Big Macs use strong finish to stop PT
Canon-McMillan fans cheer when Louis Waller scores to break the tie to bring the score to 60-58 and secure the win with seconds left in the game against Peters Township
Canon-McMillan’s Luke Palma scores against Peters Township.
Canon-McMillan’s Tyler Crawford looks to make a pass around Peters Township’s Ben Yeates.
A member of the Canon-McMillan girls basketball team takes a break from practice in the auxiliary gym to check on the close game between the Canon-McMillan and Peters Township boys basketball teams.
Canon-McMillan’s Cole Stanley (5) and Ethan Beachy deny Peters Township’s Sam Petrarca the basket.
Peters Township’s Ben Yeates shoots a three-pointer against Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Sam Petrarca scores against Canon-McMillan’s Ethan Beachy.
CANONSBURG — Canon-McMillan boys basketball coach Rick Bell would most likely agree with the philosophy: It is not how one starts, but how one finishes.
It is also a good bet that Peters Township coach Gary Goga would agree.
The Big Macs used a half-court trap to swing the tide and be the catalyst for a pulsating 62-58 win on their Senior Night Tuesday at Canon-McMillan High School.
Canon-McMillan (6-4, 12-8) clinches third place in Section 2 of Class 6A while Peters Township (4-6, 12-7) falls to fourth. Both have already qualified for spots in the WPIAL Class 6A tournament.
The Big Macs earned some needed momentum heading into the postseason with their third straight win, which came on the heels of an ugly three-game losing streak, a fact that was not lost on Bell after he emerged from a victorious locker room.
“All the credit goes to the kids,” Bell said. “To come back from losing three straight as badly as we did, that shows a lot of resilience for sure.”
Drew Engel led the way for the Big Macs with 19 points. His two free throws after stealing the Peters Township inbounds pass with under five seconds in the game sealed the contest. Fellow seniors Ethan Beachy and Luke Palma chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
But Louis Waller was the hero on this night for the Big Macs. He finished with six points and six rebounds, but it was his mid-range jump shot with five seconds left over three Peters Township defenders that provided the winning margin.
“He facilitates so well and gets others involved,” Bell said. “But we have told him he needs to start looking to score a little bit. I ask him all the time, who in our section are you intimidated by that can block your shot in the middle of the lane?”
Peters Township’s Dax Ploskina led all scorers with 21 points. Colin Cote and Sam Petrarca tallied 15 and 10 points.
The Indians, in much like Friday night’s contest with Mt. Lebanon, seemed to have the game in hand as they led by as much as 49-38 midway through the third quarter. Cote and Ploskina were catalysts in helping to extend the lead with a three-pointer and put-back between them. But it was here when the Big Macs began to chip away at the Indians advantage.
“That was my fault because we went into a triangle-and-two and left some areas wide open,” Bell added. “That helped them get some of that separation that we had to overcome.”
Canon-McMillan went on a 9-0 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter to claw back into the game. But it looked like the Indians had steadied themselves when Ploskina knocked in a three-pointer to extend the lead to 56-49 midway through the fourth.
After Engel made a bucket to pull the Big Macs within five, Petrarca responded with a put-back of a missed free throw to push the advantage back to seven at 56-49 with 3:05 remaining.
It would be the last time Peters Township would score as the Indians went 0-for-7 from the free throw line and 0-for-3 from the field in the game’s final three-plus minutes.
“Can’t happen, just cannot happen,” Goga said. “We make our free throws, we win the game; it’s that simple.”
Canon-McMillan’s half-court trap also forced three turnovers over that span.
“We have not shown any ability to handle pressure or a trap, period,” Goga said. “We have three non-conference games remaining and 10 days before the playoffs begin to figure it out.”
Peters Township rode the hot shooting of Ploskina, Cote and Ben Yates (eight points) to a 39-35 lead. The Indians shot 7-for-11 from the field in the second quarter to gain momentum at the end of the first half.