Bosnic wants Connellsville to think championship
Connellsville’s boys basketball team has already had one of its best seasons ever. Falcons coach Nick Bosnic doesn’t want his squad to be satisfied yet, though. Connellsville meets Penn Hills in a WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal game tonight at Gateway High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
“It feels good to be here,” Bosnic said. “But we’re just one win from the championship game now. You can’t say I’m happy we got this far. You’ve got to give it all you’ve got.”
Bosnic is certainly doing all he can to help his Falcons.
“I keep watching tape of them (Penn Hills), and every time I shut the tape off, I think maybe I can catch something else, then I turn it back on again,” Bosnic said.
The winner between the third-seeded Falcons (24-2) and second-seeded Indians (22-4) will play the survivor of tonight’s other semifinal between top-seeded Upper St. Clair and fourth-seeded Hempfield in this weekend’s championship game at A.J. Palumbo Center.
Connellsville, the Section 2 champion, has yet to lose to a Quad-A team this season, falling only to Class AAA powers Uniontown and Hampton, both on the road.
The Falcons haven’t been on top of their game, offensively, in the playoffs, but their defense has been extremely tough.
Connellsville has played two close games in the postseason, pulling out both victories late. It beat Norwin in overtime, 46-41, in the first round, then defeated Mount Lebanon, 53-49, in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Falcons’ James Hairston, a 6-foot-3 junior forward who led all Quad-A scorers with a 26.0 average during the regular season, was held to 16 against Norwin before bouncing back with a 29-point effort against Mount Lebanon.
Bosnic is hoping his entire team’s shooting touch will return in time for tonight’s game.
“We need to make the shots we usually make on offense, and continue to play good defense,” Bosnic said. “That’s what it’s going to take to beat Penn Hills. For us to be successful, we’ve got to run our offense through and make them work hard on defense. This is going to be the most athletic team we’ve played all year. They’re big and they’re fast.”
As usual, Bosnic expects Hairston be the focal point of Penn Hills’ defense.
“He’s so used to getting all the attention from other defenses, but he’s relentless,” Bosnic said. “He keeps going no matter what they’re throwing at him.”
Joining Hairston, in the Falcons’ starting lineup will be 5-9 senior point guard Shane Kovack, 5-10 senior guard Chad Burton, 6-3 junior forward Kevin Bell and 6-0 senior center Justin Marsinko.
Unlike Connellsville, Penn Hills, the Section 4 champion, has picked up two relatively easy victories to reach the semifinals.
The Indians fell behind Indiana, 12-7, in the first period, but out-scored their first-round opponent, 40-12 in the second and third periods combined to win going away, 61-42. Akida McClain led the way for Penn Hills with 24 points, Byron Knight followed with 22, Ryne Liggins had 11 and Devon Knight chipped in with 10.
Coach Jim Rocco’s squad then blew out to a 26-9 in the first period against Chartiers Valley in their quarterfinal game and never looked back in rolling to an 84-49 victory. Byron Knight and Devon Knight scored 21 and 13 points, respectively.
Penn Hills has a rich basketball tradition and is likely a bit more inspired than usual this season, after missing the playoffs last year to snap a long run of postseason appearances. The Indians have won three WPIAL titles, in 1987, 1994 and 2000, while the Falcons have never won one.
That doesn’t concern Bosnic, however.
“I don’t think my kids know the difference,” Bosnic said. “Once the game starts, none of that stuff really matters. Our kids understand how good this team is and what kind of effort it’s going to take to beat them. Every team is good at this point.”
The WPIAL seemed to take into account Penn Hills’ reputation, though, when it named the site. The Indians only have to travel a short way to reach nearby Monroeville, where Gateway is located. The Falcons, despite being only one notch lower in the seedings, will have a much farther trip.
Both teams are riding seven-game winning streaks.