Caleb Waclawski posted a much-needed double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to help Moon Area claim a 55-49 victory over host Hershey Friday night in the opening round of the Class 5A PIAA Boys Basketball Championships.
With the win, the Tigers advance to second-round action Tuesday, March 10, against Thomas Jefferson, a 66-61 winner over District 3’s New Oxford Friday night.
The location and time of Tuesday’s game will be announced later.
Moon, the WPIAL’s No. 4 representative, improved to 21-5 and snapped a two-game losing streak. Hershey, District 3’s No. 3 team, finished 22-4.
Moon coach Gino Palmosina said the atmosphere in Hershey’s home gym was electric but his team was up to the task, particularly when it came to keeping standout guard Cameron Sweeney in check.
Sweeney finished with 25 points but had only 12 through the first three quarters.
“It was really a good defensive game for us,” he said afterward. “He scored 13 in the fourth quarter and made some shots to keep (Hershey) hanging around, but at the end of the day, we got the job done.”
Palmosina said the Tigers weren’t hitting on all cylinders offensively.
“We didn’t shoot it well,” he said. “We shot 3-of-15 from 3-point range and missed six free throws in the fourth quarter.
“But we found a way to get it done.”
The 6-foot-4 Waclawski and his inside game proved to be key for the Tigers, who have relied on the outside shot as the season wound down.
Palmosina said getting the ball inside “definitely has been a point of emphasis” of late.
As for Thomas Jefferson, Palmosina said he hasn’t seen much of the Jaguars, who reached the WPIAL championship game but lost to Chartiers Valley.
“We’ll watch some film and see what they have,” he said of the Jaguars, who improved to 24-3 with Friday night’s win.
Braeden Stuart added 12 points for Moon, which never trailed in Friday’s game.
“It was a great high school game,” Palmosina said.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Central Cambria 54, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 27
Katie George scored a game-high 26 points and the Red Devils outscored the Chargers 36-8 in the middle two quarters to claim a victory in the opening round of the Class 3A Tournament at Central Cambria.
OLSH more than held its own through the opening eight minutes and took a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
But Central Cambria outscored OLSH 17-6 in the second quarter to lead 30-20 at halftime and then kept the heat on by scoring 19 points to the Chargers’ two in the third quarter.
“We went cold the last 2 minutes, 30 seconds of the second quarter,” said OLSH coach Don Eckerle. “And it carried over to the third quarter.
“Their zone defense caused us spacing issues.”
The Chargers, who entered play with a 19-7 mark after finishing sixth in the WPIAL tournament, had to play without three-year starter Leah Parker, who missed the game due to illness.
Camryn Hummel led OLSH with 12 points.
Eckerle said overall he was pleased with his team’s effort this season.
“It was a good season and our younger players got to experience a state playoff game,” he said.
Leave a Reply