McKeesport, Pa. - Following a 94-77 first-round Penn State DuBois overtake, the Penn State Greater Allegheny men's basketball team cruises to the Penn State University Athletic Conference semi-final round against Penn State Mont Alto, Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard Jashaun Fontanez (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and sophomore guard Jeremy McMunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) put up the first points for GA in the paint before freshman guard Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) dropped a jumper, 6-5 home team. Junior guard Moe Alli (Edison, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) put down a layup himself before Fontanez laid down three from outside the arc, Greater Allegheny leading 11-9.
Sophomore forward Curtis Newby (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) added a jumper before McMunn silenced the opposing team with a good trey, 16-11. Sophomore guard Denzel Boyer-London (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) laid points in the paint before sophomore guard Khari Hicks (East Hills, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) dropped a jumper. Junior guard Jumanne Butler-McDaniel (Somerset, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) and Newby both put down jumpers before Hicks surplused Greater Allegheny with a free-throw, 25-16 Lions with just seven minutes until halftime.
DuBois worked their way back to just a one-point defecit before McMunn slammed a three-pointer to bring the game back to a GA lead. Newby, Hicks, McMunn and Fontanez all placed jumpers to continue Greater Allegheny onward and upward. McMunn denoted another jumper to send the two teams into the halftime break with Greater Allegheny in the lead, 40-34.
Alli was the first to bucket points in the new half with a jumper as McMunn followed with a jumper and Payne with a layup, 46-43 just three minutes in. DuBois continued to work to tie the game at 48. Newby put up a layup before freshman forward Isaiah Fluker (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) got on the board with a huge jumper.
Newby ignited with eight points as Boyer-London laid on points in the paint and Alli hammered down a three-pointer, extending the Greater Allegheny lead over DuBois 65-56. Payne drilled a jumper and a trey as the clock wound down to just five minutes left remaining in regulation.
Hicks and Newby cashed in for two points each as Butler-McDaniel dropped two from the foul-line, 76-64 GA. McMunn added four before Hicks denoted a pair of free-throws to help wind the clock down. Newby slashed a jumper to lead into two points from Hicks and the foul line. Fontanez downed four-straight as Payne boosted the final minute of action with two made free-throws. Boyer-London sealed the fate of DuBois with a good layup, 94-77 Greater Allegheny.
With the win, #4 Greater Allegheny advances to the semi-final round of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championship with #1 Penn State Mont Alto. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at Penn State Mont Alto on Saturday afternoon.
Newby roped in 83.3% (10-of-12) of his shots from the floor, adding 20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. McMunn laid on eight buckets from the floor for 20 points, five steals, four assists, a block and a rebound. Fontanez put up 13 points, four steals, three boards and an assist while Payne and Hicks both put up eleven points each.
As a team, Greater Allegheny out-rebounded DuBois 44-36 while the team cashed in for 73.3% (11-of-16) of their shots from the foul line, while denoting 54.2% (39-of-72) of their buckets from the floor. The men capitalized on 23 points off of 18 DuBois turnovers, while zipping up the score 52 points in the paint, 14 points off fastbreak and nine points off second-chance.
Best of luck to the Greater Allegheny Lions, as they continue to contend for the PSUAC Championship Title. The men are currently sitting 14-12, 12-5 PSUAC.
