Mar 8, 2019 4 min read

EDINBORO – Monessen’s formula for success entering Friday night’s PIAA Class A boys basketball playoff game was full-court pressure executed by a deep bench.

The Greyhounds swirled that recipe into the perfect concoction to gradually pull away from Jamestown for a 75-54 first-round victory at Edinboro University’s McComb Field House.

Devin Whitlock led a balanced attack with 23 points as Monessen advanced into the second round where it will face Bishop Carroll, which beat North Clarion 68-58, on Tuesday with the site and time to be determined.

“We knew that was going to be a strength of ours to get a lot of good play off our bench and I thought we were able to do that,” said Monessen coach Dan Bosnic. “We knew they weren’t going to go very deep. They only had a six-man rotation and we felt that over the course of the game that we could wear them down.

“We got a lot from all of our guys. Our bench did a really good job and our starters set the tone for us.”

Dishon Howell and Marquell Smith also hit double figures for Monessen with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Darnell Howell added nine points and Elijahwa Payne chipped in with eight points.

Monessen (16-9) caused Jamestown problems with its full-court pressure right from the start and jumped out to a 6-0 lead on two free throws by Smith and baskets by Darnel Howell and Whitlock,

The District 10-champion Muskies (12-12) settled down and knotted the score three times before Austin Smith made a pair of free throws with 1:03 left in the first period to give Jamestown its only lead, 12-11.

Dylan Bradshaw answered with a 3-pointer for Monessen which took a 14-12 lead into the second.

Dishon Howell wasn’t completely satisfied with his team’s play in the first eight minutes.

“In the beginning we weren’t really getting back and they were getting the ball out fast,” Howell said. “But we settled down and we started getting stops and that helped get our offense going.”

Smith scored the first hoop of the second period to tie it at 14-14 but Whitlock hit a 3-pointer followed by a layup after a steal and pass by Dishon Howell and the Greyhounds were in front to stay.

Darnel Howell’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Monessen a 35-28 halftime lead.

While Monessen had six different players score in the first half, including 13 by Whitlock, all of the Muskies’ points came from three players with 14 by Smith, nine by Dawson Urbansky and five by Darian Keyser.

The Greyhounds used an 11-1 run in the third period to go up 51-35 before Smith gave Jamestown its top moment of the night when he scored his 1,000th career point in the closing seconds to make it 51-37 heading into the final frame.

There were many more highlights left for Monessen, including dunks by Darnel Howell and Smith to the delight of the Greyhound fans in attendance, as it outscored the Muskies 24-17 in the fourth to seal the 21-point win.

Smith led Jamestown with 17 points, Keyser followed with 14 and Urbansky added 13.

“They wore us down and then also we went through a stretch in the third quarter where we had shots that just rattled in and out,” Jamestown coach Scot Vannoy said. “They were able to put a run on us there and we just couldn’t catch back up with them.”

Vannoy likened the Greyhounds to the District 10 Class AA champion.

“I would compare them with Farrell,” he said. “They’ve both got speed and athleticism. They’re a good program and a very good team.”

Dishon Howell is enjoying the ride in his senior season one year after the Greyhounds fell in their WPIAL playoff opener.

“Time flies,” he said. “When you’re a senior in your last year you cherish every moment like this. I was glad to come out with my team and get the win tonight and keep it going.”