Lewis, relentless Canon-McMillan battle back, beat Seneca Valley
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan’s Jason Fowlkes jumps over Seneca Valley’s Jake Bunofsky, center, and David Ritchie during a WPIAL Class 6A first-round playoff game at West Allegheny High School.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Big Macs head coach Rick Bell yells instructions to his players during a WPIAL Class 6A first-round basketball playoff against Seneca Valley at West Allegheny High School in the 2017-18 season.
Canon-McMillan’s Kenyon Lewis takes the ball down court as Seneca Valley’s Jake Bunofsky tries to block during the WPIAL Class 6A first round playoff game at at West Allegheny High School on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan’s Kenyon Lewis tries to drive past Seneca Valley’s Jake Bunofsky for a basket Saturday during the first-round playoff game at at West Allegheny High School.
Canon-McMillan’s Kenyon Lewis beats Seneca Valley’s Jake Bunofsky to the rebound during the WPIAL Class 6A first round playoff game at at West Allegheny High School on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018.
Big Mac's Jason Fowlkes,left, celebrates with Johnny Law after he made a basket against Seneca Valley during WPIAL Class 6A first round basketball playoff game at West Allegheny High School on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018.
IMPERIAL – Scrambling for a loose ball on the opening possession of the second half, Canon-McMillan’s Kenyon Lewis slid around a Seneca Valley defender and tumbled out of bounds, dangerously close to the final seat on the Big Macs’ bench.
With the loose ball still in play – Seneca Valley anticipated it would roll across the sideline – Lewis rose in unison with his teammates on the bench.
It was to watch C-M’s Ethan Beachy make a straightaway three-point field goal.
On the ensuing possession, Lewis climbed behind the Raiders’ 6-7 center Marcus Might – the C-M guard stands only 6-1 – to pull down an offensive rebound and find a cutting Jason Fowlkes.
The play resulted in a pair of free throws.
Suddenly, Canon-McMillan’s four-point halftime deficit was erased and the game’s momentum had swung in favor of the Big Macs.
Canon-McMillan continued to scratch, claw and make important shots over the final 16 minutes to rally and defeat Seneca Valley, 57-52, in a WPIAL Class 6A first-round boys basketball playoff game Saturday afternoon at West Allegheny High School.
The win advances the seventh-seeded Big Macs (21-2) to next Saturday’s quarterfinals against second-seeded Woodland Hills at a site and time to be determined.
“We had a shootaround (Saturday) morning and I individually told our players the stuff they do that you can’t measure,” Canon-McMillan coach Rick Bell said. “Their toughness, togetherness and identity. I identified to each one of our kids what they were best at immeasurably. I told Kenyon it was his relentlessness.”
The plays by Lewis in the second half, including a baseline three-pointer that put Canon-McMillan ahead 40-34 with 47 seconds left in the third quarter, allowed the Big Macs to grab all the momentum.
“He pushes us to do things that we thought we never could do,” Lewis said about Bell. “I never saw myself as being this relentless. He helps get people to do what they do best. Our motto has been to be relentless. We all try to embody that motto.”
In a physical game that often resembled football during the second half, a layup by Seneca Valley’s Chris Hart tied the score at 40-40 with 6:58 remaining.
This, however, wasn’t the first close game the Big Macs have played this year and they played with confidence and poise down the stretch.
Drew Engel made a three-pointer, and Ethan Beachy followed with another shot from deep, after which he raised three fingers to the crowd while running back to play defense.
The three-pointers were the start of a pivotal 11-4 run for the Big Macs.
“The worst thing that could’ve happened to Seneca Valley yesterday is that we didn’t have school,” Bell said, as rain caused flooding that led to classes being cancelled in the C-M district.
Bell began watching film of the Raiders at 10 a.m. Friday, and with the exception of a 30-minute light practice session with the team, continued rolling the video until 7 p.m.
“I got to watch almost every single one of their games. Between me and my assistant coaches, we watched each of their games. We pretty much knew their sets, their plays, their inbound plays and personnel.”
Lewis, who led three Canon-McMillan players in double figures with 16 points, made the first of six free throws in the final 50 seconds to secure the win.
“He got off to a slow start offensively,” Bell said of Lewis’ senior season. “A lot of the time, players can pout and mope and let it hurt other parts of their game. Kenyon never did that.”
Beachy made three of his four free throws in the final 23 seconds, and Engel made two from the line with 12 seconds remaining to give the Big Macs a 56-48 lead.
Canon-McMillan, which has made a habit of trailing at halftime, was forced to play from behind again when Hart made back-to-back three-pointers in the middle of second quarter, which was dominated by Seneca Valley (14-9). The Raiders limited Canon-McMillan to two field goals and seven points in the quarter to take the 25-21 lead.
Hart finished with a game-high 18 points and teammate David Ritchie scored 17. Ritchie paced the Raiders in the first quarter with eight points.
“It’s just going back to our motto of being relentless as a team,” Lewis said about overcoming another halftime deficit. “We all try to embody that motto, not just me. We’re down and we all needed to make stuff happen. I just want to help the team win, whether I am scoring or not. If it is playing defense or making plays that most people wouldn’t want to make, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Engel and Beachy scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Canon-McMillan. Fowlkes, who was held scoreless in the first half, finished with nine points.
“I don’t know what I would do with myself if we were winning at halftime,” Bell said. “I came in and told our kids that I don’t know if (Seneca Valley) can play much better. I said, ‘I think you’ve seen their best, but they haven’t even come close to seeing our best.'”