Mikes’ season ends with loss to Rams
Carmichaels鈥� Tyler Richmond drops in a layup during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver. Richmond scored 18 points but the Mikes lost, 69-47. (Photos by Rob Burchianti)
Carmichaels coach Ian McCombs hugs Alec Anderson as he comes out of Thursday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Tyler Richmond (5) scores in front of South Side Beaver鈥檚 Jacob Strisna (4) during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver. Richmond scored 18 points but the Mikes lost, 69-47.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Liam Lohr (3) takes a jump shot during Thursday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Dom Colarusso (left) and Liam Lohr (3) defend South Side Beaver鈥檚 Brody Almashy (2) during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Tyler Richmond shoots a baseline jump shot over South Side Beaver鈥檚 Jacob Strisna during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Alec Anderson inbounds the ball as Mikes coach Ian McCombs looks on in the background during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Dom Colarusso attempts a 3-point shot during Thursday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels coach Ian McCombs talks to his players during a timeout in Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Carmichaels鈥� Tyler Richmond (5) comes up with a steal that would lead to a layup during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver. Richmond scored 18 points but the Rams won, 69-47.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
Carmichaels鈥� Alec Anderson sinks a free throw during Thursday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
South Side Beaver鈥檚 Jacob Strisna blocks a 3-point attempt by Carmichaels鈥� Dom Colarusso during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地/
South Side Beaver鈥檚 Brody Almashy takes a jump shot as Carmichaels鈥� Ambrose Adamson (10) defends during Thursday鈥檚 night WPIAL Class AA playoff game at South Side Beaver.
HOOKSTOWN 鈥� Andrew Corfield did damage from the outside and Jacob Strisna dominated inside to help South Side Beaver take control in the first half and go on to defeat visiting Carmichaels, 69-47, in a WPIAL Class AA preliminary round boys basketball playoff game last Thursday night.
Corfield hit two early 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 21 points and the 6-foot-6 Strisna added 17 points, 10 coming off offensive rebounds, as the Rams (8-15) advanced to the first round where they will play at No. 2 Bishop Canevin on Tuesday.
South Side Beaver also got 12 points from 6-foot-4 Carter Wilson and 11 from Brody Almashy.
Tyler Richmond did his best to try to keep the Mikes (12-11) in the game and scored a team-high 18 points but the Rams shut down Carmichaels鈥� potent point guard Dom Colarusso, limiting him to three points on one 3-pointer.
Alec Anderson and Aydan Adamson eached scored eight points for the Mikes.
Carmichaels made seven 3-pointers, including two apiece by Richmond and Adamson, but misfired from outside more often than not as it tried to rely on its perimeter game to negate the Rams鈥� height.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just a new thing we had to adjust to was having that kind of size on the floor against us,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淲ith their big guys inside we kind of had our offense spread out a little bit, and we actually swung the ball around nicely at times.
鈥淔or a lot of the season we were playing 3-ball and it was winning us games but I guess live by the 3, die by the 3. When they鈥檙e not falling and it鈥檚 tough to get it inside it makes for a rough night.鈥�
The Mikes took the lead twice in a back-and-forth first quarter that had four lead changes and two ties. Adamson鈥檚 first 3-pointer put Carmichaels ahead 9-7 and Colarusso鈥檚 lone basket of the night gave the visitors a 12-11 advantage.
Strisna scored off a rebound to put South Side Beaver ahead 13-12 and it would never trail again. The Rams closed the opening frame on a 9-2 run, capped by Corfield鈥檚 3-pointer, for a 20-14 lead.
South Side Beaver began the second quarter with five different players scoring in an 11-2 burst to go up 31-16. Richmond hit two 3-pointers and a bank shot to keep the Mikes from falling behind any further in the final four minutes of the half which ended with the Rams ahead 39-24.
鈥淚t just seemed like everything they threw up in the first half was going in, whether is was a put-back or 3-ball or whatever,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淚 had some hope in the second half that maybe they weren鈥檛 going to be able to keep up that pace and things would even themselves out.鈥�
That didn鈥檛 happen, however.
South Side Beaver scored the first six points of the third quarter to go up 45-24, forcing McCombs to call a timeout. The Rams increased the gap to 23 points and seemed like they would coast to victory.
The Mikes finally got a spark from a South Side Beaver player, strangely enough, late in the quarter.
Christian Myzk shoved Richmond during a dead ball, drawing a technical foul. Richmond made one of the two free throws and Liam Lohr hit a 3-pointer. The suddenly inspired Mikes went on a 12-2 run that wrapped around the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter to get within 54-42 with a pair of steals and layups by Richmond capping the burst.
鈥淭yler is an all-hustle guy,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淗e can make plays offensively and defensively and he can turn some of those defensive efforts into points. That was big for us in our attempt to come back.鈥�
When asked if he thought the technical foul helped spark his team鈥檚 rally, McCombs said, 鈥淚t certainly seemed like that gave us a surge of emotion and we got fired up, and battled back into the game. But we couldn鈥檛 hold on to that momentum shift.鈥�
The Rams regrouped and reeled off the next nine points to retake command as Carmichaels suddenly went cold from the field again.
鈥淚f a couple of those shots go in then all of a sudden your confidence is up, maybe you get it under 10,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淲e had a lot of good, open looks that just wouldn鈥檛 go down.鈥�
McCombs reflected on the Mikes鈥� season after the game.
鈥淥verall, if you step back and look at it we lost a lot of guys last year and had four new starters and that means you鈥檝e got to build chemistry and see what鈥檚 going to work for you on both sides of the ball,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淲e played in a lot of tough battles, one-possession games, whether is was Monessen, Geibel, Chartiers-Houston, Burgettstown, Bentworth.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a testament to our guys battling until the end. I鈥檓 proud of their effort and hustle and the way that they never gave up.鈥�