Dillon Boyer launches a 3-point attempt in the first period of a Conemaugh Township home win over Shanksville Monday. (Staff photo by Roger Vogel) |
DAVIDSVILLE — Turnovers doomed WestPAC South leader Shanksville-Stonycreek on Monday night.
The Vikings had the same amount of giveaways — 15 — as they had points in the first half, and finished the game with a total of 23 turnovers.
Normally, that's a recipe for disaster against any team, and a quality club like Conemaugh Township, currently second in the WestPAC North standings, took full advantage.
The Indians led by 19 points at the break and went on to beat the visiting Vikings, 58-47.
"I thought we just made some bad choices," Shanksville coach Robert Snyder said of his team's turnovers. "A lot of them were unforced. That gets us in trouble from time to time. We have that two- or three-minute spurt, where you say 'what the heck are we doing?' Then other times we look like we're a fine well-oiled machine."
While some of Shanksville's turnovers were unforced, Conemaugh Township's defense had a lot to do with creating them as well.
"We tried to pick up the full-court pressure and force the action a little bit," Indians coach Chuck Lesko said. "When we can do that in the open floor, and get other teams to turn the ball over, we feel like we're going to finish some plays, offensively. We did that very well in the first half."
Conemaugh Township improved to 8-3 overall, 3-1 in the WestPAC North. Shanksville's record stands at 9-3, 5-0 in the WestPAC South.
Junior guard Dillon Boyer had a game-high 23 points, plus seven rebounds to lead the Indians. Senior guard Grant Speigle scored 13 points, picked off seven steals and handed out five assists.
"They're both very solid players," Lesko said. "I thought Dillon was very solid in every aspect of the game tonight. Grant handled the boards, especially late when he had to. He ran the show offensively. Hopefully, he'll start knocking down a few more shots as we move through the rest of the season."
Senior guard/forward Jake Duppstadt powered the Vikings with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Teammate Carter Slade, a junior forward, contributed 13 points.
While Shanksville faced a daunting task in the second half, the Vikings fought back and managed to cut the deficit to single digits with 32 seconds remaining in the third period.
The Vikings could have made the score even closer had they had a better night at the foul line. Shanksville shot 52 percent from the stripe, compared to Conemaugh Township's 60-percent showing.
"We usually shoot fouls decent, but not tonight," Snyder said. "If we make some more, it's a different ball game. But that wasn't the case. You have to give credit to Conemaugh Township. They made theirs. We didn't."
"I'm proud of my guys that they didn't quit," Snyder added. "I spoke to them in the locker room (at halftime) and they came out determined they were going to play hard in the second half. I felt we made it a good showing. Hopefully, we learn from this, grow as a team and see the intensity it takes to play against a team like Township. They have a very nice team. Coach Lesko is doing a great job with them."
Lesko concluded: "I thought everything we did right in the first half defensively, we kind of let them get back in it. But Shanksville is a good, young squad. Coach Snyder made some necessary adjustments and they made some shots in the second half. We were fortunate to have a nice lead."
Conemaugh Township won the junior varsity game, 28-24.
Shanksville: J. Duppstadt 6 1 16, Bittner 1 4 9, Slade 4 5 13, Wilt 1 0 3, Gardner 2 0 4, B. Duppstadt 0 0 0, Fleegle 1 0 2, Glessner 0 0 0, Platt 1 0 3. Totals: 16 10-19 47.
3-point goals: J. Duppstadt 3, Wilt 1, Platt 1.
The Vikings had the same amount of giveaways — 15 — as they had points in the first half, and finished the game with a total of 23 turnovers.
Normally, that's a recipe for disaster against any team, and a quality club like Conemaugh Township, currently second in the WestPAC North standings, took full advantage.
The Indians led by 19 points at the break and went on to beat the visiting Vikings, 58-47.
"I thought we just made some bad choices," Shanksville coach Robert Snyder said of his team's turnovers. "A lot of them were unforced. That gets us in trouble from time to time. We have that two- or three-minute spurt, where you say 'what the heck are we doing?' Then other times we look like we're a fine well-oiled machine."
While some of Shanksville's turnovers were unforced, Conemaugh Township's defense had a lot to do with creating them as well.
"We tried to pick up the full-court pressure and force the action a little bit," Indians coach Chuck Lesko said. "When we can do that in the open floor, and get other teams to turn the ball over, we feel like we're going to finish some plays, offensively. We did that very well in the first half."
Conemaugh Township improved to 8-3 overall, 3-1 in the WestPAC North. Shanksville's record stands at 9-3, 5-0 in the WestPAC South.
Junior guard Dillon Boyer had a game-high 23 points, plus seven rebounds to lead the Indians. Senior guard Grant Speigle scored 13 points, picked off seven steals and handed out five assists.
"They're both very solid players," Lesko said. "I thought Dillon was very solid in every aspect of the game tonight. Grant handled the boards, especially late when he had to. He ran the show offensively. Hopefully, he'll start knocking down a few more shots as we move through the rest of the season."
Senior guard/forward Jake Duppstadt powered the Vikings with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Teammate Carter Slade, a junior forward, contributed 13 points.
While Shanksville faced a daunting task in the second half, the Vikings fought back and managed to cut the deficit to single digits with 32 seconds remaining in the third period.
The Vikings could have made the score even closer had they had a better night at the foul line. Shanksville shot 52 percent from the stripe, compared to Conemaugh Township's 60-percent showing.
"We usually shoot fouls decent, but not tonight," Snyder said. "If we make some more, it's a different ball game. But that wasn't the case. You have to give credit to Conemaugh Township. They made theirs. We didn't."
"I'm proud of my guys that they didn't quit," Snyder added. "I spoke to them in the locker room (at halftime) and they came out determined they were going to play hard in the second half. I felt we made it a good showing. Hopefully, we learn from this, grow as a team and see the intensity it takes to play against a team like Township. They have a very nice team. Coach Lesko is doing a great job with them."
Lesko concluded: "I thought everything we did right in the first half defensively, we kind of let them get back in it. But Shanksville is a good, young squad. Coach Snyder made some necessary adjustments and they made some shots in the second half. We were fortunate to have a nice lead."
Conemaugh Township won the junior varsity game, 28-24.
Shanksville: J. Duppstadt 6 1 16, Bittner 1 4 9, Slade 4 5 13, Wilt 1 0 3, Gardner 2 0 4, B. Duppstadt 0 0 0, Fleegle 1 0 2, Glessner 0 0 0, Platt 1 0 3. Totals: 16 10-19 47.
3-point goals: J. Duppstadt 3, Wilt 1, Platt 1.
