Brownsville still chasing playoff berth
BROWNSVILLE – After going 0-for-2 Tuesday, Brownsville can only hope things turn out different Friday night. Needing a win over Yough and a Waynesburg Central loss at Belle Vernon, the Falcons came up empty on both counts.
Now, perhaps because fate deemed it, or just because that’s the way the schedule reads, Brownsville will need a win over its arch rivals to extend its season.
Simply put, a win at Waynesburg Friday puts the Falcons into the WPIAL playoffs. A loss, and, well, can it be any more obvious?
Brownsville’s 55-41 loss to Yough Tuesday night dropped the Falcons to 7-6 in Section 3-AAA, a game back of Waynesburg. The Raiders won on the road at Belle Vernon Tuesday, 64-58, to improve to 8-5
A Brownsville victory Friday would give both teams an 8-6 section mark, but since the Falcons won the first meeting between the two earlier this season, they would win a tiebreaker and secure the third playoff berth behind section champion Uniontown and second-place Yough.
“We knew we would have to win Friday at Waynesburg,” said Brownsville coach Pete Logan. “Had Waynesburg lost (at Belle Vernon) and we won tonight, we would have clinched a playoff berth. But now, it comes down to Friday.”
Brownsville will need to find its offense, which disappeared for long stretches against Yough, to have a chance Friday. The Falcons scored only one field goal in the game’s final 5:59, after going 5:21 without a point beginning with 1:51 left in the first half.
Part of the problem was an ineffective Carson Thomas, usually a threat from long-range as well as off the dribble. Thomas was held to three field goals – all three tough layups – and finished with only nine points.
“I’ve never seen a kid have tougher luck,” Logan said. “He was putting so much pressure on himself, and in a tight game, that just makes it harder. You miss a couple of shots and all of a sudden the ball seems likes it’s getting heavier.”
Despite Thomas’ off night, Brownsville still led 40-38 when Paul Hlatky hit a 12-footer with 5:59 remaining. The basket wound up being Hlatky’s team-high 14th point, but it also wound up being Brownsville’s last.
Yough closed the game with a 19-3 run, which included a 9-of-12 performance form the free throw line.
Six-foot-seven center Ben McCauley, led all scorers with 24 points, and pulled down a game-high 21 rebounds. McCauley scored 14 of his points in the second half, 10 in final quarter, and finished 8 of 11 from the free throw line.
“In the first half, he took a couple of 16-, 17-foot jumpers and we finally convinced him to take the ball to the basket in the second half,” said Yough coach Brian Znavor.
In a game that included 10 ties, Brownsville took a 14-9 lead after one quarter. Trailing 18-14 after a Mike Bogden layup, Yough rattled off 10 of the second quarter’s final 12 points to lead 24-20 at the break.
Down 26-20, Bogden drilled a three-pointer go cut Brownsville’s gap to three midway through the third period, then tied the game nearly two minutes later with another trey. Bogden finished with 12 points.
Hlatky, who also pulled down 16 rebounds, converted a nice pass from Thomas with five seconds left in the third quarter to give the Falcons a 34-32 lead.