Riggleman leads Mapletown past Gators, 51-47
CONNELLSVILLE TWP. — Mapletown’s Dereck Riggleman tallied a game-high 27 points, including two late steals in which he converted to lay-ups, in a 51-47 victory over Geibel Catholic in the second game of a girl-boy basketball doubleheader Saturday night.
With a win against Avella on Tuesday, the Maples (6-10, 2-5) will clinch the final playoff berth out of Section 3-A for the second consecutive season.
“This is a big win for us on the road,” Riggleman said. “In the second half, we pressured the ball more and played better defensively. As a senior, I didn’t want to lose to Geibel. I was in the right place on those last two steals and was able to get free for the lay-ups.”
The Gators (2-14, 1-7) are not eliminated from the postseason, but will need to win out and get a lot of help.
This is the third time these two squads met this year, with Mapletown taking all three games by a combined 12 points.
Ben Boone was also in double figures for Mapletown with 14 points, while Geibel was led by James Ewing (15) and Matt Mammarella (10).
With the score tied 26-26 at halftime, the Maples started the third quarter on a 9-3 run and increased its lead to 41-29 at the end of three quarters.
“We played three solid quarters, but that third quarter killed us,” Geibel coach Bill Hughes said. “Our first five possessions of the third were all turnovers. It’s a frustrating loss, but I liked how my guys didn’t give up and kept battling in the fourth. I wish we could play that third quarter over again.”
Geibel took advantage of some Mapletown’s miscues in the fourth quarter and collected the first 13 points of the quarter. Two free throws by Brent Plisko gave the Gators a 42-41 lead.
Eric Atwood finally broke the scoring drought with three straight points for the Maples, but the Gators went on a 5-1 rally to jump up 47-45 with 1:09 left in the contest.
Riggleman started the comeback with a free throw, and then was able to corral a loose ball on the other end and steamrolled to a fast-break lay-up for a 48-47 advantage.
“We had a lot of confidence on offense,” Boone said. “For me once I hit a couple of shots, I feel a lot more confident about my game. When Dereck has this type of game, it opens up a lot for the other shooters like me.”
A free throw by Boone and another transition hoop by Riggleman ended the scoring in the game to give the Maples the huge section win.
“It was total team effort tonight,” Mapletown coach Craig Hoone said. “I thought our defense clamped down in the third quarter and we were able to get some hands in some passing lanes. We were aggressive, but discipline with our defense. Both teams had their runs, but we came up with the big plays late.”
The Lady Gators (6-11) scored the opening 10 points of their non-section affair and held a commanding 23-5 lead at the end of one quarter, before rolling to a 51-29 victory.
Karly Judy collected 22 points in the win, while Haley Hutchinson added 18.
“The future is really bright for this team,” Lady Gators coach Shawn Holup said. “We wanted to pressure and attack them from the start, and I thought we did that pretty well. We got a lot of girls in today, while Karly and Haley carried the offensive load for us. We are happy with the win and we are just gaining more experience every time out.”
Hannah Dingle led the Lady Maples (1-18) with 18 points.
“We only had six players dressed today and the numbers were against us from the get-go,” Lady Maples coach Mike Holloway said. “Besides the first quarter, I thought we played well today. These girls never quit and their basketball IQ is growing. We just need consistency and it always seems that we have one bad quarter that really costs us.”