Remarkable Rockets
J-M notches team-record 24th win in PIAA rout of Redbank Valley
Redbank Valley 1,000-point scorer Braylon Wagner fittingly sank his team无毛视频檚 first basket in their PIAA Class 2A first-round boys basketball playoff game against Jefferson-Morgan on Saturday.
The trouble was, by time the host Bulldogs got on the scoreboard, the Rockets had already rang up 12 points and blocked three shots in seizing control of the game.
They would never relinquish it.
Jeremiah Robertson scored seven of his game-high 24 points and blocked a shot in the opening run as J-M rolled to a 50-26 victory in claiming just the program无毛视频檚 second state win and first in 26 years.
The Rockets also broke the team record for wins in a season as they improved to 24-3.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been a storybook year,无毛视频� Jefferson-Morgan coach Brandon Lawless said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 kind of surreal. I无毛视频檓 just so proud of our players and the work they put in and how hard they无毛视频檝e played. They无毛视频檝e all bought into their roles and they无毛视频檙e having fun doing it.无毛视频�
J-M, the sixth seed out the WPIAL, advanced to Wednesday无毛视频檚 second round of the PIAA tournament where it will face WPIAL runner-up Jeannette at a site and time to be determined.
Robertson opened the game无毛视频檚 scoring with a steal and layup and Jefferson-Morgan would not trail again.
无毛视频淛eremiah was electric in the first half,无毛视频� Lawless said.
Robertson added a tough layup, three of four free throws and a blocked shot during the 12-point burst, which also included five points with a 3-pointer by Brayden Ellsworth and two blocked shots and a steal by Dayten Marion.
Redbank Valley无毛视频檚 first points by Wagner came with just 2:03 left in the first quarter.
无毛视频淲e started with a lot of energy on defense and we were able to get out and run in transition and get some scores and got up on them early,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淚 thought that was very crucial.
无毛视频淚 told our players this game comes down to the little things, who无毛视频檚 going to make free throws, who无毛视频檚 going to miss free throws, who无毛视频檚 going to make layups, who无毛视频檚 going to miss layups, and who无毛视频檚 going to go 110 percent every possession and who无毛视频檚 going to take a possession off. I felt we were on the positive side in all three of those.无毛视频�
J-M ended the first quarter with a 14-4 lead and went into halftime ahead 25-14.
Lawless stressed to his team the importance of keeping the pressure on at halftime.
无毛视频淚 told them it无毛视频檚 still a 0-0 mindset, you still have 16 minutes of basketball,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淵ou have to put the game away while you have them down so keep your foot on them, don无毛视频檛 let them up, don无毛视频檛 let them hit a couple shots and give them hope.无毛视频�
The Rockets dominated the second half, out-scoring the Bulldogs 14-6 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 39-20 and then pulling away with an 11-6 edge in the fourth.
Lawless was pleased to see his defense only allow a combined 12 points over the final two frames.
无毛视频淒efense always travels and we无毛视频檙e a defensive-minded team,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e so bought into it and it shows. Defense is never my concern but the offensive side is where we struggle at times.无毛视频�
J-M got enough contributions from the rest of its lineup against Redbank Valley to complement Robertson无毛视频檚 big offensive game. Ellsworth finished with eight points, Marion scored six points, John Woodward and Triton Farabee each tallied five points and Jaymison Robinson tacked on two points.
无毛视频淲e have five senior starters with a lot of chemistry and that无毛视频檚 what makes this team special, but Triton Farabee is a really good player, too, who could start for most teams,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淚 thought he gave us some quality minutes off the bench today, as he has all season.无毛视频�
The Rockets reduced the tempo in the second half.
无毛视频淲e played more of a slower style, played a controlled offense,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淲e got stops and then would just run our sets and take time off the clock. I thought it was a very good, collective team effort. They were running man-to-man and we took advantage of mismatches. Most importantly we valued the basketball. We didn无毛视频檛 turn the ball over too much today.无毛视频�
Wagner paced the District 6 champion Bulldogs (18-8) with just 13 points.
无毛视频淚 was pretty pleased with the all-around game we played,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淥ur guys played really hard and played relatively mistake-free basketball.无毛视频�
Jefferson-Morgan is now 3-2 in the postseason. It had already secured its first section championship and first playoff victory since 2000.
无毛视频淚 told our guys going into this game you无毛视频檝e already accomplished pretty much every goal we无毛视频檝e put out there for you so there无毛视频檚 really no pressure at this point,无毛视频� Lawless said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e won 23 games for a reason so just go play with confidence and have fun.无毛视频�