Knights eliminated
PLUM — No matter how many times Knoch tried to battle back, Indiana had an answer.
An 11-2 run by the Indians midway through the second quarter opened up a 13-point lead, one the Knights were unable to erase in a 66-53 WPIAL Class AAA boys basketball playoff loss at Plum High School Friday.
The Knights would get as close as two, 43-41, with 3:16 left in the third quarter, but the Indians (15-8) closed out the frame on a 7-0 run to take a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Knoch got no closer than six points the rest of the way as a layup by Kevin Jack, a 3-pointer by Tyrayl Veney and a buzzer-beater score inside the 3-point line allowed the Indians to take a 50-41 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Mike Schneck opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Knights (10-13) would pull no closer.
“I thought we came out and played very hard,” Knoch coach Josh Shoop said. “We struggled in the first half putting the ball through the hoop.
“Then, we'd cut it to two points and they'd hit a 3. We'd cut it to three, and they'll come back and hit a 2,” Shoop added.
“We have a nice, balanced team,” Indiana coach Jeff Reed said. “We have players inside and have guys who can shoot well from outside.
“Darrious is just a sophomore who is getting better and better. He came out in the eighth grade. Justin Spence, this is his first year out.
“We have some nice pieces and we're getting them to play together. We're moving in the right direction,” Reed added.
The Knights trailed 34-24 early in the third quarter when Tavita Lio and Bruggeman hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Knoch to within four points at 34-30.
When Bruggeman scored with 3:43 to play in the third quarter, the Indians' lead had been whittled down to two points.
But the Indians responded with the final seven points of the quarter and went on to the win.
“That's a good basketball team,” Shoop said. “They're tough and well-coached. They hit the boards. It's what we preach to our guys. We had our offense on the floor. They just had more firepower on the floor than we did.”
Carter led all scorers with 18 points while teammates Veney and Weaver added 17 and 14, respectively. The Knights received 15 from Schneck, 14 from Bruggeman and 12 from Lio.
Notes: Indiana had defeated the Knights 70-48 on Dec. 19 ... Of the 18 players on the Indians roster, 16 are 6 feet or taller. The other two are 5-10 and 5-11.
INDIANA 66Darrious Carter 8 2-4 18, Alex Pettina 0 0-0 0, Tyrayl Veney 5 4-4 17, Logan Weaver 2 8-8 14, Justin Spencer 0 1-2 1, Riley Stapleton 1 2-4 4, Casey Lauber 1 0-0 2, Kevin Jack 3 2-2 8, Blake Shields 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 21 19-24 66.
KNOCH 53Austin Miller 0 0-0 0, Jack Boros 2 0-0 5, Alex Strezeski 1 1-2 3, Dakota Bruggeman 6 1-2 14, Tavita Lio 4 1-4 12, Mike Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Marc Vaughan 2 0-1 4, Mike Schenck 6 2-2 15, Phil Kletzli 0 0-2 0
Totals: 21 5-13 53.
Indiana 17 15 18 16—66Knoch 9 13 19 12—533-point goals: Indiana 5 (Veney 3, Weaver 2); Knoch 6 (Lio 3, Boros, Bruggeman, Schneck)
