Brownsville tops AG for first win
YORK RUN – Pete Logan reminded his team recently that no school has ever won a WPIAL playoff game in December. So, after starting 0-3, Logan didn’t panic. He just held true to his earlier words.
That patience, at least for a game, paid off as Brownsville picked up its first victory of the season, defeating Albert Gallatin, 70-61, in non-section action Friday night.
“I told the kids to not get their heads down if we started the season 0-6,” Logan said. “I’ll put our Class AAA schedule up against anybody’s. We don’t have anybody on our schedule that you can just say we’re going to get past and pick up an easy win.
“We don’t have any wins on our schedule. We have to go out and earn everything we get.”
Which the Falcons did Friday. Using the inside-outside combination of guard Carson Thomas and center Paul Hlatky, the Falcons (1-3) closed the first half with a 17-6 run and never looked back.
Thomas finished with a game-high 26 points, including four three-pointers, five steals and four rebounds. The six-foot-five Hlatky added 21 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, and looked his sharpest at the start of the fourth quarter.
After Albert Gallatin used an 11-5 run to close to within 58-52 with eight minutes remaining, Hlatky opened the final quarter with two free throws, a lay in and a putback to push the Falcons’ lead back to 12.
Hlatky created matchup problems for the Colonials (0-4), with Albert Gallatin’s tallest player on the court three inches shorter.
“We didn’t really have anybody who could stop him,” Albert Gallatin coach Dan Andria said. “Hlatky hurt us inside tonight because of our lack of size.”
The Colonials got strong games from leading scorer Chris Moore, who had 15 points, Eddie Robinson (14) and Ryan Reed off the bench with 11.
Brownsville opened its season with losses to Connellsville and Laurel Highlands, both Quad-A schools, then suffered a five-point loss at Class AAA’s North Catholic. It was back and forth against the Colonials early on, and Brownsville trailed by five with 1:08 left in the opening quarter. A Corey Watkins three-pointer and a Joe Cardine putback tied the game, and Cardine answered a Craig Hriblan free throw with a 10-foot jumper to give the Falcons a 19-18 lead after one period.
Moore’s runner in the lane gave Albert Gallatin a 27-26 lead with 5:11 left in the half, but two Hlatky baskets around another Cardine jumper gave Brownsville the lead for good, and the Falcons to a 10-point lead into the half after reserves Adam Kezmarsky and Scott Fraley scored.
Trailing by 12 late in the third quarter, Albert Gallatin closed to within two points with a 14-4 run. The spurt was fueled by reserve Steve Kassimer and Reed, who both converted three-point plays and Robinson, who sank a pair of baskets.
The Falcons closed the quarter with a 4-0 run, then Hlatky scored the first six points of the final period.
“This was our first game where we put it all together,” Logan said. “Defensively, we had all of our guys getting after it. Our record had nothing to do with Xs and Os. It was all about heart and our kids responded.”
Brownsville faces another heavyweight in its next game, hosting Uniontown in its section opener Tuesday night, while Albert Gallatin opens section play at home against Peters Township.
“We’ve been playing well on and off, but with the exception of Chris Moore, we still lack consistency,” Andria said. “We need somebody right now to step up. We have to get this turned around pretty soon, or we might not be able to.”