HOWLAND – Berkshire basketball coach Pete Moran figured why not take advantage of the situation.
Moran is accustomed to a style of officiating that doesn’t always allow stronger teams to flex their muscles.
When Moran realized that the officials were receptive to a physical game against the Pymatuning Valley Lakers, he gladly took advantage of the opportunity as the Badgers rolled to a 54-36 win in a sectional final of the Division IV tournament here Friday.
“We’re kind of on the east side (of Cleveland),” Moran said. “You’re allowed to play a little more out here. They let a little more go, which we’re not accustomed to. Most of the games out there we get guys in foul trouble.
“I told the kids at halftime to adjust to the officials and come out and play hard and match their intensity. PV came out and played hard.”
The third-seeded Badgers (15-6) will second-seeded LaBrae Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a district semifinal game.
The Badgers were led in scoring by Tim Goff with 15 points. Kevin Hix added 14 points.
PV, which finished the season with a 14-8 record, wasn’t able to consistently match Berkshire’s strength.
“Berkshire is a physical team,” Lakers coach Ryan Fitch said. “They pushed us around a little bit. We matched the intensity at times, but there were times when they were more physical than us all over the court.”
The Badgers rode the strength of an 11-point first quarter by Hix to take a 17-7 lead. Berkshire took a 29-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The third quarter proved to be the difference. The Lakers scored just two points in the period as the Badgers stretched their lead to a 40-21.
PV was 14-of-60 from the field. The Lakers made just 4-of-16 free throws.
“I was talking to coach (Dan) Bubon from Champion,” Fitch said. “He hit the nail on the head. You’re not going to beat anybody shooting the ball like that.”
The Lakers had a short-lived run to start the fourth quarter on a fielder by Travis Kume and a pair of free throws by Brandon Easton, who had a team-high 13 points. The Badgers then scored eight straight points and were never seriously challenged down the stretch.
“We have a couple of big guys,” Moran said. “Let’s be honest. If you have big guys, you have to give them the basketball. Timmy Goff, our tall sophomore, did a good job. Our other two big guys – Evan Monroe and Bryce Smetana – picked up their intensity a little bit.”
McLain is a sports writer for the (Warren) Tribune Chronicle.
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Related Photos
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BRANDON EASTON and his Pymatuning Valley teammates were eliminated by Berkshire in a Division III sectional championship game Friday night at Howland. WARREN DILLAWAY
Discussion
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