An 18-1 run midway through the third quarter sparked Moon Area to an 87-77 victory over Thomas Jefferson Tuesday night in a second-round PIAA Class 5A boys basketball tournament matchup at Peters Township.
The Tigers, the WPIAL’s No. 4 team in the state tournament, picked an opportune time to have their most productive offensive night of the season in eliminating the Jaguars, who lost in the WPIAL tournament championship game to Chartiers Valley.
Moon, now 22-5, hadn’t scored more than 78 points in a game all season and it had not scored more than 60 since Feb. 3.
Tigers coach Gino Palmosina acknowledged that Tuesday’s offensive output was a little unusual.
“That’s not our style of play at all,” he said afterward. “But we really had no choice because of the way (Thomas Jefferson) was shooting the ball.
“They’re a talented team and a tough cover. They have scorers all over the place. We hadn’t been shooting the ball well lately, but we shot it well tonight, thankfully. I’m proud of our guys – they battled through it. At this time of the year it’s just survive and advance.
“We found a way to get it done, and now it’s on to Friday.”
With the win, the Tigers advance to take on West York in the tournament quarterfinals Friday at a time and location to be determined.
West York defeated Penn Hills, 56-42, Tuesday night to move on to the quarterfinals.
The Tigers placed four players in double figures in the win over Thomas Jefferson, led by junior Brody Bauman, who scored a team-high 28 points. Caden Kopay enjoyed a big night offensively with 19 points, Jackson Bauman finished with 18 and AJ Buford added 11 points.
Palmosina said he thought his team played a very unselfish game.
“A lot of guys were making shots, and we did a good job of sharing the ball and getting the open look,” he said.
With Jackson Bauman held in check in the first half – he managed just a single point – brother Brody carried the load, scoring 15 of his points in the first two quarters to help Moon stay even with the Jaguars. The two teams finished the opening half tied 36-36.
The game remained ultra tight in the first three minutes of the second half, as a 3-pointer by Justin Fry, Thomas Jefferson’s fine junior swingman, gave his team a 44-42 lead.
But that would be the last points the Jaguars would score for a while, as Moon reeled off 14 consecutive points and 18 of the next 19 to open up a 60-45 lead before TJ cut it to 64-52 at the end of the third quarter.
Jackson Bauman led the third-quarter surge with 10 points while Brody Bauman added eight. Kopay played a key role as well, scoring five points during the 14-0 blitz and setting up Buford with a nifty pass inside for a basket.
The Jaguars pulled to within 11 points several times in the fourth quarter but never seriously threatened.
Fry finished with 30 points to lead Thomas Jefferson and Nicholas Trklja added 21 before fouling out.
The first half was a game of runs that ended in a 36-36 tie.
Moon jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Jaguars outscored the Tigers 19-6 the rest of the quarter to take a 19-13 lead after eight minutes of play.
Fry and Kane Eggerton each scored eight points in that quarter for Thomas Jefferson.
The Jaguars scored the first two points of the second quarter, but Moon then went on a 16-8 run to take a 29-27 lead with 3:46 remaining in the half.
Class 2A: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart vs. Mercyhurst Prep
The West Hills’ only other remaining tournament team – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – will take on Mercyhurst Prep at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night at Sharon High School with a berth in the quarterfinals on the line.
The Chargers advanced to the second round with a 47-35 victory over Conemaugh Township Saturday at the Angela Activities Center.
Mercyhurst Prep won its opening-round game, 66-45, over Winchester Thurston Saturday.
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