Men’s Basketball Improves to 2-1 in AMCC with Home Win
by McKenzie Quirin
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team got back in the win column Wednesday night when they ended the game strong, taking a 96-68 victory against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Mount Aloysius College at home in Adler Arena.
Although Mt. Aloysius (2-6, 1-2 AMCC) worked its way out to a lead early in tonight's game, the Lions (3-5, 2-1 AMCC) were able to come out on top by the final buzzer. Penn State Altoona led 43-36 at halftime, then expanded its advantage to as many as 30 points in the second half, during which the home team outscored the Mounties 53-32. The win was additionally important for Penn State Altoona, as it was part of Altoona Benefiting THON Night.
All five of the Lions' starters contributed double-digit points in their second win in AMCC competition. Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) led Penn State Altoona with 21 points, almost matching his career-high, and also finished with two rebounds, five assists and one steal. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) ended the game contributing 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the double-double, as well as two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) put up 15 points with six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) had 11 points, six rebounds and one steal, and Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) finished with 13 points, two blocks, one rebound and one assist.
Mt. Aloysius' Reggie Priah's night culminated with a game-high 24-point effort, also earning 10 rebounds and an assist. Will Hagwood finished the game with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
The Mounties started the game with a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter, exactly 36 seconds in. They did not hold the lead for long, however, as Claar got the scoring started for Penn State Altoona by making a jump shot to tie the score just 27 seconds later. After Hagwood converted on one of two free throw chances following a Claar foul, an impressive dunk by Jones put the Lions up by one, 4-3. Claar made up for the foul by making a layup to give the Lions a 6-3 lead, extending Mt. Aloysius' deficit. Not letting up, the Mounties jumped ahead 8-6 after Ronnie McClain's free throw, a free throw from Hagwood and a three-point jump shot from Julius Cummings.
As the clock closed in on the 16-minute mark, Sheetz put in a three-point jump shot to cut Penn State Altoona's deficit to one, 10-9. White got on the board with a layup, putting the Lions in front of the Mounties, 11-10. With the score at 13-13, Penn State Altoona took a 30-second timeout, and White made a layup right after, adding two on their total.
Mt. Aloysius reclaimed the lead until baskets by White and Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) put Penn State Altoona back on top, 34-31, with 5:16 left in the half. Late baskets from Claar and White helped the Lions increase their lead to five points, and Jones beat the halftime buzzer with a dunk that put the Lions up 43-36.
Coming off halftime, Mt. Aloysius got layups from McClain and Priah to get back to within four, 44-40. But two White three-pointers and three free throws from Jones helped the Lions bounce back, positioning Penn State Altoona with a 53-45 advantage. Another Jones dunk put his team up 57-46 at 14:53, and three-pointers from Sheetz and Bush increased it to 65-48 by 12:38.
Penn State Altoona kept at it, capitalizing on scoring opportunities throughout the half. A Sheetz layup at 11:53 increased the Lions' lead to 19 points, 69-50, and Claar put away a three-pointer with 9:07 left on the clock to keep the difference at 19, 72-53. Two Bush free throws boosted the home team's lead past the 20-point mark, and an Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) three-pointer made it 77-55 at 8:01.
White made a pair of free throws at 5:40 to increase Penn State Altoona's lead to 30 points, 87-57, and a Chris Jarosz (Toronto, ON/Andrews Osborne Academy) three-pointer at 4:06 made it 90-60. Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) made a layup at 3:31 to put Penn State Altoona's lead at 92-62, and the Lions went on to end the game with a 96-68 win.
Next up, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team heads back on the road to face first-year AMCC opponent Wells College on Saturday, December 9, at 3 p.m.
