Hampton boys overwhelm SV
JACKSON TWP — Playing without star senior forward Ryan Luther for the second straight game, Hampton still proved to be too much for Seneca Valley Friday night.
Four of Luther's teammates — including twin brother Collin — scored in double figures as the Talbots remained undefeated with an 85-68 win at William Paul Gymnasium.
Ryan Luther, a University of Pittsburgh recruit, suffered an ankle sprain in practice Tuesday. He missed Wednesday's game against North Allegheny, but Hampton eked out a 62-61 win. Against the Raiders, the Talbots (13-0, 6-0) allowed themselves more breathing room.
“The key to not having Ryan and still winning is that we have so many players with the desire to make plays,” said Talbots' coach Joe Lafko. “(Senior guard) Jake Obringer has had games where he has scored just two or three points. Tonight, he scored nine in the first quarter. Joey (Lafko) led us with 24 points. He had a good game.”
Collin Luther tallied 19 points, David Huber 13 points and Obringer ended his night with 11.
Seneca Valley (6-6, 2-4) did not go quietly. After trailing 39-28 at halftime, the Raiders' run began late in the third period, closing the quarter on a 9-4 spurt thanks in part to a pair of two-point baskets and a 3-pointer from Chad Izenas.
Izenas and T.J. Holl kept SV close early in the fourth quarter and when the former scored a bucket with just under four minutes to play, Hampton's lead was just 66-61. But from that point on, the Talbots outscored Seneca 19-7.
Hampton's ability to pull away was due to the fact that the Talbots better handled SV's defense. During the Raiders' run, they forced Hampton into several costly turnovers.
“Seneca's pressure hurt us a bit,” said Lafko, “but we ended up beating it and making plays. We have a lot of resiliency on this team.”
“Good teams are able to withstand runs and that's what Hampton did tonight,” said Raiders' coach Victor Giannotta.
Seneca featured several noteworthy performances, including 18 points from junior forward Zach Snyder, 16 from Izenas and another 12 from Holl.
The Raiders have now lost five of their last six, including four consecutive Section 3-AAAA defeats, but Giannotta is encouraged by his players' latest effort.
“I thought the whole team played well,” he said. “Hampton is a top-five team in the state, but I saw effort, energy and desire out of our team tonight. If we play with that the rest of the season, we'll be fine.”
HAMPTON 85
Jack Obringer 4 2-3 11, Collin Luther 5 9-10 19, Hayden Seserko 2 2-2 7, Jack Morrison 2 0-0 5, David Huber 6 0-1 13, Joey Lafko 9 3-5 24, Chandler McKinney 2 2-2 6, Trace McConnell 0 0-0 0. Totals: 30 18-23 85.
SENECA VALLEY 68
Matt Darby 3 1-2 7, Mike Smith 2 1-3 5, Josh Bauer 4 0-0 8, T.J. Holl 2 7-8 12, Dakota Topf 1 0-1 2, Zach Snyder 5 8-11 18, Chad Izenas 6 3-4 16, Jack Cook 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 20-29 68.
Hampton 24 15 20 26 — 85
Seneca Valley15 13 24 16 — 68
3-point goals: Hampton 7 (Lafko 3, Huber, Morrison, Seserko, Obringer); Seneca Valley 2 (Holl, Izenas).
Tuesday: Seneca Valley at Butler
