Feb 12, 2016 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – In the few days between the end of the regular season and its first playoff game, Avella first-year boys basketball coach Drew Denham had two goals for his team: play a full, four quarters of basketball and limit turnovers.

Denham knew that anything over 12 turnovers and the Eagles were most likely going to be eliminated from the WPIAL playoffs early.

He might not have been expecting to be eliminated in the opening eight minutes in Friday night’s Class A first-round game against Clairton. The Bears took an 18-4 lead after forcing Avella into 11 first-quarter turnovers and never looked back on their way to a 71-37 first-round playoff win Friday night at Keystone Oaks.

“There pressure was tough,” said Denham. “When you see Monessen two times, you know what pressure is. Not many teams are going to beat that. We knew if we took care of the ball it would be alright.”

Despite having 24 turnovers, Avella (6-6, 9-14) found itself still in the game at halftime. The Eagles forced seven second-quarter turnovers and only trailed 23-14 at halftime.

That lead would continue to decrease after a technical foul early in the secon half sparked a 6-2 run by the Eagles to cut the deficit to five points with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter.

The lopsided final score did not indicate the struggles Clairton (9-1, 16-3) had on the offensive side of the ball, which included 14 turnovers.

“During stretches of the game we were able to achieve getting pressure,” said Clairton head coach Matt Geletko. “Give Avella credit, they played hard, but I thought the gap could have been a lot wider in the first half. There were a lot of mistakes that were self-inflicted. We were forcing steals ourselves but were not converting on the other end because we were turning the ball over.”

It took Clairton three-and-a-half quarters before it found its offensive firepower, as it went on a 19-3 run from the middle of the third quarter until only 4:22 remained in the game, putting the Bears ahead 54-28.

“We have been in a lot of close games this year and know how to bounce back; that is one of the great things about being their coach,” said Denham. “All the credit goes to their defense. When we play four quarters we are a pretty tough team. Tonight, Clairton just ran away with it.”

Running away with it is something that all playoff teams have done to the Eagles this season, as the loss pushed their record to 0-8 against playoff teams.

The biggest advantage might have came on the glass for the Bears, as 6-5 Maurice Reeves and Pitt football commit Aaron Mathews each pulled down eight rebounds over the undersized Eagles.

Clairton’s Uri Meyers had a game-high 24 points, followed by a 10-point performances from Koran Boyd and Reeves.

“A lot of teams try to slow us down so it’s just a matter of executing,” said Geletko, who will prepare to face Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic next Friday. “We have to take care of the basketball and execute better in the half-court, it’s as simple as that”

Shawn Willard’s 10 points and eight rebounds, both team highs, paced Avella. Cody Dobbins and Steven Miller both finished with eight points.

“No matter what’s going on or what that scoreboard is indicating, they are always going to try and fight back,” said Denham. “That’s why I love coaching them.”