Scrappy Peters Township disrupts Trinity
By Dave Whipkey
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Creating offense off defense is something Peters Township boys basketball coach Joe Urmann wants his squad to lean into as section play thickens.
The Indians forced 22 turnovers and controlled the pace Friday night at Hiller Hall as Peters Township earned a tough 59-52 win over host Trinity in Class 5A Section 3. Peters Township managed a fairly comfortable margin much of the evening until the Hillers made a late charge to make things interesting at the end.
“We pride ourselves in being disruptive,” Urmann said after the contest. “Some nights we’re better at it than others. Credit to our guys tonight.”
Dylan Donovan paced the Indians (2-1, 8-3) with 14 points, while Jake Wetzel and Nick McCullough added in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Lucas Rost tallied nine points while Stanford football recruit Mickey Vaccarello battled inside and scored eight.
Jacob Dunkle led all scorers as he poured in 21 points for the Hillers (1-3, 6-4) while Jonah Williamson added 18, eight of which came in the fourth quarter as he led a furious rally for the hosts.
“We had our opportunities, we just couldn’t get over the hump,” Hiller coach Tim Tessmer noted. “We did a little bit better taking care of the ball in the second half, but came up empty on too many possessions.”
The Indians got out to a nice start in the first quarter, taking a 17-9 lead at the end of the frame. A Donovan steal and lay in helped key the quarter as the visitors got off to a 13-5 run to begin the contest. A Williamson put back at the buzzer cut the Indians lead to eight at the end of the quarter.
Trinity responded in the second quarter, after the Indians pushed their advantage to 21-11 early in the period. Dunkle’s seven points in the quarter helped bring the Hillers to within four with 3:15 to go in the half. His three-pointer from the top of the key was the catalyst in the run. But a Jake Wetzel three stemmed the tide and provided the Indians with a 30-22 lead as the squads went to the half.
“We ran a baseline out of bounds play for him,” Urmann said regarding Wetzel’s end of half three. “We knew he’d be open on a lift. I didn’t think that he’d shoot it, but I’m glad he did.”
Dunkle asserted himself early in the third quarter as he worked to drag the Hillers back into the ballgame, scoring six points in the early part of the frame. But the Indians pushed their lead to 43-28 at the midway point of the quarter thanks to a Donovan floater in the lane.
A Dunkle jam off a missed shot cut the Hillers’ deficit to seven late in the quarter, but a Wetzel putback at the buzzer gave Peters Township a 47-36 lead at the end of the frame.
The Indians managed to maintain a double-digit lead in the fourth up until Trinity’s Braden Berdar knocked in a three with 2:53 left to slice the Indians lead to 55-46. Williamson then scored in the lane with 1:17 to go to cut it to 55-48, putting a little more heat on the Indians.
After two missed Peters Township free throws, Williamson again scored to slice it to five with a minute left.
Lucas Rost then made one of two free throws to extend the Indians lead with 42 seconds to go. Williamson looked to respond, but a Nick McCullough blocked shot snuffed out the Hillers last gasp shot at a comeback. McCullough sealed the deal out of a time out when he sprung free for an open lay up.
“He does a lot of good things for us,” Urmann said about McCullough’s play. “He was outstanding again on the defensive end tonight. We can use him and his athleticism even more.”
Peters Twp, 51-33
The Indians (3-0, 10-1) used a balanced scoring attack and their overall size advantage to take down the Hillers (1-3, 6-4) 51-33 Friday evening at Hiller Hall.
After playing the smaller Hillers on somewhat even terms in the opening frame that ended with the Indians holding an 11-8 edge, Peters Township went on a 9-0 run to crack open the contest. Alina Sopko came off the bench to score six points in the quarter to spark the Indians and they never looked back.
A Brianna Morreale three-pointer off a Natalie Wetzel assist pushed the Indians lead out to 32-12 early in the third as Peters Township asserted themselves in the second half to cruise on home to victory.
Wetzel finished with 14 points while Daniela Radulovich chipped in with 10 for Peters Township.
Sutton Williamson scored 10 hard earned points for the Hillers.