Pen Argyl eliminates No. Lehigh
PEN ARGYL - In the game of basketball, getting out to a fast start can be key.
Creating a few turnovers, getting a few easy buckets and of course, hitting early three-pointers can spur confidence in a team that could eventually lead to a victory.
On the other hand, a slow start can prove disastrous.
For Northern Lehigh, the latter scenario was unfortunately the case in its District 11 3A first round matchup with Pen Argyl on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs struggled offensively in the first half, and despite a strong second-half effort, couldn’t overcome their sluggish start and dropped a 50-46 contest to the Green Knights.
Pen Argyl held the size advantage underneath with big men Lucas Betancourt and Damian Tyminski, and the Green Knights’ length in their 2-3 zone proved to be troublesome for Northern Lehigh, especially in the smaller-sized gym Pen Argyl calls home.
Rebounding and scoring did not come easy in the first half for Northern Lehigh. The Green Knights held the Bulldogs to just 12 first-half points, and outrebounded them 19-10. Northern Lehigh finished the half shooting 5-for-22 from the field and 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. All of that led to a nine-point Pen Argyl advantage at intermission.
“(Lucas) Betancourt was a monster on the offensive boards for us tonight, and he had some key put backs,” said Pen Argyl head coach Mike Morris. “We struggled at times offensively, and rebounding was really important for us.
“Defensively in the first half we played well. We focus a lot on our rotations, and we always emphasize not giving up points in the paint. We always want to keep our opponents under 20 points in the paint per game. I thought we did a nice job defensively in the first half.”
The Bulldogs came out with energy in the third and made it a ball game. They forced six third-quarter turnovers and matched their offensive output from the first half in the third alone with 12 to close within six (30-24) heading into the final frame. Jordan Marlatt was the offensive catalyst in the third, scoring 10 of his 16 points.
“At the half, we talked about our offensive struggles, and that playing with more energy and effort on the defensive end would create some more opportunities on the offensive end, and that’s what our guys came out and did,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Patrick Wanamaker. “Get a few stops, get some leak outs and spark our offense that way.”
Pen Argyl tried to put away the Bulldogs a few times in the fourth, but they just wouldn’t go away. With the Green Knights leading by 10, Northern Lehigh put together a run to close within 50-46 with 23 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs even had a few good looks at threes and a put back, but couldn’t get any of them to fall and time expired.
Ardit Mujovic had a big fourth quarter for Northern Lehigh, scoring 15 points to lead the late surge.
“It felt like we couldn’t just get that one stop we needed, and credit to Pen Argyl. They made enough plays down the stretch to put us away,” said Wanamaker. “These 11 guys have battled all season long, and anything I’ve asked of them, they’ve done. It’s a great group of kids, and I’m proud of the way they clawed to get back into the game tonight.”
LEADERS … Mujovic led Northern Lehigh with 21 and Marlatt added 16. For Pen Argyl, Betancourt dominated on the boards and led the team with 12, while Jillian Pysher added 10.
NORTHERN LEHIGH
Smith 2-0-0-5, Marlatt 7-2-2-16, Mujovic 6-7-10-21, Parvel 0-0-0-0, Zambo 0-0-0-0, Herzog 0-0-0-0, Repsher 2-0-1-4. TOTALS: 17-9-13-46.
PEN ARGYL
Pysher 4-0-0-10, Raggozino 2-2-2-6, Rudy 0-0-0-0, Maggipinto 4-0-2-8, Hershey 1-0-0-3, Tyminski 1-2-6-4, Shook 3-0-1-7, Betancourt 6-0-3-12. TOTALS: 21-4-19-50.
No. Lehigh 6 6 12 24 - 46
Pen Argyl 11 10 9 20 - 50
Three-pointers: Pen Argyl - Pysher 2, Shook 1, Hershey 1; Northern Lehigh - Mujovic 2, Smith 1.