Yough’s late hot steak leads to section title, PIAA berth
Jim Nesser felt his Yough boys basketball team would improve this season after going 13-10 and finishing fourth in Section 4-AAA a year ago.
Sitting at 5-7 partway through the season, it looked as if Nesser无毛视频檚 assessment was off the mark. Then the Cougars caught fire and a late turnaround propelled them to their first section title and PIAA playoff berth since 2005.
Yough (17-9) travels to Mount Aloysius College in Cresson to play Penn Cambria (21-5) in a 5 p.m. state first-round game on Saturday.
Also in action Saturday will be Monessen无毛视频檚 girls team in the PIAA Class A bracket. The Lady Greyhounds (17-6), also a section champion and the fifth-place team out of the WPIAL, face approximately a four-hour trip to play District 9 champion Otto Eldred (23-2) at 3 p.m. in Duke Center.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l be honest, we thought we无毛视频檇 be better than last year but we didn无毛视频檛 know how much better,无毛视频� Nesser said. 无毛视频淭he whole season has been a little bit of ups and downs and this is where we ended up.无毛视频�
Yough won its first three games, then lost seven of its next nine before closing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak to tie Washington for first place.
The Cougars opened the postseason with a 46-25 home win over Burrell, then played in three consecutive tight battles, falling at Neshannock, 53-49, in the quarterfinals and losing a consolation game to Shady Side Academy, 53-51, before defeating Mohawk, 70-67, in a second consolation game to punch their ticket to the PIAA tournament as the seventh-place WPIAL team.
无毛视频淚 wouldn无毛视频檛 saying I无毛视频檓 shocked by it,无毛视频� Nesser said. 无毛视频淏ut it feels good to see where we无毛视频檙e at. It无毛视频檚 a whole new season now.无毛视频�
Beating Penn Cambria will be a tough assignment, according to Nesser.
无毛视频淭hey beat Deer Lakes in the first round last year,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e a good team that shoots the ball very well and plays great defense.无毛视频�
Nesser, a Greensburg Central Catholic graduate who played basketball at Slippery Rock, is pleased with what his team has accomplished up to this point, especially winning a section crown.
无毛视频淚 think it was great for the kids,无毛视频� said Nesser, who无毛视频檚 in his fifth year at Yough. 无毛视频淥ne of the first key games in that run came at Brownsville. We knew that would be tough but our kids found a way to win. Then the win at Washington was a huge game which, again, we found a way to win.
无毛视频淚 think those two games boosted our confidence. We started believing in ourselves that we could be a good team, that we could win. Once that happened, you could see in the last month or so of the season we无毛视频檝e just taken off.无毛视频�
The Cougars are led by a couple of juniors in Terek Crosby, one of the WPIAL无毛视频檚 top scorers, and Austin Matthews.
无毛视频淭erek is our main guard. He无毛视频檚 done a little bit of everything for us,无毛视频� said Nesser who is assisted by Bill Sherbondy, Sam Sunder and Kasen Harrell. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 athletic, he can get to the hoop and he can shoot the ball. He无毛视频檚 developed into a better all-around player as the year has gone on.
无毛视频淎ustin is our anchor. He无毛视频檚 6-5, 6-6 and a legitimate post player. He无毛视频檚 consistent. He comes to work every day. He无毛视频檚 an old-school, put your hardhat on and go to work kind of kid. He无毛视频檚 been really outstanding for us.无毛视频�
The Cougars are far from just a two-man show.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had some guys who无毛视频檝e stepped up and been our third scorers all year long,无毛视频� Nesser said, pointing to a pair of senior starters. 无毛视频淭yler Travillion had 17 at Washington to lead our team. Parker Rost had a big game against Burrell. Both of those kids are very athletic and very capable of making plays.
无毛视频淥ur point guard Zander Aire, a junior, is a solid athletic kid who can defend and rebound and does a really good job. Brandon Converso is a senior who came off the bench against Mohawk and hit five 3s.
无毛视频淪o it无毛视频檚 been a team effort down the stretch.无毛视频�
Monessen, which halted West Greene无毛视频檚 string of section titles at six, is 2-1 in the postseason. After receiving a first-round bye, the Lady Greyhounds lost to St. Joseph in the quarterfinals, 53-46, but came back to win a pair of consolation games against the Lady Pioneers, 56-53, and another section foe in Avella, 48-37, to secure a spot in the state tournament.
Saturday无毛视频檚 winners advance to Wednesday无毛视频檚 second round.