Little Lions boys’ basketball downs Norristown 57-43 in Skip Coleman Tip-Off Invitational

Tommy Sekunda saw his shot go through, and right then and there, thought it was over.

The State College boys’ basketball team rebounded from a season-opening loss to claim a 57-43 victory over Norristown on Saturday afternoon in the Skip Coleman Tip-Off Invitational consolation game.

Sekunda recorded a game-high 23 points, with 10 in the third quarter alone.

But before the junior started his hot streak, the Little Lions needed to survive a threatening run by the Eagles to start the second half.

State College owned a 12-point halftime lead, going into the locker room feeling comfortable. Perhaps a bit too comfortable.

Little Lions coach Joe Walker talked to his team at the break about Norristown’s ability to rip off a run to start the third.

“We were ready for it mentally,” Walker said. “But physically, we didn’t carry out what we were supposed to be doing.”

State College came out and took too many shots too quickly, playing into Norristown’s fastbreak style. The Eagles, led by speedy guard Amir Carter, pushed the tempo.

Subsequently, Norristown rattled off a 12-2 run, and nearly tied it up.

That is, until Sekunda capitalized on an open look. Sekunda, who was just 3 of 8 from the field in the first half, stepped into a 3-pointer with four minutes left in the third quarter.

It went down, and he could feel a change.

“Right then, I kind of knew that we had it,” Sekunda said. “After that, momentum shifted.”

It not only ended Norristown’s run, but also jumpstarted one for State College. The Little Lions were more rhythmic offensively. In the run, Sekunda hit 3 of 4 shots. Drew Friberg and Andrew Witt, who finished with seven and 10 points, respectively, each contributed a basket in the third, as well.

Norristown coach Mike Evans was pleased with how his team started the third quarter, but gave credit to State College for its persistence in responding.

“They answered our run,” Evans said. “They made plays when they had to.”

Evans was also disappointed in how the Eagles played for most of the game. Outside of its third quarter spark, Norristown settled for too many 3-pointers and failed to challenge the Little Lions on the block. The Eagles converted 5 of 24 attempts behind the arc.

“We got out of our character,” Evans noted. “We came out lackadaisical.”

Conversely, Walker was happy with the Little Lions’ effort, even if chemistry wasn’t totally on point. The team welcomed back Friberg, who wrapped up his football season Friday night, and the Little Lions are playing with several new faces on the floor.

“Chemistry is not where we want it to be,” Walker said, “but the more we get those guys playing reps, the better it will be.”

Walker’s hoping that’s the case when State College faces Carlisle at home on Tuesday.

Ellis out multiple weeks

Freshman guard Keaton Ellis created a spark for State College on Friday night, but won’t be playing for several weeks.

After scoring eight points in his varsity debut, Ellis exited the game early with an injured hand. Walker said after Saturday’s game that Ellis has a broken bone, and will miss four to six weeks.

“It’s disappointing,” Walker said. “We’ll be at full strength in February and March.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Little Lions boys’ basketball downs Norristown 57-43 in Skip Coleman Tip-Off Invitational."