Jeff-Morgan vs. Cornell: a matchup of top scorers
A matchup between the WPIAL’s two highest-scoring players is often reserved for the later rounds of the playoffs, but that will not be the case tonight at Baldwin High School when No. 11 Jefferson-Morgan faces No. 6 Cornell.
Rockets senior Rece Henneman, a 6-4 guard with outstanding vision and ability to cut through an opponent’s zone defense, is averaging 25.6 points per game. He has yet to meet his match this season, but tonight could change that.
The Raiders’ top player is 5-11 senior guard Dane Jackson, a Pitt football recruit who is averaging 29 points per game and is believed by many to be the best athlete in the WPIAL.
The two players rank in the top six in scoring in the WPIAL.
Though both players have supporting casts that helped lead their respective teams to the Class A playoffs, the spotlight will be on Henneman and Jackson.
“You’re not going to stop him completely, but you’ve got to make him work for his shots,” Jefferson-Morgan head coach Dennis Garrett said of Jackson. “I know he’s quick, fast and all the above, but we’re going to have to make him work. We have to control the boards offensively and defensively. We can’t let the bright lights get us all worked up.”
Cornell head coach Bill Sacco had similar praise for Henneman and was impressed by the Rockets’ offense.
“They shoot the ball rather well, and they can bring it down the court,” Sacco said. “Henneman handles the ball and does the bulk of the shooting. He looks pretty good. Their whole team looks solid. Both of us have some size too, so it’s a good matchup.”
The game has a special meaning for Garrett, who helped the Rockets’ football team win two WPIAL titles in the 1970s. He took over as head coach prior to last season and inherited a program that averaged 5½ wins over the previous decade.
Now, he has the Rockets (12-9) back in the postseason and one win away from the quarterfinals.
“It is special. It’s not about me, though,” Garrett said. “I’m so happy for the kids. They worked hard and they bought into whatever I was selling. They learned the game of basketball and that every possession is important. We’ve got seven kids who can really change the game at any time.”
Jefferson-Morgan was on the outside of the playoff race two weeks ago, but four consecutive victories earned the Rockets third place in Section 3-A. Settling for a spot in the postseason is not enough and stopping Jackson is not the only key to success.
Cornell (12-9), the second-place team in Section 1-A, is averaging 63.7 points per game with size and athleticism. Senior forward Devin Hines, a 6-6 force on offense and defense, is averaging a double-double, and junior forward Blake Lipke make the Raiders a formidable opponent.
Sacco uses a five-man rotation where each player is capable of scoring at any moment, but he is aware that Cornell’s playoff fate probably rests on the shoulders of Jackson.
“It’s a pleasure to coach him, because he can do just about anything you want him to do, so we pretty much center everything around him,” Sacco said. “With his quickness and ability to shoot the ball, he’s a pretty good player. I’m sure if he didn’t sign for football, he would have signed for basketball.”
Garrett agreed with Sacco, but does not foresee his players being in awe of Jackson’s talents. They have watched Henneman dissect opposing defenses for the past four years. With the program’s biggest game in years set for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff, the Rockets’ coach simply wants his players to “leave it all out on the court.”
“Our last six games were playoff games for us. We knew what situation we were in,” Garrett said. “You just have to go out and play the game with what you know. You can only play so long on emotion. You have to play it the way it’s supposed to be played.”
J-M girls prepare for Cornell
Jefferson-Morgan’s girls basketball team also will face a Cornell team but this one will be Saturday at Baldwin with tip-off at 1 p.m. The No. 7 Rockets (19-2) will look to rekindle the offensive magic that had them start with a 10-game winning streak. Their only losses came against rival California.
The Raiders (14-7) will combat Jefferson-Morgan with senior forward Kristen Bennett and a matchup zone defense. Rockets head coach Chris Niemiec simply wants his team to stick to the formula that helped them grab second place in Section 3-A.
“We have to share the ball. We don’t have a dominant scorer,” Niemiec said. “We don’t have a dominant player, so everyone should get touches and everyone should get shots. Defense has been our card all year, so we’re going to continue to put pressure defense.”
PIAA Play-in Games
The PIAA reintroduced a play-in system for the final spots into the state tournament. In each classification, girls and boys, the losers in quarterfinal games will face each other in a round-robin bracket.
The winners in both of those games will meet for a spot in the PIAA playoffs. In Class AAA boys and girls, as well as Class AA girls, seven WPIAL playoff teams will advance to the state playoffs, so the losers of those two round-robin games will play to determine the seventh spot.
Those games will run concurrently with the semifinals, which are set for Feb. 24 and 25. The PIAA is experimenting with the setup for at least two seasons to determine which model works best.
At least one local coach is in favor of the move.
“The play-back games are nice. That’s a nice touch to the tournament,” Trinity girls coach Bob Miles said. “It keeps you interested. If you have a young team, it gives you additional days of practice.”
Bellhy picks California University
Fort Cherry senior Tina Bellhy signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at California University.
She chose the Vulcans, who have won six PSAC titles over the past 10 years, over several other offers. The youngest Bellhy played her final basketball game at Fort Cherry High School last week. She is the last of five Bellhy siblings to excel for the Rangers.
Spina to play baseball at LaRoche
Washington High School senior Jonathan Spina, who quarterbacked the Prexies’ football team to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals last fall, will play baseball collegiately at LaRoche College.
Spina, a left-handed starting pitcher and right-handed hitting outfielder, finished with a 7-2 record with a 1.35 ERA last spring. He also batted .407 with one home run and 14 RBI.