Dec 11, 2017 4 min read

The Washington and Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball teams entered this season in very similar positions.

Both teams had great success last season. The Prexies went 22-6 in Class AAA and won two PIAA playoff games while the Centurions went 25-2 in Class AA and also won two games in the state playoffs.

Both teams also lost the majority of their starters. The game Monday night at Wash High between the two teams featured mostly underclassmen and inexperienced players.

And while the teams were so similar entering the game, the type of basketball they played couldn’t have been more different.

Greensburg Central Catholic’s offense revolved around the jump shot, with nearly 70 percent of the Centurions’ points coming on three-pointers. Meanwhile, the Prexies took fewer than 10 jumpers the entire game, and fewer than five three-pointers, to come out with the 46-40 win in their season opener.

“Our philosophy is pretty simple. On the first day of practice, we stressed the idea that if I gave you a $100 bill to make a shot, most people would shoot a layup. Obviously, that’s an easier shot than a three-point shot,” said Wash High head coach Ron Faust. “Now, I know threes are worth one more, but I bet you if we shoot 10 layups, we’ll come out ahead if you shoot 10 threes.”

For a team that plays only one senior and starts multiple underclassmen, Faust said a season-opening win is all he could ask for this early on.

“We’re a very young team; we know we’re going to develop,” said Wash High head coach Ron Faust. “We have some good athletes and some great tradition here at Wash High. I’m very proud of what they did this evening. They worked hard under some trying circumstances. We were able to pull out the win. Some will refer to it as an ugly win, but we’ll take those, too.”

The game was close for all four quarters, with neither team leading by more than six points at any point. After Wash High (1-0) led 18-16 after the first quarter, the Prexies took a 30-28 lead into halftime.

Isaiah Walton scored 10 first half points for the Prexies down low, while Geoff Helm scored 16 points in the half.

With the help of three three-pointers, GCC (0-3) took a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Prexies’ defense held the Centurions to three points in the fourth quarter, including zero points from Helm in the entire second half.

Leading the Prexies’ offense down the stretch was Zahmere Robinson, who showed no signs of tiring, despite just finishing a 15-game football season with the WPIAL champion Wash High football team.

With only a couple minutes left, Robinson took over; however, the 5-11 guard didn’t take over in the traditional way – dribbling at the top of the key, waving his teammates to get out of the way and playing isolation ball. Rather, Robinson took a more unselfish approach, looking for open teammates in the lane, coming off screens or cutting toward the basket.

“We have a couple young men like Zahmere Robinson tonight who just had four practices with us coming off football season,” Faust said. “He played a ton of minutes and worked very hard. He’s an outstanding athlete, and he’s going to be quite a contributor this year.”

The Prexies were leading 38-37, and Robinson found Joe Mercer for a wide-open, 10-foot jumper to go up three points.

A minute later, Robinson connected with Mercer again on a bounce pass for an easy layup to go up by five points. After a GCC three-pointer with less than a minute to play, Robinson assisted Mercer again for a layup to put the Prexies ahead by four with 30 seconds left. Mercer ended the game with 10 points.

“It’s how I play; I’m more pass-first,” said Robinson, who also scored 10 points. “If I have an open shot, I’ll take it, but I’m more of a pass-first player. I’m trying to get my teammates involved.”

Senior Jordan Swart, the only returning starter from last season, sealed the win a few seconds later by hitting two free throws.