Gators get stiff test in season opener
CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – Geibel Catholic coach Ken Misiak wanted a good challenge for his third-ranked Class A boys basketball team in its season opener. He got that, plus a strong dose of physicality, in the Gators’ 86-73 win over Class AA Seton LaSalle Tuesday night.
“For a first game, it was a good test against a young, but talented team,” Misiak said after racking up his 686th career coaching victory. “They are well-coached and they made us play at the top of our game.”
The Rebels led though much of the first half and led 39-36 before the Gators embarked on a 14-2 run to take a 50-41 lead on a Rob Ramsey three-pointer with 2:25 remaining in the third. The Gators led 54-46 after three and put it away with a 13-5 run to open the fourth.
“We got a little more aggressive on defense and they took some shots that didn’t fall for them, which got us moving,” Misiak said. “Mitch Erdely (who nailed a three-pointer ahead of Ramsey’s and finished with eight points) gave us a good lift during that run, especially on defense.”
Ramsey scored 27 points to give him 950 for his career. Junior Kellen Holmes also scored 27 and added 19 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Junior Mario Fragello scored 11.
“Holmes controlled the game for us with his drives to the basket and foul shooting,” Misiak said. “We got a little sloppy there after we got the lead, but I thought that we did pretty well at times on defense.”
It was the season opener for both teams, as the Rebels are just coming off a PIAA playoff football loss. That led to a lot of the physicality, which led to a lot of fouls and foul shots.
“Exactly right,” Seton LaSalle coach Bernie Antonio said. “We’ve got to get our legs back and this was a good game for that. Geibel Catholic runs well and that gave us some trouble. It showed in putting them on the line way too much.
“(Ramsey and Holmes) are exceptional athletes. We had to stop them and the only way we could do that tonight was to foul them. They played well and they deserved to win this game.”
The Rebels placed three players in double figures, led by junior Brandon Bogdanski’s 17. Junior Joe Rotunda added 12 and sophomore Bo Hoskins finished with 11. The Rebels start two other sophomores and have only three seniors on their roster.
The Gators opened the game without their shooting touch, but warmed up as the game progressed. They made only 26 of 46 free throw attempts, but Misiak isn’t worried about that yet.
“Hopefully, it will get better,” he said.
The next test for the Gators is the Eberly Classic Friday and Saturday nights at Penn State-Fayette, the Eberly Campus. The Gators take on Southmoreland in Friday’s 8 p.m. nightcap, after Brownsville plays Frazier in the first game.