BY RICH RHOADES

    CLARION -- Almost a week after a dissapointing evening at Clarion University's Tippen Gymnasium, the Johnsonburg Rams made it a happy place once again.
   
The Rams put four players in double-figure scoring and used a dominating second-quarter performance to cruise past District 10 third-seed West Middlesex, 66-44, Friday night in the opening round of the PIAA Class A boys' state playoffs.
   
Johnsonburg (24-4) was coming off its fourth loss to Elk County Catholic in last week's District 9 Championship game. The Rams had an 11-point lead in the first half, but foul trouble and the failure to execute in the second half cost them a chance at a district title.
   
This time, that didn't happen as the Rams outscored West Middlesex, 22-6, in the second quarter and took a 35-18 lead into the second half. The closest the Big Red would get the rest of the way was 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, but the Rams closed the game with a 15-4 run to set the final margin.
   
Next up for the Rams is District 6 champion Bishop Carroll, which beat Cornell 60-44 in its first-round matchup Friday night. The Huskies and Rams should provide for an interesting game, considering that Bishop Carroll also has size that could be a challenge for the Rams who boast 6-foot-8 Greg Wonderly and 6-foot-5 Dan Zeigler in their starting lineup.
   
Zeigler and Wonderly were dominating inside defensively, blocking several West Middlesex shots. The Rams' vaunted 2-3 zone defense provided a difficult challenge for West Middlesex, which shot just 28 percent from the field. Zeigler scored 12 points and collected eight rebounds while Wonderly scored eight points and made seven rebounds.
   
Joining Zeigler in the scoring column were John Kocjancic, who led the way with 16 points, and Calvin Grumley and Dan Nelson who each scored 13 points.
   
Paul Fair led West Middlesex (12-12) with 16 points. Bob Michaels finished with 13 points on just 4-of-17 shooting.
  
Johnsonburg led 13-12 after the first quarter, then started the second quarter with a 14-0 spurt that put the Rams in control. Johnsonburg shot 60 percent from the floor in the quarter and helped force seven West Middlesex turnovers.
   
The Rams played well with the lead in the second half, especially from the foul line where they converted 18 of 25 free throws.

JOHNSONBURG 66, WEST MIDDLESEX 44

West Middlesex 12 6 14 12 – 44

Johnsonburg 13 22 10 21 – 66

Dustin Berger 0 0-0 0, Kolten Hoffman 0-0 0-0 0, Chad Webster 0-0 0-0 0, Bob Michaels 4-17 2-2 13, Seth Gassner 0-3 0-0 0, Paul Fair 6-14 3-5 16, Ryan Ellison 4-8 0-0 8, Josh Holzworth 0-5 2-6 2, Jesse Polite 2-10 1-2 5. Totals 16-57 8-15 44.

John Paar Kocjancic 5-10 3-4 16, Calvin Grumley 3-6 6-8 13, Dan Nelson 4-10 4-4 13, Greg Wonderly 3-8 2-5 8, Cory Wonderly 2-3 0-0 4, Dan Zeigler 3-8 5-6 12, Chad Yurchick 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Feronti 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 20-27 66.

Three-pointers: West Middlesex 4-18 (Michaels 3-11, Fair 1-1, Holzworth 0-2, Polite 0-4), Johnsonburg 6-17 (Kocjancic 3-6, Grumley 1-4, Nelson 1-6, Zeigler 1-1). Rebounds: Johnsonburg 30 (Zeigler 8, G. Wonderly 7), West Middlesex 30 (Michaels 9, Ellison 9). Team rebounds: West Middlesex 7, Johnsonburg 4. Turnovers: Johnsonburg 12, West Middlesex 12.