Host Falcons win tip-off tournament
HILLER — For the third straight season, the Brownsville boys basketball claimed their season-opening FalconFest Tip-Off Tournament championship with a 67-55 victory over Elizabeth Forward Saturday night.
Brownsville’s Shandon Marshall registered 30 points in the win to claim the MVP honors for the tournament. On Friday, Marshall scored 35 points in a 66-56 win over Yough.
Phil Pace compiled a double-double for the Falcons (2-0) with 20 points and 11 rebounds. John Hovanec added nine points in the win.
“I thought we were able to utilize the high-ball screen and run our offense through that play,” Brownsville coach Mark Marino said. “We had to be aggressive with the ball and we had some steals on defense that led to some runaway lay-ups. We rebounded the ball really good tonight.”
The Warriors (1-1) were led by Will Greijack (18), Brian Malloy (18) and Garin Martik (11). EF defeated Beth-Center on Friday night, 63-44.
“It was a very intense game and these two teams matched up pretty well against each other,” EF coach Sam Kosanovich said. “They are a well-coached team and are tough to defend. We missed some lay-ups and we didn’t finish on the block. We have five seniors and they have to lead us.”
EF started the contest with six consecutive points and built a 19-9 lead in the late stages of the opening quarter.
Brownsville rebounded with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter and took its first lead of the game, 22-19, after a 3-pointer by Marshall.
After the teams traded baskets, the Falcons closed out the first half with a 6-2 run for a 36-27 halftime lead.
The Warriors carried a 13-12 scoring edge in the third quarter, but the Falcons opened the fourth quarter with five points from a trey by Hovanec and free throws by Pace.
Brownsville secured the win with eight of the next 10 points. Marshall followed the run with six points on two possessions, courtesy of a 3-pointer and an old-fashioned 3-point play.
“Shandon plays with passion and I think his emotions rub off on his teammates in a positive way,” Marino said. “He plays hard every single second of the game. To win this tournament is special, but we recognize that its only two games. You can never get too high or too low. We have 22 games in a season and we are looking to get better every game.”
In the boy’s consolation game, Beth-Center trailed 18-12 at the end of one quarter, but then rallied back with a 44-24 scoring margin over the final three quarters for a 56-42 victory over Yough.
JJ Green led the Bulldogs (1-1) with 18 points, while Andrew Bower and Andrew White added nine points apiece. Jacob Bobbs also collected eight points in the win.
“It was a tale of two halves for us,” B-C coach Billy Greco said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and some of our younger kids stepped up in the fourth quarter. It was a quick turnaround for us, but I think the kids came in here refocused. We had good ball movement and the coach looks a lot smarter when the guys are hitting their shots.”
Gamal Marballie was the high scorer for the Cougars (0-2) with 10 points, while Danny Gibler, Jarrett Bach and Caden Kastronis all finished with nine points each.
Trailing by six points at the end of the opening eight minutes, B-C held an 8-5 scoring edge in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 23-20 at halftime.
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game, 25-24, three minutes into the third quarter after a trey by Jimmy Hunyady. The Bulldogs ended the quarter on a 9-2 run for a 36-29 lead.
Yough got back into the game after opening the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run, but B-C kept its composure and ended the contest with a 17-4 rally.
“It was a total team effort in the fourth quarter and we spread the ball around,” Greco said. “They were focused on stopping JJ (Green), but our younger kids stepped up and hit their shots. It feels great to get our first win and we are hoping to build off of this win. We open the season with five games in seven days. I think we are moving in the right direction.”