Boarding School
JEFFERSON TWP — The pre-game message to Knoch was clear.
Hit the boards.
Hard.
The Knights did exactly that in running away from Yough, 75-43, in a WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball playoff game Monday night in the Knoch gym.
Knoch (7-9) held a whopping 43-12 rebounding advantage and never trailed in quickly dispatching the Cougars (3-13).
“I told the kids before the game that if we didn't hit the glass and out-rebound this team, we'd be in trouble,” Knoch coach Alan Bauman said. “They took that to heart.”
The Knights had a 23-11 edge on the scoreboard after the first quarter, led by 18 at the half and by 27 through three periods.
“As a team, we went strong to the glass all night,” junior point guard Ryan Lang said. “That was the key to the whole game.
“They were only getting one shot per trip. We were getting multiple shots. That wears a team down.”
Lang wound up with 32 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“I looked up at the board and saw he had 30 ... I was surprised,” Bauman said. “It didn't feel like he was scoring that much because he was doing it within the flow of the game,” Bauman said.
Lang had plenty of help as well.Keagan Fraser contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Zach McMillen struck for 14 points and nine rebounds.Yough lost for the 10th time in 11 games.“To be honest, we're not ready to go on the road and beat a team like that in a playoff game,” Cougars coach Jim Nesser said. “We're just not there yet.“They physically beat us up on the glass. We played a zone looking to rebound with them and we didn't. We couldn't rebound playing man. When you can't rebound in zone or man, things aren't going to go your way.“That team is big, strong, they play together ... and No. 20 is a pretty good player,” Nesser added.Lang wears that number.“Offensively, we wanted to pound the ball into Zach and work from the inside out,” Lang said. “That was effective for us.“We're playing our best ball right now and that's exciting.”Bauman said the team went four or five weeks practicing only a couple of nights per week “and we fell behind a little bit. I feel like we're caught up now.“Zach has been hitting double figures every game lately and Keagan's total game has really come along,” the coach enthused. “You want to be playing your best ball at this time of year and I think we are.”Gamal Marbellie led Yough with 16 points. Freshman guard Terek Crosby had 14 points and four rebounds.“Terek plays well at times, plays like a freshman at other times,” Nesser said. “That's youth. That's what you get.“Knoch's kids all know their roles and handle them well. You can tell they've been playing together for a while.”Knoch travels to No. 2 seed Lincoln Park on Thursday night.“That's going to be a challenge, but we're not going to back down,” Bauman said. “I'm going to figure out what I'm going to eat, go down in the dungeon and get to work.“We'll leave everything we have out on that court. I can guarantee you that.”<b>YOUGH 43</b>Gamal Marbellie 6-14 2-4 16, Tyler Zerone 1-5 2-2 4, Christian Park 1-4 0-0 2, Terek Crosby 6-15 1-2 14, Austin Matthews 1-2 0-0 2, Kaden Bizzozero 0-0 0-0 0, Parker Rost 2-4 0-0 5. Totals: 17-44 5-6 43.<b>KNOCH 75</b>Keagan Fraser 4-8 5-8 14, Blaze Voltz 0-3 1-2 1, JJ Szebalskie 2-4 1-2 6, Ryan Lang 12-18 5-8 32, Jake Murphy 0-2 0-0 0, Cole Green 2-3 0-0 4, Tyler Buterbaugh 1-4 0-0 2, James Snyder 1-1 0-0 2, Zach McMillen 3-9 8-8 14. Totals: 25-52 20-28 75.Yough 11 11 14 7 — 43Knoch23 17 23 12 — 753-point goals: Marbellie 2,Crosby, Rost; Fraser, Szebalskie, Lang 3Thursday: Knoch at Lincoln Park
