MONACA - Seneca Valley boys basketball coach Vic Giannotta had no trouble describing how his team had just dropped a 21-point decision to Ambridge.

"They were on fire," he said of the Bridgers' performance.

The comment was short, but it was the best way the coach could've described the shooting performance he had just seen.

Giannotta watched Ambridge shoot a blistering 23-of-39 (59 percent) from the field in the first three quarters, as the Bridgers defeated Seneca Valley 67-46 to take third place in the C.J. Betters Tournament Thursday at the Community College of Beaver County.

Nick Pappas led all scorers with 22 points for the Bridgers (5-6), while Slade Unis added 18 and Jarred Gibson chipped in 15.

"At the beginning of the game, we were in a zone defense and I think we gave them too much room," said Giannotta. "But by the end of the first half, they were hitting shots with hands right in their faces."

The Raiders did their best to keep up, as Dave Monteleone scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the first half. But Seneca Valley's 12 turnovers in the first two quarters only added fuel to the Bridgers' fire, as they led 42-22 at the break.

The Raiders couldn't cope with the slim margin of error they were handed.

"We turned the ball over too much," said Giannotta of his team's 19 turnovers in the game. "We've been struggling too much against the good defenses. Right now, we are still working on fundamentals."

Dan Stanley added seven points for the Raiders while Don Barclay and Kevin Rohm both added six.

Trailing 58-32 after three quarters, Seneca Valley (1-11) outscored the Bridgers 14-7 in the final period, as both teams emptied their bench.

Ambridge coach Ron Rowan was not available for comment following the game.

SENECA VALLEY 46

Kevin Rohm 1 4-6 6, Pat Heery 0 2-2 2, Don Barclay 3 0-0 6, Gabe Grinder 1 1-2 3, Dave Monteleone 5 2-4 12, Kevin Mayberry 0 2-2 2, Matt Steinbrink 2 1-1 6, Dan Stanley 0 7-10 7, Andrew Rieder 0 2-2 2, Jim Sandherr 0 0-0 0, Shawn Eagle 0 0-0 0, Jason Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 21-29 46.

AMBRIDGE 67

Slade Unis 7 3-7 18, Nick Pappas 10 0-0 22, Mark Rieg 1 0-0 2, Jarred Gibson 4 4-6 14, Desmond McCoy 0 3-6 3, Wes Morski 1 1-2 3, Andy Burlett 1 1-3 3, Josh Ream 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 12-24 67.

3-point goals:

Steinbrink; Pappas 2, Gibson 2, Unis.

Tuesday:

Butler @ Seneca Valley