Wash High improves to 8-0 in section
Washington High School boys basketball coach Ron Faust hoped that facing early season tests such as the Peters Township Holiday Tournament and the Chuckie Mahoney Classic in Burgettstown would pay dividends in the future.
As section play has rolled through the month of January, the Prexies have shown themselves to be a considerable force in Section 4-AAA as they strengthened their hold on first place Tuesday night with a 54-32 home win over South Side Beaver.
The win improved Washington to 8-0 in the section and 12-3 overall while the visiting Rams fell to 6-9 overall and 5-3 in the section.
Washington swept the season series with South Side Beaver as they won a tight game, 51-46, Dec. 19 in Hookstown.
Isaiah Walton paced the Prexies this time with 22 points while Dan Ethridge contributed 14 as the Prexies began to assert themselves inside in the second quarter.
Though the Prexies won going away, Faust said he is not totally pleased with his team so far this season.
“Oh, I never feel good. If I start to feel good about where we are, then I need to stop doing this,” Faust said.
South Side Beaver stayed nearly even with the hosts as they trailed 14-13 at the end of the first quarter. Jake McDougal’s two three-pointers helped the Rams keep pace early in the contest.
“Something that we need to address is our slow starts,” Faust said. “We talked about that in practice – that we need to start getting off to faster starts. I don’t believe that we were all the way ready to play in the beginning.”
Faust added that the stacking of games to make up weather-related postponements has cut into his team’s practice time, perhaps creating the slow starts that have somewhat plagued the Prexies.
The Prexies flexed their muscle in the second quarter by outscoring the Rams 12-4. Walton led the charge by scoring eight points in the lane. Ian Predniak added four in the quarter to help extend the Prexies’ lead to 26-17 at the half.
Washington showed improved patience in their hal- court sets as they were unable to get out and run early.
“It has gotten better but it’s not quite where we want it to be,” Faust added. “We need to use our skills better inside and near the basket.”
Washington extended their lead to 42-22 at the end of the third. Walton and Ethridge continued to have their way inside as they combined for 10 of the team’s 16 points in the quarter.
Faust added that the inside work of Walton and Ethridge drove the team Tuesday night, he believes they can even add more to the mix going forward.
“We think there is more that they can do, for sure,” Faust said. “They’ve done a real nice job, but they can help us open up our perimeter play more if they realize what they need to do inside.”
The Prexies’ defense also clamped down with fury in the second half as it forced 14 of the Rams’ 19 turnovers during that period. They also held South Side Beaver scoreless over an eight-plus minute span that bridged the third and fourth quarters.
“That is interesting, because we are kind of flu-ridden, that we could have done that,” Faust added. “We really only played six guys extensively but were able to get those turnovers.”
Rams coach Bob Harrison said Washington’s defensive adjustments and overall play were the keys to the game.
“We were hoping to get them into man-to-man but their 1-2-2 zone was real good,” Harrison added. “We were a little lethargic tonight and really couldn’t get anything going.”