier.

Then Braylon Wagner.

Just about everyone had a turn at making an impact for the Redbank Valley boys basketball team in a 64-46 win over Union on Thursday night.

That’s been the hallmark of the Bulldogs this season.

Balance and the willingness to sacrifice self for team.

Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.

“Our goal was to be selfless, not selfish,” said Redbank Valley coach Emmanuel Marshall. “They’re playing together and playing good basketball. Everybody wants to score, but we’re always looking for the open man.

“This is the best team that I’ve ever coached,” Marshall added. “When I say team, I mean they play team defense, they play team offense.”

That was working against Union.

Fricko scored eight points in the first quarter to get Redbank rolling. Carrier scored seven in the second to keep the Golden Knights at arm’s length and Wagner erupted for 10 in the third as the Bulldogs used a 16-4 run coming out of the half to put the game virtually out of reach.

In the fourth, seven players scored for Redbank.

“We’re executing right now,” Marshall said. “We’re hitting on all cylinders right now. It was a good game and we needed that test.”

Not everything was smooth sailing for the Bulldogs.

Despite leading 19-10 after one, Union roared back in the second, closing the gap to 30-25 and seizing momentum heading into the break.

It was an opportunity for the Golden Knights to come out and pick up where they left off in the second half.

Redbank Valley, though, had other ideas.

Wagner hit a pair of 3-pointers in the spurt as the lead ballooned to 46-29.

“That hurt,” said Union coach Eric Mortimer. “I was hoping it would be the other way around, that we’d come out with a run. It didn’t happen that way.”

That run by Redbank was also keyed by the defense, which turned Union away — and turned Union over.

“We tell them, ‘Get three or four stops in a row, come down and execute, and we can put games away,’” Marshall said.

Wagner finished with a game-high 17 points for the Bulldogs. Owen Clouse added 12, Fricko 11 and Carrier nine.

Hayden Smith paced Union with 10.

The Golden Knights were able to get the Redbank lead down to eight early in the fourth quarter, but another run cemented the win for the Bulldogs.

“We did a lot of good things,” Mortimer said. “We were able to fight back and get close a couple of times. But their runs — they happened real quick. But we fought back.”

Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.