King Coal Lions Club Christmas Tournament
Mikes breeze past Bearcats CARMICHAELS – Neither game was close in the final day of the King Coal Lions Club Christmas Tournament at Carmichaels High School Tuesday night with Beth-Center cruising past Mapletown in the consolation game, 73-44, and Carmichaels quietly pulling away from Bentworth, 63-36, in the title game.
Jeff Lapkowicz nailed three 3-pointers to score a team-high 16 points for Carmichaels.
Brother Jared hit a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 14 points, while Tyrone Pinson hit an array of shots to score 12.
Bobby Virgili also scored in double figures with 11.
The Mikes (7-4) wasted no time setting the tone in the championship contest, outscoring the Bearcats (6-5) in the first quarter, 20-11. The game was tied at 2-2, and Dock Harris’ put-back closed the gap to 11-6 only to have Carmichaels finish on a 9-5 run in the final three minutes.
Bentworth managed to match baskets with the tournament host in the second quarter, keeping within striking distance at the halftime break, 35-24.
Carmichaels finally put the game away in the third quarter, holding the Bearcats scoreless for over five minutes until Ryan O’Donnell’s field goal with 2:50 left in the quarter. While the defense was tossing zeroes, the offense found the range for a 9-0 run to start the second half behind the shooting touch of the Lapkowicz brothers and Virgili.
Jeff Lapkowicz hit a 3-pointer to start the run, Virgili made a jump shot and Jared Lapkowicz soon followed with another 3-pointer. Bentworth’s Matt Lammay’s put-back before the buzzer closed the gap to 49-30 with Carmichaels systematically grabbing control of the game with a steady offense and a tough man-to-man defense.
“I guess we made a run methodically. There was no big run,” said Carmichaels head coach Don Williams. “We put a lot of pressure on them defensively with our man-to-man. We worked the ball well offensively.
“We knocked down our shots and made them miss shots. It had a lot to do with our pressure.”
Frustration on the offensive end mounted for the Bearcats in the final eight minutes with Bentworth unable to score anymore than it did in the third quarter, matching the output of six points for a 12-point second half.
Carmichaels kept pulling away with its reserves, outscoring the visitors 14-6 in the final quarter.
Ryan O’Donnell was the only consistent scorer for the Bearcats, finishing as the only player in double digits with 16 points.
The consolation game set the tone for the evening with Beth-Center pulling out to a 24-12 first quarter lead and never looking back.
As with the second game, Zach Cumberland’s 3-pointer made it 8-7 in favor of Beth-Center only to have the Bulldogs finish the final four minutes on a 16-5 run for control of the game. Reggie Davis was the go-to man for Beth-Center (6-7) with a pair of 3-pointers and three field goals for 12 points.
Garrett Balas picked up in the second quarter where Davis left off, scoring 14 of the Bulldogs’ 17 points on a trio of 3-pointers, two field goals and a free throw. Brad Hartley kept the Maples in the hunt by scoring 10 of Mapletown’s 12 second-quarter points.
“We had been struggling on defense. Teams were hurting us down low,” explained Beth-Center head coach Barry Niemiec. “It starts with pressure by our guards. We made (Mapletown) get away from their inside game.”
As for the offense that featured six 3-pointers in the first half and another in the final two quarters, Niemiec said, “The 3-point shots are by design. Garrett Balas played with an effort tonight. We showed a lot more patience on offense in the past two games.
“We had a patient offense, and got open shots and looks. We play in a rugged section (Section 5-AA). There’s a lot of man defense.
“We have to play patient. The shots will be there.”
The offense kept rolling in the second half for the Bulldogs. Beth-Center outscored the Maples (0-11) in the final 16 minutes, 32-20, to clinch the win.
Balas scored a game-high 27 points while Davis wasn’t far behind with 24.
The loss was another in a cycle that the Maples just can’t seem to shake.
“Our confidence is way down,” explained Mapletown head coach Fred Morecraft. “We have to figure out a way to get confidence and intensity back where we want. We get down on ourselves, hang our heads a bit. It’s a real young team. We stress fundamentals.”
Hartley was a bright spot for the Maples with a team-high 18 points. Cumberland added 13.
“Hartley always plays hard. He looks to score and he’s real good on his feet,” said Morecraft. “We need to put it together as a team.
“We need an entire team effort one night.”