JEFFERSON TWP — A Saturday matinee turned into a two-quarter delay offensively for the Knoch boys basketball team.

Treys by Julian Sanks and Jared Schrecengost early in the third quarter quickly changed that.

“Our game seemed to open up after we hit those shots,” Knoch coach Ron McNabb said.

The Knights outscored Beaver 44-22 in the second half in posting a 64-36 non-section victory on their home floor.

“I'm always concerned about playing a Saturday day game,” McNabb admitted. “We don't do many of these and you never know what kind of energy the team is gonna show.”

Beaver (6-14) kept the game at a slower pace in the first half. The Bobcats only attenpted four field goals in the second quarter and trailed just 21-16 at the intermission.

When Beckett Connelly converted a three-point play with 6:40 left in the third quarter, Beaver was within 21-19.

“We tried forcing the game in the first half instead of just letting the game come to us,” Knoch senior Julian Sanks said.

“We got those three's, extended the lead and just took off.”

The Knights (16-5) began the final quarter with a 23-2 run, opening up a 63-27 lead with less than a minute to play.

Beaver was held to a season-low 29 points in a 25-point loss to rival Blackhawk Friday night. The Bobcats had not been held below 38 points before that.

Still, the team has qualified for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs and is a potential first-round opponent for Knoch. The playoff brackets will be released Tuesday night.

“I thought our defense was outstanding in this game,” McNabb said. “We did a great job defending down low.

“We took away their top two scorers and forced a number of turnovers.”

Beaver had 18 turnovers and had no player reach double digits. Charlie Higgs led the visitors with nine points and five rebounds.

Knoch, which won for the 14th time in 16 games, placed three players in double digits.

“It just took us a while to start clicking,” the Knights' Scott Fraser said. “We weren't hitting many shots early.”

Fraser led Knoch with 14 points, five assists and three steals. Sanks had 12 points, four rebounds and three steals, Schrecengost 12 points and three assists.

Ryan Lang, a freshman, contributed nine points and three assists. He led Knoch with seven points in the first half.

Beaver coach Greg Cercone, who could not be reached for comment after the game, was upset that McNabb didn't empty his bench in the fourth quarter while playing with a big lead.

“I had three starters out of the game and we were playing a zone,” McNabb said. “I can't tell my guys to not play. New guys on the floor want to play the game, too.

“I'm sure a lot of that was frustration. I've been on the other side of games like this before. It's not fun.”

Knoch closes its regular season Monday night, hosting Armstrong.

BEAVER 36

Mike Champ 2-7 1-2 5, Charlie Higgs 3-5 1-3 9, Noah Brassell 2-3 0-0 4, Marco Mamone 0-0 0-0 0, Brady Hansen 0-2 0-0 0, Beckett Connelly 2-4 1-1 5, Peter Kazas 1-6 1-2 4, Tyler Ziggas 2-2 1-1 5, Sebastian Hill 0-0 0-1 0, Brodie List 2-5 0-0 4, Todd Phillips 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-34 5-10 36.

KNOCH 64

Julian Sanks 5-9 0-1 12, Jared Schrecengost 5-10 0-0 12, Scott Fraser 7-11 0-1 24, Jake Scheidt 1-2 0-0 2, Brady McKee 2-7 1-2 5, Ryan Lang 3-5 2-2 9, Adam Bajucik 1-1 0-0 3, Cole Lassinger 3-3 0-0 6, Rocky Kopac 0-0 0-1 0, Blaze Voltz 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 27-48 4-11 64.

Beaver 13 3 9 11 — 36

Knoch13 8 19 24 — 64

3-point goals: Higgs 2, Kazas; Sanks 2, Schrecengost 2, Lang, Bajucik

JV: Knoch, 49-44 (B: Marco Mamone 12; K: Ryan Lang 18, Tyler Buterbaugh 11)

Monday: Armstrong at Knoch