Greyhounds force 27 TOs in 60-44 playoff victory
MONESSEN — It wasn’t pretty, but Monessen used its patented stifling defense to force 27 Western Beaver turnovers Friday night for a 60-44 victory in the first round of the WPIAL Class A boys basketball playoffs.
“We didn’t play a clean game, but we made plays when we had to,” said Monessen coach Dan Bosnic. “They outhustled us at certain times, so we have to clean that up (moving forward).”
Lorenzo Gardner led Monessen (21-2) with 16 points to become the 17th member of the storied program’s 1,000-point club.
“It speaks to his ability level,” said Bosnic. “Anytime you get that as a junior, it means you are a pretty good player.
“He is definitely capable of scoring.”
Down 4-2 early, Monessen clamped down defensively and didn’t allow another Western Beaver basket until the first quarter buzzer when Chantz Cottrill scored. The basket ended a 12-1 run, and the Greyhounds led 14-7 going into the second.
Monessen forced 10 Western Beaver turnovers in the first quarter.
Monessen opened up a 20-9 lead two minutes into the second, but the Greyhounds went cold over the final six minutes with only one basket.
The Golden Beavers switched to a trapping defense, forcing nine Monessen turnovers in the quarter to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 28-22 at halftime.
With both teams playing pressure defense, Western Beaver (10-13) turned the ball over 15 times in the first half and Monessen 14 times.
Gardner, needing 15 points coming into the game to hit the 1,000-point milestone, scored on a contested transition layup with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Greyhounds a 42-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Western Beaver didn’t get any closer and despite Monessen being sluggish at times on offense, the Greyhounds pulled away late.
Gardner was joined in double figures by Davontae Clayton (14) and Tim Kershaw (13), while Jaisean Blackman finished with six points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
“Jaisean was our best player on the court tonight,” said Bosnic. “He set the tone in the first quarter and made plays when we needed them.”
Levi Gray (21) and Chantz Cottrill (18) combined for 39 of Western Beaver’s 44 points.
Monessen advances to the quarterfinals and travels to third-seeded Carlynton (15-6) on Wednesday, a team Bosnic has watched on film in the Cougars’ game against Western Beaver.
“Carlynton is a good basketball team and we have seen them,” said Bosnic. “They will try to pressure us and are a senior group.
“We will have to be ready to go down there and play good basketball.”
Bosnic added that his team feels slighted about being seeded sixth despite being 20-2 in the regular season.
“After the seedings come out, that’s your path and we have to play,” explained Bosnic. “You have no other choice.
“Our kids naturally have a chip on their shoulder, and something like this motivates us.”