Connellsville rallies past Mustangs
CONNELLSVILLE – Those watching this game perhaps went home with a little better understanding of why basketball is played in two halves. Laurel Highlands was in charge in the first half, then Connellsville came out and turned the momentum around in the second half – especially in the fourth quarter – and the result was a comeback 57-48 Section 2-AAAA win over the stubborn Mustangs.
Just as important as getting the victory was the loss Peters Township sustained to Trinity, for with this combination of Connellsville winning and the Indians losing, the Falcons are assured of no worse than a tie for the Section 2-AAAA lead.
If the Falcons win Tuesday at Albert Gallatin, they will clinch the title outright.
Connellsville now stands 19-2 overall, 9-0 in section play, while Peters Township is 6-3 in section games with both having three remaining.
Through the first half, it was anything but Connellsville’s game. Laurel Highlands scored first on Ken Riddell’s rebound goal, and after James Hairston got the Falcons a 2-2 tie, J.T. Stefanik put Laurel Highlands back on top, where it stayed until 6:34 of the second quarter when Justin Marsinko laid in a pass from Shane Kovack for a 16-15 lead.
The basket marked the only time the Falcons led in the first half.
Riddell’s free throw and layin put the Mustangs back on top, where they stayed until the final minute of the third period. Laurel Highlands led by as many as six points (22-16, 24-18), and had a 29-24 lead at intermission.
With the start of the second half, Connellsville charged to within 31-30 on Kevin Bell’s layup and Hairston’s two frees, but the Mustangs went back ahead by five (35-30) with Brian John’s rebound goal and Corey Nesser’s layup.
But now the momentum began to swing the other way, and from that point on, Connellsville outscored the Mustangs 24-9 to open their biggest lead of the night, 54-44. The last Laurel Highlands lead was 37-34 late in the third, then Kovack shot a tying three-pointer at 2:07.
Bell hit another trey at 1:07, giving the Falcons the lead for good, 40-37.
Paul Briczinski hit for Laurel Highlands, and Hairston added a three to close the period, with Connellsville leading 43-39.
Connellsville coach Nick Bosnic said, “We (coaches) told them at halftime that if we didn’t pick it up in the second half we would not win. Maybe it wasn’t so much what we said to them that turned us around as it was their finally starting to do what they know how to do, play Connellsville basketball.
“They (LH) outhustled us in the first half. They are a strong team, good inside, and in the first half they took the boards away from us. Then we got those threes at the end of the third and went ahead. When you are against a zone, you have to shoot over it.”
For a while in the fourth, the Falcons held the ball out front, trying to make the Mustangs force the action, with Bosnic noting “We wanted to make them come to us, then we would start moving.”
Laurel Highlands coach Mark John noted, “We had a real good first half, I thought we gave a good effort against a good team. But this is why you play two halves of basketball. You have to put together two good halves. The turning point of the game came when they started to hit those long threes near the end of the third.
“We didn’t have a problem with them holding the ball. We had hoped to hold them down to four minutes, then go after them. We did get some time and we got some points, but they had a big lead.”
Hairston led Connellsville and game scoring with 27 points, including a brace of threes, although sitting out part of the first half with three fouls.
Bell added 16 points.
John and Stefanik led the Mustangs with 13 each, while Riddle had 10.
Connellsville returns to action Tuesday with its possible section-title clinching game at Albert Gallatin, while Laurel Highlands travels to Ringgold to take on the Rams.