Egan leads Falcons charge over AG
CONNELLSVILLE – Connellsville picked up a needed win to stay in the playoff hunt in section 1-AAAA Tuesday night, beating the Albert Gallatin, 66-57. The Falcons (3-4, 8-6) had three players finish in double figures with Robbie Egan leading the scoring with 19 points. John Dilworth and Mason Leos each had 13 for the Falcons.
For the Colonials ( 1-6, 2-12), Aaron Cromwell put the team on his back and kept them close most of the night scoring a game-high 33 points, included four three-pointers. He was backed by Julian King with 11.
“We were very sluggish tonight in the first half. We were the same way in the Hempfield game,” Falcons coach Nick Bosnic said. “We made a lot of mistakes missing lay-ups, and turning the ball over. We’ve got to keep working to improve and make the shots we need to make. Robbie Egan had a good game for us tonight with his rebounding and defense. That’s what he has to give us. Any points he gets for us is a bonus. He gave us a big boost offensively tonight.”
The Falcons edged out to a 14-13 lead in the first period getting four points each from Dilworth and Egan. Cromwell countered with six points for the Colonials.
The second period saw the Colonials outscore the Falcons 14-10, with Cromwell scoring six more points. King backed him with six. The Colonials trailed 20-15 in the quarter before closing out the half with an 11-5 run to push out to a 27-24 lead at the half.
“We knew we had to try to keep Dilworth off the boards and try to slow him down offensively; he’s a tough match-up for us,” Colonials head coach Warare Gladman said. “Connellsville has a little more experience than we do and Nick made some adjustments at halftime that allowed his team start to take control. Cromwell played well, he’s my leader and he kept us in the game most of the night. We need to find a couple of more players to step up and become more of a factor.”
In the third quarter the Falcons opened with a 12-2 burst with Dilworth and Scott Hartz scoring six each as the Falcons took a 36-29 lead. The Falcons outscored the Colonials 13-9 the remainder of the quarter with AG’s Anthony Stevenson and Connellsville’s Nick Lonigro exchanging three’s as time ran out with the Falcons holding a 49-38 lead going into the fourth.
Cromwell started quickly for AG hitting three three-pointers to open the quarter cutting the Connellsville lead to 51-47. The Falcons regrouped with Leos scoring two breakaway baskets on feeds from Hartz giving the Falcons a 55-47 lead. Cromwell scored16 of the Colonials 19 points in the quarter, but the Falcons behind nine points from Egan in the quarter had enough to hold off the Colonials for the win.
“Coach Gladman is doing a great job with his team in his first year. They are playing much better,” Bosnic said. “We needed this win to keep us in the playoff hunt as we get ready for the second half of section play. We’re in a tough position. I think we need to win at least five of the next seven games to get into the playoffs.”