Peters Township goes cold in loss to TJ
By Dave Whipkey
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
McMURRAY – Followers of Peters Township boys basketball team are used to seeing this group be able to score at a fairly consistent rate.
Friday night’s battle for first place in Class 5A Section 1 with Thomas Jefferson saw the Indians go ice cold from the floor as Thomas Jefferson earn a hard-fought 70-58 win over Peters Township, putting the Jaguars on the inside track for the section title.
“We had a difficult time putting the ball in the basket tonight,” Indians coach Joe Urmann said. “Credit to TJ, they did a good job disrupting us.”
Thomas Jefferson’s (6-0, 13-3) defense was the difference as the Jaguars held Peters Township (4-2, 12-5) to 18-of-55 shooting from the floor and forced 18 turnovers, holding the Indians at bay all evening.
“I told our guys at practice the last two nights, if we don’t guard we will not win,” Thomas Jefferson coach Dom DeCicco noted. “I think we played very good defense tonight.”
Coming into Friday night’s game, Peters Township was averaging nearly 73 points per game, they were held 15 points below their average in Round 2 vs. Thomas Jefferson.
First matchup between the Jaguars and Indians went to Thomas Jefferson as they took home a 90-74 win Jan. 3 in Jefferson Hills.
Noah Prosser led the Jaguars with 17 points, 11 of which came in the final quarter as they managed to fend off the Indians in the last frame. Nick Trklja added 16 while Evan Berger posted 15 for Thomas Jefferson.
MIckey Vaccarello scored 17 for the Indians while Jack Dunbar added 13.
“People think Evan is our only scorer,” DeCicco noted. “We have other guys on our team that can score and that showed this evening.”
Thomas Jefferson extended their lead to 45-32 midway through the third on a Trklja lay -up. Nate Miller then scored an old-fashioned three-point play a minute later to cut the deficit to 47-37. But a Berger long two-point jumper extended the Jaguars lead to 49-37 at the end of the third.
Dylan Donovan made four consecutive free throws to slice the Jaguars lead to 50-43 with 5:25 left in the game. But a Trklja three-pointer extended the lead back to 10 shortly after.
A McCullough three again pulled Peters Township to within seven at 57-50 with a little more than four minutes remaining. McCullough looked to have brought the Indians to within five with another three-pointer, but he was called for traveling before the shot was released. A Prosser three-pointer with 2:40 to go pushed the Jaguars lead to 61-50, giving Thomas Jefferson a more comfortable advantage in the game’s waning moments.
Vaccarello and Donovan scored back to back baskets to pull PT to within 63-56 with 1:20 left, but they could get no closer as the Jaguars clinched the regular-season sweep of the Indians.
“They got a lot of dudes who can play,” Urmann said in reference to the Jaguars. “Everyone they had on the floor could make shots for them. Credit to them, they are a balanced team.
The first half saw the Indians misfire from the field, some of which was due to the Jaguars active defense, other times saw the Indians miss open shots as Thomas Jefferson pulled out to a 30-20 lead into half time.
Vaccarello did his part to hold the hosts in the contest as he scored 10 points in the opening frame. Berger pocketed seven points as the Jaguars maintained control throughout the first half.
Peters Township opened the game by taking a 5-0 lead, but saw Thomas Jefferson go on a 16-4 run to end the frame and take a 16-9 lead into the second quarter.
A Berger three-pointer gave the Jaguars a 21-10 lead early in the second, but the Indians clawed back behind Vaccarello’s play inside to cut the deficit to 26-20 late in the half.