Feisty SV can't solve the Titans
JACKSON TWP — Close isn't good enough for Vic Giannotta.
The Seneca Valley boys basketball coach watched his team stand toe-to-toe with undefeated Shaler much of the night before falling to the visiting Titans 59-52 Friday.
SV (5-4, 1-2) trailed by one point with five minutes to play, but the Raiders missed eight of their final nine field goal attempts.
“We played well, just not well enough to win,” said Giannotta. “But there's nothing positive about losing.”
The Raiders were able to take Shaler (10-0, 4-0) out of its comfort zone in the third quarter, trimming a 38-31 deficit to 45-44 with one quarter remaining after Alex Maxfield's 3-pointer beat the buzzer.
“We talked about some different things at halftime,” said Titans coach Paul Holzshu. “One of them was offensive efficiency. We needed to set better screens and make better cuts and not freelance. But sometimes the pressure of a game forces you out of things you want to do, and I think that's what happened for a while tonight.”
Shaler received balanced scoring from guard J.T. Schwartz (13 points) and forwards J.P. Holtz (14) and Geno Thorpe (15).
It was Thorpe's 3-pointer with 5:45 left in the game that gave the Titans a lead they wouldn't surrender.
Seneca Valley was led by guards Christian Durbin and Maxfield, who both scored 19 points.
But the Raiders received little help from the rest of the team late in the game, as the backcourt duo scored 24 of SV's 26 points in the second half.
“I was fine with the looks we had down the stretch, but we didn't make the shots,” said Giannotta.
The Raiders forced Shaler into six turnovers in the first quarter, while SV exploited the Titans' defense.
“They pressed us early and we were able to break it and get some baskets,” Giannotta added.
“Their two guards really hurt us,” said Holzshu. “And Seneca poses a lot of problems defensively with their zone. They were prepared tonight. You can't be tentative against them.”
Shaler won a tight battle on the boards 28-25.
SHALER 59Zach Taylor 3 0-1 7, J.T. Schwartz 4 3-4 13, J.P. Holtz 6 2-4 14, Craig Feehan 3 0-2 6, Brian Bittner 1 1-2 3, Geno Thorpe 5 2-4 15, Ryan Mincher 0 1-3 1, Jake Sieber 0 0-0 0.
Totals: 22 9-20 59.
SENECA VALLEY 52Beau Barclay 2 0-0 4, Christian Durbin 6 4-4 19, Chad Albert 3 0-1 6, R.J. McCauley 0 2-2 2, Alex Maxfield 7 3-5 19, Jordan Brown 1 0-0 2, Austin Bream 0 0-0 0, Pat Kulp 0 0-0 0, Easton Bazzoli 0 0-0 0, Matt Smith 0 0-0 0.
Totals: 19 9-12 52.
Shaler 11 18 16 14—59Seneca Valley 12 14 18 8—523-point goals: Shaler 6 (Thorpe 3, Schwartz 2, Taylor); Seneca Valley 5 (Durbin 3, Maxfield 2).
Tuesday: Seneca Valley at Pine-Richland
