CLARION, Pa. – After a 6-0 run to start the third, Farrell outscored Cameron County, 19-8, the remainder of the quarter on its way to a 69-56 win in the PIAA 1A second round.
The Steelers (21-5) had a 33-28 lead at the half, but the Red Raiders (23-6) started the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 34-33 lead. Farrell answered with an 8-2 run of its own and never trailed again.
“We had to come out and get some shots up, cause we weren’t hitting our shots,” Farrell’s Danny Odem said in the Cole Orthodontic Associates postgame interview. “We just had to get into it and start playing together, playing more physical.”
See the full Cole Orthodontic Associates postgame interview:
Odem did his part hitting those shots, scoring 11 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter. The Steelers started causing havoc in the passing lanes late in the quarter, leading to several transition buckets.
“That’s how we play, once we get after guys we try to force them to commit more turnovers,” Farrell coach Myron Lowe said. “Once we play the lanes, we get a lot of steals.”
After playing to an 18-18 tie through the first eight minutes, Farrell opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run, but Cameron County came right back with a 6-0 run of its own to tie it at 24-24. The Steelers grabbed a 4-point lead, and looked poised to have that advantage going into the half.
Josh Beer hit a pair of free throws with five seconds left to pull the Red Raiders within two, but Odem buried a shot at the buzzer from just inside the midcourt line to give the Steelers a 33-28 halftime lead.
Julez Johnson was also in double figures for the Steelers with 19 points.
Landen Faren led four Red Raiders in double figures with 15 points. Ryan Shaffer had 13 points, Beer had 12 points, and Josh Smith had 11 points.
Farrell will take on Imani Christian, a 79-46 winner over Clarion, in the quarterfinals on Friday at a time and location to be announced.
IMANI CHRISTIAN 79, CLARION 46
KITTANNING, Pa. – Defending PIAA champion Imani Christian, the WPIAL champion, ran out to a 25-point halftime lead on its way to a 79-46 win over District 9 runner-up Clarion in the second round of the PIAA Class 1A playoffs at Armstrong High School.
The Saints (16-10) led 20-7 at the end of the first quarter and 42-17 at halftime.
RJ Sledge had a monster first quarter for Imani Christian scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first eight minutes.
Sledge was one of three Saints in double digits, and Imani Christian had 11 players in all scored led by 19 points from Nate Brazil, who scored 12 points during a 26-point third quarter that helped Imani Christian increase its lead to 37, 68-31.
Avery Wesley chipped in 10 points, Kylan Holmes had nine points, and Deston Hubbert added eight tallies.
Bryce Brinkley and Devon Lauer each had nine points for Clarion (18-10) with Gabe Simko and Tanner Miller both adding eight points.
Imani Christian will face District 10 champion Farrell in the quarterfinals on Friday at a site and time to be announced. It is a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal contest won by Imani Christian, 80-50.
