State College boys’ basketball unable to complete comeback vs. Altoona in District 6 title game
State College boys’ basketball came up short Friday night in the PIAA District 6 championship game, falling 61-54 to Altoona.
The game was tight in the early going with both team’s playing with aggression on both ends of the floor. Altoona came out in a full-court press to speed up the Little Lion offense and force bad decisions.
State College maintained its composure against the press with smart passing and patient decision-making that allowed it to get into its half-court sets and hunt opens looks.
The Little Lions generated most of its first-quarter offense from beyond the arc with three made 3-pointers in the game’s first eight minutes. Their shooting was countered by Altoona’s post play. Senior forward P.J. Charles, who finished with 27 points, scored nine of the Mountain Lions’ 13 first-quarter points to pace the team. He did most of his damage within 8 feet of the basket and helped keep the game tied at 13 through a quarter.
State High’s shooting continued into the second quarter with two more made shots from deep. The Mountain Lions found their own success from deep with two makes of their own but couldn’t get Charles easy looks, leading to a one-point quarter for the senior forward. Even with the slow second quarter, he led the game in scoring at the half with 10 points, although his Mountain Lions trailed with a half of basketball to play, 27-26.
Altoona’s press affected the State High early in the second half and allowed the Mountain Lions to jump out to a 32-29 lead. The Little Lions once again slowed themselves down and were able to break the press with relative ease. They even responded with a press of their own to force Altoona into making mistakes and turning the ball over.
The game stayed tight through the rest of the quarter with the Mountain Lions slightly ahead at the end of it, 43-42.
They went on an 8-2 run to open the final eight minutes to earn a 51-44 lead with 4:23 to go. State College head coach Brian Scholly called a timeout there to reorganize his team and bring the Little Lions back into the game.
“We just needed to calm ourselves and understand the situation we were in,” he said. “We needed to make sure we went and got a good look on the other end, which we did. I was really proud of how we responded in that spot.”
The timeout paid immediate dividends with a 6-2 run to cut it to a one-possession game at 53-50.
The Little Lions had an opportunity to tie the game when senior Isaiah Edwards took a 3-pointer down 55-52 with just under 1:30 left on the clock, but the shot didn’t fall.
That was the final attempt they’d have to tie it up in the loss.
“I always say if you’re open and confident you’re going to make it, go ahead and let it rip,” Scholly said. “I thought it was a good shot.”
The Little Lions still have a shot to make the PIAA state playoffs but will need to win two to get there. They’ll take on Erie in a play-in game at 6 p.m. Monday at Tyrone. The winner of that will move into the sub-regional, one win away from states.
“My only thought right now is I want this to keep going as long as we possibly can,” Scholly said. “I have fun every single day with these guys in the gym. My only focus is to try to stretch this thing out for as long as possible.”
Altoona 61, State College 54
(Friday at Cresson)
Altoona 13 13 17 18 — 61
State College 13 14 15 12 — 54
Altoona (11-12)
Charles 10 7-7 27, KJ Futrell 6 0-0 12, Caleb Pierce 3 (1) 1-1 10, Tyler Becker 0 (2) 2-2 8, Jeremiah Crockett 2 0-0 4.
State College (6-16)
Johnny Friberg 2 (2) 4-4 14, Edwards 4 (1) 0-0 11, Nathan Lusk 3 2-4 8, Cole Friberg 0 (2) 0-0 6, Trey Oyler 0 (2) 0-0 6, Jaden Mitchell 1 (1) 0-0 5, Jack Hurley 2 0-0 4.
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 10:27 PM.
