Penns Valley boys’ basketball defeats SJCA, 60-54, despite big performance from Scanlon
Penns Valley boys’ basketball earned a bounce-back home win Saturday afternoon when the team defeated the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy 60-54 in Spring Mills.
The win comes just a day after the Rams lost 56-49 on the road to Bald Eagle Area.
“This win was big,” Penns Valley head coach Rob Irwin said. “Last night was tough. All credit to Bald Eagle, they played really hard and shot really well. We still have high expectations for ourselves, from game to game and for the future. We just had to get back on the horse.”
Saint Joe’s got out to an early 4-0 lead on Saturday, forcing Irwin to call a timeout to get the Rams back on track. They were able to recover from there with patience on offense and junior guard Zach Braucht’s ability to get to the rim.
Braucht had six of the team’s 13 first quarter points, while the Rams’ zone defense made it difficult for star SJCA guard Brendan Scanlon to get to the rim and finish. Instead, he made an impact as a passer, finding gaps in the zone and hitting open teammates. He was held scoreless for most of the quarter but a late 3-pointer helped the Wolfpack even the score at 13 after one.
Penns Valley began to take control in the second quarter with excellent play on both ends of the court, once again led by Braucht. The junior scored eight in the quarter and stifled multiple SJCA transition opportunities.
Scanlon found more success as a scorer — netting the team’s only four points of the quarter — but the Rams’ defense was still able to limit his ability to penetrate and stop the ball in transition to prevent him from beating their zone before it was set. The Wolfpack’s inability to score led to a a 30-17 halftime deficit and added confidence for a Penns Valley team that struggled out of the gate.
The Rams kept their offense rolling in the third quarter and kept the game relatively steady heading into the fourth. They weren’t as stringent defensively in the quarter, giving up 15 points to the Wolfpack. Scanlon was finally able to get to his spots in the paint and around the rim, scoring 5 points in the quarter. The Rams’ 44-32 lead at the end of three quarters allowed SJCA to stay in range with its newfound momentum on the offensive end.
“He’s an excellent player,” Irwin said about Scanlon. “He’s quick, he’s shifty, he knows how to set defenders up one way and go another ... He’s a tough player.”
A made bucket from Scanlon cut it to a four-point deficit — 53-49 — with just over a minute to play. Then a 3-pointer from senior Noah Straub slashed it to a two-point game with 32.6 seconds left on the clock.
Two free throws from Penns Valley senior Collin Emel built the lead back to four and that proved to be enough as the Rams closed out the 60-54 win over the Wolfpack.
Braucht and Scanlon finished as the leading scorers with 22 and 20, respectively.
Penns Valley’s next game will come on the road Monday at Huntingdon, while SJCA will head to Curwensville on the same day.
Penns Valley 60, Saint Joe’s 54
(Saturday at Spring Mills)
Saint Joe’s 13 4 15 22 — 54
Penns Valley 13 17 14 16 — 60
Saint Joe’s (4-10)
Scanlon 6 (2) 2-2 20, Straub 5 (2) 0-0 16, Jonah Clark 3 0-0 6, Tim Peters 2 0-0 4, Nick Warner 1 2-2 4, Spencer Gigante 1 0-0 2, John Thomas 1 0-0 2.
Penns Valley (6-7)
Braucht 5 (3) 3-6 22, Caleb Narber 4 1-2 9, Emel 1 (1) 3-4 8, Kyle Niewinski 3 1-4 7, John Aston 3 0-0 6, Logan Crater 1 (1) 0-0 5, Aidan Culver 0 3-7 3.
