Hairston’s 41 points helps Falcons to OT win over Peters Township
CONNELLSVILLE – A strong, workmanlike performance by visiting Peters Township unraveled in overtime Friday night, and Connellsville’s James Hairston rose to the occasion with 41 points against a frustrating defense to carry the Falcons to a 62-51 Section 2-AAAA victory. Already assured the section title, the Falcons improve to 11-0 with an overall record of 21-2. Missing an opportunity to clinch second place, the Indians drop to 7-4 in the section and 15-7 overall.
Hairston really shined in the final 12 minutes of the contest, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter and 10 more in overtime, including four clutch free throws at 2:45 of the overtime period.
With the score tied at 47, Hairston slipped into the lane and rose for a jump shot. Peter Township’s Mike Fritz went up with Hairston and forced a miss, but was whistled for a foul. The official who made the call was not pleased with Fritz’s actions after the call, leading to a quick technical and Fritz’s disqualification with five fouls.
Hairston calmly sank all four foul shots, then Shane Kovack added another log to the momentum fire by scoring on a driving layup for a 53-47 lead. The Indians would draw no closer in the final two minutes.
Peters Township head coach Victor Giannotta was upset by what he thought was a poor call.
“I feel bad the game had to end the way it did. The call was ludicrous. (The official) said (Fritz) tried to show him up,” Giannotta explained.
“The technical was a big part of the game. I know the feeling,” Connellsville head coach Nick Bosnic said.
The Indians, a 59-56 loser at home to Connellsville earlier this sason, stymied the Falcon attack for nearly the entire game with a mixture of defenses and a strong rebounding attack. Playing a box-and-one on Kevin Bell, the Connellsville offense was tentative and shots weren’t falling taking a 13-10 first quarter lead.
“The key was to stop everybody else, let Hairston get his points. (Bell) scored 18 points the first time we played,” Giannotta said of his strategy.
Connellsville is used to seeing box-and-one and triangle-and-two defenses, but the opposition usually employs the strategy to hold down Hairston.
“They spread you out and make you run your offense. Hairston is so used to getting boxed and triangle-and-two. We got the shots we wanted. They weren’t going in,” Bosnic said.
A run in the latter four minutes of the second quarter sent the Indians into the locker room with a 28-22 lead. Mark Smith spurred the 12-5 run with nine points.
Hairston opened the third quarter with a basket, but Peters Township responded in rousing fashion when Smith rose against the baseline defense for a dunk and a 30-24 lead. The Indians held a 36-29 advantage after three quarters.
Bosnic decided to open up the defense and the full-court pressure paid dividends. Kovack’s bucket at 3:41 tied the game at 40-all to set up a frantic finish.
Hairston gave the Falcons a 42-40 lead, but Smith answered. Smith then finished a 3-point play under the basket for the last of his 20 points and a 45-42 lead, but Hairston did the same for Connellsville with 16.9 seconds left after a nifty pass from Bell.
Smith drove the right baseline as time wound down. Craig Korpiel gathered in his miss, but the 5-10 guard had his shot swatted away by Hairston at the buzzer.
“(Connellsville) beat us. They have the best team in the section,” Giannotta said. “We played well. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t play in overtime.”
Bosnic was pleased with the way his Falcons responded after challenging them at halftime.
“We struggled through and came away with a win. They’re a good team. They have guys who do a lot of different things. We haven’t reached a peak yet. We try to get better at the little things every day.”