Dec 24, 2003 By Jim Downey 3 min read

CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – Neither team had a strong shooting performance Tuesday night and play was sluggish at times, but Geibel Catholic turned on the jets in the middle quarters to surge past visiting Jefferson-Morgan, 74-47, for a Section 2-A win. The Gators (6-3) head into the holiday break from section play atop the standings with a record of 4-0 and will play in the Charleroi Tournament this weekend. Jefferson-Morgan slips to 1-3 in the section and 1-6 overall with games in the Waynesburg Central Holiday Tournament.

Geibel seemed ready to run away early after mounting a 9-2 lead on two of Kellen Holmes game-high 26 points midway through the quarter, but the Rockets held together for a 9-6 run in the final four minutes to cut the gap to 15-11.

Geibel Catholic head coach Ken Misiak decided to turn up the pressure, allowing the Gators to steadily pull away through the second quarter.

“Coming off the Carmichaels game (a road victory), we went more aggressive into the press,” Misiak said.

Holmes led the 22-point surge with 14 points on slashing drives, pull-up jump shots and going 5-of-8 from the foul line. The first four minutes had the Gators outscoring the visitors, 13-4, with the tandem of Holmes and point guard Rob Ramsey leading the way. Holmes had eight and Ramsey added five of his 21 points for the game during the run.

Jimmy Basilone’s 3-pointer slowed the bleeding for a second, but the Gators kept coming, finishing the quarter on a 9-5 run.

“We were okay early in the game. Even down by 14 at halftime, I felt we were still in the game,” Jefferson-Morgan head coach Jim Romanus said. “They started fast-breaking and they steam-rolled on us.

“We try to press everybody. Even coming up (to Geibel), we felt we could compete with that style of ball. We had a lot of mental breakdowns. They rattled us a lot.”

Jefferson-Morgan’s shooting woes continued into the third quarter, and Geibel jumped on the chance 13-0 run in the third quarter after Basilone’s opening field goal. The lead bulged to 50-25 on Ramsey’s basket and the Gators kept rolling along, building a 66-33 third quarter lead that invoked the 30-point mercy rule in the fourth quarter.

Both coaches let the reserves finish the game with the rolling clock in the fourth quarter. The Rockets outscored the home team, 14-8, to close the game.

Despite the setback, Romanus sees his team moving in the right direction.

“The younger kids will get better and are getting better (as the season progresses),” Romanus said.

Basilone led the Rockets with 14 points. Matt Ferencak was also in double figures with 12. Jefferson-Morgan made 16 field goals, including four 3-pointers, and went 11-of-20 from the foul line.

Misiak blamed the sluggishness on the short day of school, breaking early for the Christmas holiday. The Gators had 30 field goals, including three 3-pointers, and went 11-of-22 from the foul line.

“It’s the holidays. They’re off school. Overall, they played a good game. They’re starting to play a lot better than at the beginning of the season,” Misiak said.

Only Holmes and Ramsey were in double figures with Holmes having a well-rounded performance with 13 rebounds and seven steals. Earl Gilbert led the floor game with six assists.

NOTES: The varsity game began with a moment of silence for long-time Geibel teacher and 1966 graduate Arlene Severin who passed away Sunday. … Leading 30-28 at halftime, the Gator junior varsity pulled away in grand style with a 34-6 second half for a 64-34 win. Mike Speelman led Geibel with 15 while Jerrod Moskola scored 12 for the Rockets.