PM West trips PV
Coaches will say that it‘s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
After falling behind 16-0 in the first period, the Pleasant Valley boys basketball team regrouped in the second half in a 70-49 loss to Pocono Mountain West on Monday.
“We played much better in the last two quarters,” said Bears’ coach, Bobby Hahn. “They outscored us by just one point.”
West (9-9) utilized its athleticism and team speed to push the ball up the court right from the opening tap in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference contest. Led by Ishre Pilgrim’s 12 first-quarter points and a pressure defense that forced 11 PV turnovers, the Panthers took command early and their lead was never seriously challenged. The clock showed 2:50 left in the first quarter when PV’s Andrius Harrison-Gaddist scored on a jumper for the Bears’ first points.
“Our intent was to create chaos with our pressure defense,“ said West coach Rich Williams. “We then took advantage and scored in transition off their turnovers.”
Pleasant Valley’s offense showed life in the second quarter. Ashton Smith buried two long threes, as did Jake Ammerman. Harrison–Gaddist was a force down low on defense, contesting and blocking shots and pulling down rebounds. Pilgrim and Eddie Germosan, however, answered PV’s efforts to get back in the game by combining for 15 of the Panthers’ 25 points before the intermission.
“They’re a great team,” said Hahn. “They’re a typical pedigree of West basketball, and it took us the whole first half to get used to their team speed.”
The third quarter was much lower scoring for both teams. Pilgrim made three stops at the foul line as he continued to drive to the hoop. Noah Mitchell made his first appearance on the court for the Bears and was a sparkplug at the point guard position, tallying six of his team’s 11 third-quarter points.
The final quarter was plagued by fouls from both teams, with only 10 of the combined 20 points scored from the floor. Pilgrim led all scorers in the game with 28 points. Smith paced the Bears with a team-high 15.
For a team with just a single victory this season, Pleasant Valley (1-15) competed the entire 32 minutes, and no player on the floor or from the bench was seen bowing his head. Hahn reflected on his team’s competitiveness despite the disappointing record.
“We tell our kids we are a family. In fact, during the basketball season, they are with us more than they are at home,” he said. “No matter what happens, we’re together in everything. We remind them that high school is for making memories and having fun. No one will care about the record because we know that we have gotten hard work and effort from each of our players in every game we have played.”
FIFTY FREES
... The game totaled a combined 50 free throws, with 35 made. Together, West and PV shot a solid 70 percent from the charity stripe.
POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST
Mickens 0-0-0-0. Walker 2-0-0-6. Ford 0-0-0-0. Pilgrim 10-8-12-28, Bray 1-0-0-2. Duncan 0-0-0-0. Smith 0-0-2-0, Germosan 5-2-2-13, Valentin 4-4-4-14, Duclair 1-0-0-2, Campbell 1-0-0-2, White 0-3-4-3. TOTALS: 24-17-24-70.
PLEASANT VALLEY
Rosario 0-0-0-0, Smith 4-4-4-15, Harrison-Gaddist 3-6-11-12, Ammerman 1-2-2-5, Robinson 0-0-1-0, Mitchell 1-4-4-6, Piszcabuski 3-0-0-7, Haines 1-0-0-2, Geraghty 0-1-2-1, Hampton 0-1-2-1, Hosier 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-18-26-49.
Pocono Mtn. West 23 25 12 10 - 70
Pleasant Valley 6 22 11 10 - 49
Three-pointers: PMW – Walker 2, Germosan 1, Valentin 2. PV - Smith 3, Ammerman 1, Piszcabuski 1.