If you were expecting another low-scoring performance from Tyrone again, you were in for a treat. Tyrone came into the game off a fresh two-game win streak and needed to stretch this streak out as far as it can go. With a 3-6 record, things were looking a little better than the start of the season. Tyrone would face a tough 2-10 Bald Eagle Area team, Friday night, looking to extend the streak to three in a row.
Tyrone started out slow, but took an early 3-2 lead behind the “and-one” from Brandon Gehret with 5:55 to go in the first.
After a Drew Wetzel lay-in, Tyrone never looked back. The route was on as Johnny Franco, Jamie Levinson, Doug Morrow, Steve Catich and Wade Branstetter spread out a 15-2 run to end the quarter, going on top big after the first period, 18-6.
It was all Tyrone in the first quarter, but Bald Eagle managed to gain some confidence in the second quarter as Wetzel and Joe Pilot scored the first four, cutting the large lead to just eight with 5:37 to go in the half.
Tyrone once again started out the quarter slow, managing to finally score at 4:30 in the second quarter behind a Catich put-back, but Pilot kept Bald Eagle in the game, answering Catich with a three pointer, cutting it to 20-13.
Tyrone looked as if they were going to let the Bald Eagles back in the game, but after a minute and a half drought of scoring from either team, Catich scored again, putting Tyrone up nine. On the ensuing possession, however, Pilot knocked down another trey to cut the lead to just six with under two minutes to go.
Tyrone answered right back, as Gripp made a wise decision to throw in sophomore, Travis Peterman, who lit up Bald Eagle in Jayvee action earlier that night. Peterman went in the game and knocked down a three-pointer, answering the call from Bald Eagle and putting Tyrone back up nine with one minute remaining in the half.
Trevor Schall added Bald Eagle\\\’s third three in a row with 0:41 left in the half. It was a battle until the end of the half, as both teams were handing each other shot after shot, ending with a 29-21 halftime score.
Tyrone managed to score seven of their 11 points in the remaining minute of the half, showing that they can be a scoring threat as they went into the half with an eight-point cushion and all the momentum on their shoulders.
“We practice hard the past three days primarily on defense. That really sparked our offense tonight,” Gripp stated. “Franco was getting into the lanes and converting easy buckets off steals. We just went back to the basics on our defense and it seemed to work in our favor tonight.”
The second half belonged to Tyrone, pouring on the offense as they almost matched their season average after three-quarters of play. Franco began showing his blazing speed and agility, as he was absolutely schooling his defender and blowing by almost every touch he got. His performance on offense was the best of his career and he continued to show his agility on defense as he took another five steals from the Bald Eagles, Friday night.
With six of Tyrone\\\’s 14 third-quarter points coming from Franco, Tyrone managed to keep a 43-31 lead going into the fourth. There was no holding back in the fourth as Tyrone kept clicking on offense and continued to shut down Bald Eagle on defense in the remaining quarter of the game.
Franco continued his great performance as made a miraculous tip-in with one hand off of a Branstetter miss. He soared over a defender, grabbed the ball with one hand, and managed to make a “crazy” shot, which sparked Tyrone\\\’s offense.
After a Wetzel bucket, Tyrone went on an 8-1 run, putting the game out of reach with a score of 55-36 with just under four minutes to go in the game. It was a Franco and Catich fourth quarter as the two combined for 12 of Tyrone\\\’s 21 fourth quarter points.
Tyrone had their best offensive output on the season as they went on to win, 64-49, and managed to score almost every time they had an offensive set-up. They were in their positions, made solid screens, and just played absolutely perfect basketball on the offensive side. A little struggle here and there, but Tyrone definitely can scare teams in the near future with the offensive spurts they are capable of.
\\\”Our offense tonight was good. We got some good looks from (Jamie) Levinson and (Wade) Branstetter off the bench. They got us some key buckets early on in the game. There are times where they couldn\\\’t make a shot if they were to through the ball into the ocean, but tonight they made some shots for us and kept us well ahead in the game,\\\” Gripp said.
With a 4-6 record now, Tyrone has taken out the last three opponents and look to take their fourth in a row at Penn Cambria, Monday night. They are always tough to play on the road with their pesky student section and a good basketball program.
“Penn Cambria is always tough on the road. We have to stick to the basics on defense and keep pushing the ball on offense like we did tonight. They have that student section which sits under the basket, but we just have to get out there and play our game and continue to get better as the season rolls on.” Gripp stated his final comments on the New Year victory.
Tyrone got all they needed from Catich again, as he led Tyrone with 18 points. Franco also added 16 points in the game, swinging Tyrone\\\’s momentum from time to time with his explosive play on both sides of the court. Gehret also chipped in 12 points, knocking down 6-7 from the charity stripe, which was a big factor in the win.
Bald Eagle drops to 2-11, breaking the four-game win-streak over Tyrone as Wetzel led them with 16 points. They looked strong at some points of the game, but Tyrone was just too much for their weak defensive threat.
Tyrone 64 Bald Eagle Area 49
BEA – Kader 1 0-1 2, Schall 5 0-0 11, Wetzel 6 4-8 16, Fisher 1 1-2 3, Fayman 1 0-0 2, Maggs 1 0-1 2, Pilot 5 1-2 13. Totals 20 6-14 49.
Tyrone – Morrow 2 0-0 4, Franco 8 0-1 16, Brooks 0 2-2 2, Catich 7 4-7 18, Gehret 3 6-7 12, Branstetter 2 0-0 4, Levinson 1 0-0 3, Peterman 1 0-0 3, Dane 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 12-17 64.
Bald Eagle Area 6 15 10 18 – 49
Tyrone 18 11 14 21- 64
Three-point goals: BEA-3 (Pilot-2, Schall-1).
Tyrone-2 (Levinson-1, Peterman-1).
Peterman lights up Bald Eagle in Jayvee victory
Bald Eagle Area couldn\\\’t get enough of Travis Peterman, as they seemed to let him light up the scoreboard, Friday night. Peterman knocked down three trey\\\’s and took total control of the game scoring 19 points and leading the way to victory for Tyrone.
Tyrone held BEA to just 33 points, and put up 51 in a route against a new rival.
Tyrone 51 Bald Eagle Area 33
Tyrone-5 (Peterman-3, Ingle-1, Hampton-1)
BEA – Pollero 1 0-0 2, Schall 2 1-2 5, Miller 1 0-0 2, Dropcho 3 4-7 10, Fayman 1 0-0 2, Bathurst 4 0-1 8, Resto 2 0-0 4, Moore 1 0-2 2. Totals 16 5-13 33
Tyrone – Ingle 3 0-0 7, Dane 2 0-0 4, Peterman 8 0-0 19, Updyke 1 0-3 2, Hampton 4 0-1 9, Romo 3 0-2 6, Lynn 0 1-2 1, Henneman 0 1-2 1, Black 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 2-10 51
Bald Eagle Area 7 8 7 14 – 33
Tyrone 19 9 11 12 – 51
Three-point goals: Bald Eagle Area- none.
Tyrone: 5 (Peterman 3, Ingle, Hampton)
