JOHNSONSBURG, Pa. – Down six with a minute to play, Cameron County went on a game-ending 9-0 run to stun Johnsonburg, 40-37, in the District 9 Class 1A quarterfinals at Johnsonburg.
The fifth-seeded Red Raiders trailed the fourth-seeded Rams 37-31 before ending the game with the 9-0 spurt thanks to a trapping defense that caused four Johnsonburg turnovers leading to six points from Camdyn Allison and three from Ryan Shaffer.
Allison started the run with two free throws following a Rams’ turnover.
Another Johnsonburg turnover led to Allison making one of two free throws to cut the lead to four, 37-34.
A basket by Allison then made it 37-36, and another Johnsonburg turnover led to Shaffer hitting a pair of free throws to put the Red Raiders ahead for good, 38-37.
Yet another turnover by the Rams forced Johnsonburg to foul Shaffer.
But Shaffer missed the front end of the one-and-one. Josh Smith, though, grabbed the offensive rebounds, a play Brown called the play of the game, and Shaffer was fouled again.
This time, Shaffer hit both charity shots giving Cameron County the three-point lead, 40-37.
On the ensuing inbounds play, a Johnsonburg player slipped causing a loose ball, Jake Lobaught picked it up and tried a desperation heave that was no good.
Johnsonburg (11-13) controlled the game in the first half building a 21-11 halftime lead.
But Cameron County (17-6) controlled the third quarter outscoring the Rams 15-4 to take a 26-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Smith hit a 3-pointer and scored five points in the third quarter for the Red Raiders while Allison also scored five points in the frame.
Johnsonburg, though, rallied back in the fourth quarter starting the quarter on a 12-5 run led by four points each from Luke Zimmerman and Isaiah Jackson.
Cameron County, though, rode the play of Allison to overcome the deficit one last time to get the win.
Smith led the Red Raiders with 15 points with Allison scoring 13 points.
Jackson had a game-high 20 points for Johnsonburg including nine in the second quarter when the Rams outscored Cameron County 13-6 to take the 10-point halftime lead. No other Ram player scored more than five points.
Cameron County will face top-seeded Elk County Catholic in the semifinals Wednesday, March 1.
Johnsonburg’s season is not over. The Rams move into a fifth-place, four-team consolation tournament to determine the final PIAA berth awarded to District 9. Johnsonburg will take on seventh-seeded Keystone on Monday, Feb. 27. That game is at 7 p.m. at Johnsonburg.
Editor’s note: The final minute sequence was relayed to the YDL Sports Network in a text message exchange with Cameron County head coach Marcus Brown. Additional scoring sequence information was courtesy of Cameron County AD Johnny Songer.
UNION 58, CLARION 48
CLARION, Pa. – Sixth-seeded Union raced out to an 11-1 lead and never looked back in pulling a mild upset over third-seeded Clarion in the D9 Class 1A Quarterfinals at Clarion High School. .
Although Clarion had won the two regular-season meetings, the second game in late January at Clarion was only by four points.
On Friday, Union (13-11) came out firing scoring 11 points in the first 3:34 to build the 10-point lead.
Clarion (15-9) stabilized the ship a little in the second half of the quarter and only trailed by seven, 16-9, at the end of the quarter.
But the Golden Knights were on the move again at the start of the second quarter using a 7-3 run, Skyler Roxburry scored all seven points, to build a 23-12 lead before Clarion kept itself in it by scoring the final four points of the quarter in the last 13 seconds of the half on baskets by Devon Lauer and Tanner Miller to remain down seven, 23-16, at halftime.
Union, though, continued to press the matter in the third quarter starting the second half on a 17-5 run to take a 40-21 lead late in the quarter. Eight points from Payton Johnston and seven from Zander Laughlin paced the Golden Knights’ run.
Zander Laughlin had 21 points for Union. Photo by Noah DiTullio/JB Graphics
The Bobcats again answered getting a pair of late 3-pointers – one from Dawson Smail and a second from Devon Lauer to close out the quarter down 13, 40-27.
Clarion’s run reached 11-0 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter getting the Bobcats within eight, 40-32.
But following a timeout, the Golden Knights settled down and closed out the win.
Laughlin hit five 3-pointers in the game and finished with a game-high 21 points while Johnston added 17 points. Roxbury chipped in with nine points, and Dawson Camper had seven tallies.
Lauer did everything he could in the fourth quarter to rally Clarion scoring 10 of his team-high 18 points in the quarter, while Dawson Smail added eight points.
Union will take on second-seeded DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals Wednesday, March 1, at a site to be determined.
Clarion’s season is not over. The Bobcats move into a fifth-place, four-team consolation tournament to determine the final PIAA berth awarded to District 9. Clarion will take on eighth-seeded Smethport on Monday, Feb. 27. That game is at 7 p.m. at Clarion.
Editor’s note: The game flow for this game is courtesy of YDL Sports Network contributor Jess Quinn.
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 57, KEYSTONE 26
DUBOIS, Pa. – Using a suffocating defense, DuBois Central Catholic used an 18-0 first-half run to blow right past visiting Keystone, 57-26, in the D9 Class 1A quarterfinals.
Rewatch the game
After Keystone (10-13) scored the opening basket on a Kyle Nellis breakaway layup 56 seconds into the game, DCC (16-7) scored the next 18 points – 16 to close out the first quarter and the first two to start the second quarter – to take command of the game.
Ten of the 18 points came off Keystone turnovers that were mainly caused by a trapping DCC defense.
DCC head coach Dom Varacallo talked about that defense and other keys to the victory on the Janney Montgomery Scott in Clarion QR Coach’s Chalkboard Postgame Show.
Marek Hoyt was key during the Cardinals’ run scoring 10 of the points on his way to 14 tallie off the bench. Hoy added four rebounds and two steals and was named the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the game.
Hoyt joined the Janney Montgomery Scott in Clarion QR Coach’s Chalkboard Postgame Show to talk about his performance.
Luke Swisher also had six points during the early onslaught by DCC and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
While it was Hoyt and Swisher early, it was Andrew Green who made sure the early lead stood up.
Green scored all 17 of his game-high points from the second quarter on. including seven in the third quarter. while hitting three 3-pointers.
Brenden Paisley chipped in seven points with the last two coming on a slam dunk that put the PIAA’s Mercy Rule into action with 6:30 left in the game and DCC up 30, 52-22.
Keystone, which went nearly a quarter between its first two hoops, got eight points each from Albright, Drew Keth, and Cole Henry. Henry also had a game-high nine rebounds.
DCC, last year’s D9 1A runner-up, will take on sixth-seeded Union in the semifinals Wednesday, March 1, at a site and time to be announced.
Keystone’s season is not over. The Panthers move into a fifth-place, four-team consolation tournament to determine the final PIAA berth awarded to District 9. Keystone will take on fourth-seeded Johnsonburg on Monday, Feb. 27. That game is at 7 p.m. at Johnsonburg.
Marek Hoyt of DCC was the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 55, SMETHPORT 30
ST. MARYS, Pa. – Top-seeded and defending champion Elk County Catholic outscored visiting Smethport, the eighth seed, 18-0 in the first quarter and never looked back on its way to a 55-30 win in the D9 Class 1A quarterfinals.
Playing in his first D9 postseason game, sophomore Lance O’Neill scored seven first-quarter pointers for the Crusaders (23-2), while Colby Nussbaum added five and Wil Wortman four.
After the opening quarter, ECC slowly expanded the lead to 27-7 at halftime and 41-19 at the end of the third quarter.
Wortman continued his great play since Jordan Wasko was lost for the year with an injury scoring a game-high 13 points.
He was one of four Crusaders to reach double digits with Nussbaum adding 12 points and O’Neill and Micahel Jacobs 10 each.
Carson Dunn paced Smethport (11-11) with 11 points with Keegan Watson adding eight.
ECC’s Adam Straub tried to interrupt a shot by Smethport’s Carson Dunn during Friday’s D9 playoff game. Photo by Molly Anderson of Molly Anderson Photography
ECC will face fifth-seeded Cameron County in the semifinals Wednesday, March 1, at a site and time to be determined.
Smethport’s season is not over. The Hubbers move into a fifth-place, four-team consolation tournament to determine the final PIAA berth awarded to District 9. Smethport will take on third-seeded Clarion on Monday, Feb. 27. That game is at 7 p.m. at Clarion.
BROOKVILLE 46, PERRY 19
PITTSBURGH – A massive 24-2 run that started with just under three minutes left in the first quarter into a 25-lead in the fourth quarter led District 9 Class 3A champion Brookville to a 46-19 rout of District 8’s Perry Traditional Academy at Brashear High School.
The win assured the 21-2 Raiders of a state playoff berth as they advance to the District 5/8/9 Sub-Regional Championship game against D5 champion Bedford Thursday at a D5 site to be announced. Both Brookville and Bedford will advance to the state tournament with first-round games set for March 11.
Against Perry, the Raiders led 13-10 after Quinsaun Reese’s basket got the Commodores within three points. From there, it was the Raiders embarking on the decisive run that had them extend to a 22-10 lead by halftime and 35-12 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Perry scored both of its third-quarter points on free throws and it didn’t hit a field goal until Daiquon Boleky made it 37-15 with 6:05 left in the fourth quarter.
Jack Pete scored 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting and collected 11 rebounds while Clayton Cook scored 13 points with eight rebounds. Noah Peterson added 11 points.
Jelani Saunders led Perry with eight points.
