Wildcats run past Falcons in Section 1-AAAA contest
CONNELLSVILLE – got off to a great start against visiting Greater Latrobe Tuesday night in a Section 1-AAAA contest, but the Wildcats picked up the tempo in the second quarter and ran past the Falcons for a 69-51 win. The Wildcats (7-2, 13-5) switched their defense in the second quarter, pressuring the Falcons man-to-man the length of the court, which resulted in a 14-0 run to take the Falcons out of their comfort zone.
The Falcons (3-6, 8-9) took a 15-10 lead in the first quarter with Johnny Dilworth scoring seven of his 12 points on the night to pace the Falcons.
“They kids are giving me a great effort and I thought we defended Latrobe very well in the first half,” Falcons coach Nick Bosnic said. “Latrobe did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game. They wanted this one badly. They were beating us on the boards and forcing us into some turnovers, plus their shots started falling in the second half. They did a heck of a job.”
In that second period Connellsville extended its lead to 17-10 when Nick Lonigro hit two free throws.
From that point Latrobe went on a tear, scoring 14 straight. Brad Burkhardt who scored 15 had eight during the stretch, which included two three-pointers during the run, allowing the Wildcats to take s 24-17 lead.
The Wildcats used their pressure defense to hold the Falcons to eight points in the quarter while they put up 20 to take a 30-23 halftime lead.
“Connellsville can play almost any style, but I think our man defense helped to get us up and down the court at a pace that was comfortable for us,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “Every game is going to ebb and flow. I think were able to put a string of baskets a couple of times during the game tonight which helped us get the win.”
In the third period Latrobe started to find the range behind the arc, drilling four treys during the quarter while outscoring the Falcons 20-14. Latrobe got two threes from Jeff Yunetz who scored a game-high 20 points on the night. They also got threes from Andrew Fisher who reached double figures with 10 and Cory Fenton who finished with 13 on the night, as the Wildcats took a 59-37 lead after three quarters. Robbie Egan who lead the Falcons with 15, even in the quarter.
“Latrobe and the last couple of teams have been able to make us play at a faster pace which forces us into turnovers and some missed shots because we’re a little out of control,” Bosnic said. “At that pace we have trouble with the fundamentals of the game. But the kids keep working hard and hopefully it will all come together.”
Latrobe opened the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run to assume a 62-37 lead. That burst put the game out of reach for the Falcons as the Wildcats outscored the Falcons 19-14 in the quarter secure the win.