BROOKVILLE 47, MONITEAU 42

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Feb. 23, 2010 - District 9 Class AA Boys' Semifinals

By Rich Rhoades

CLARION – The Brookville Raiders couldn’t hold onto the ball, but the Moniteau Warriors couldn’t shoot it. The biggest problem of the two must have been the shooting department as the Raiders held off the Warriors, 47-42, in the District 9 Class AA boys’ semifinals Thursday night at Clarion University’s Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium.

Brookville (16-7) plays for a Class AA title for the first time since 1987. The Raiders, who were a Class AAA team from 1988 to 2004, haven’t won a Class AA crown since 1981.

The Raiders will play Kane, a team they beat at the buzzer in Kane back on Feb. 15, 46-45, next Friday also at Clarion University.

“Kane is going to be a big challenge. We had an unbelievable game up there and we were very fortunate to win,” Raiders head coach Bud Baughman said. “The emotions will be running high. They have lots of seniors. We’re going to be tickled pink to play because we haven’t been here for a long time.”

It was the Raiders’ first playoff win at Tippin since 1997, the site of the school’s first and only state playoff win against Seton LaSalle.

Against Moniteau, the Raiders overcame a 23-turnover performance by simply shooting it better than the Warriors. Brookville shot 43.6 percent (17-of-39) compared to a lowly 25.5 percent (13-of-51) for the Warriors, who were 4-of-22 from the field in the first half and only trailed 22-16.

From the three-point line, the Warriors missed 21 of 24 shots.

“You have to put the ball in the hoop. To put the ball in the hoop you have be confident, have faith in yourself, faith in your teammates,” Moniteau head coach Randy Armagost said. “I don’t care what gym you go to or what you do. It’s all the same. But the problem is, you have to put time in the offseason shooting the ball to be able to shoot. The games we lost this year, we shot 10 percent for the game. I’m tired of it.”

Dan Ion and Jared Heschke each scored 10 points for the Raiders. Chad Brocious, the team’s leading scorer, scored a season-low five points but did pull down 10 rebounds.   Zane Hackett scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Tashan Mark came off the bench to score seven points, all of them in the second half, including a key three-pointer late in the third quarter and two free throws in the final minutes of the game.

Kyle Armagost scored 20 points for the Warriors on 7-of-20 shooting. Zach McCormick scored 10 points and Zach Sloan scored eight points and collected 14 rebounds.

The Warriors and Raiders tied 30-30 in the rebound department. It’s only the sixth game this year that the Raiders didn’t win that statistical category outright.

Brookville led from start to finish, 12-6 after one and the six-point 22-16 edge at the half before the Warriors cut it two one point at 22-21 and 24-23 early in the third quarter.

But the Raiders held them off and Heschke’s basket with 2:01 left in the game, just 12 seconds before fouling out, put Brookville up 41-32 for its largest lead. However, six Raiders turnovers in the final 3:48 made things interesting. Armagost’s three-pointer  with 19.2 seconds left got Moniteau to within 45-42, but Kyle Baughman and Brocious each hit 1 of 2 free  throws to ice the game the rest of the way. The Raiders, after going 3-for-7 to start the game from the foul line, made 8 of 10 in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Warriors.

“I want another win obviously and I know the boys do. They’re not looking for second place by any means,” Baughman said. “We’re going to try to get ready for Kane. It’s going to be a big game. Now’s the hard part, trying to find out what to do to prepare for the next week. I’m thrilled we have at least two more games to play.”

District 9’s Class AA finalists both advance to states. While the champion plays March 13 against the WPIAL’s fifth seed, the runner-up goes to the play-in round on March 9 against the WPIAL eighth seed.

Moniteau’s season ends at 11-12.

“I’m just disgusted because I’m frustrated I can get any team, no matter what it is, to get over the edge and win,” Coach Armagost said. “I don’t know if it’s me or what it is. I’m going to think about it real hard the next two weeks.”

NOTES: During their Class AAA span, the Raiders won D-9 titles in 1992, 1996 and 1997. The title in 1997 did not earn them a state playoff berth. They entered the District 6 playoffs and finished second to Lewistown. ... The Raiders are 6-1 when they win the turnover battle in games this year. They’re 12-5 when outrebounding their opponents and 3-1 when losing the board battle. One of those wins came against Kane.

BROOKVILLE 47, MONITEAU 42

Score By Quarters

Moniteau         6          10        13        13        -           42

Brookville       12        10        11        14        -           47

Moniteau - 42

Kyle Armagost 7-20 4-8 20, Zach Sloan 3-8 2-2 8, Zach McCormick 2-15 5-8 10, Jordan Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Andrew Armagost 1-2 0-0 2, James Shope 0-4 0-0 0, Jereme Loos 0-1 2-3 2. Totals: 13-51 13-21 42.

Brookville - 47

Dan Ion 4-10 2-2 10, Kyle Baughman 1-4 3-4 6, Chad Brocious 2-6 1-3 5, Zane Hackett 3-8 0-0 6, Jared Heschke 4-6 2-4 10, Tashan Mark 2-2 2-2 7, Seth Connor 0-1 1-2 1, Taylor Heinrich 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 17-39 11-17 57.

3-pointers: Moniteau 3-24 (K. Armagost 2-11, McCormick 1-9, Sloan 0-1, A. Armagost 0-1, Shope 0-2), Brookville 2-6 (Baughman 1-2, Mark 1-1, Ion 0-3). Rebounds: Brookville 30 (Hackett 11, Brocious 10), Moniteau 30 (Sloan 14). Turnovers: Brookville 23, Moniteau 14.