The Herald, Sharon, Pa: Winter sports '97-'98

Published Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1998

DISTRICT 10 A PLAYOFFS
Big Reds 72, Panthers 60
Big Reds run past Panthers

By Jeff Greenburg
Herald Assistant Sports Editor

Just call 'em the Running Reds, for that's what teams can expect to see when they face West Middlesex.

The Big Reds (21-5), as they are more traditionally known as, ran Saegertown silly Tuesday night en route to a convincing 72-60 victory in a District 10 Class A semifinal matchup at Sharon High School.

The victory moved West Middlesex into a District 10 championship game showdown with Mercer County Athletic Conference rival Kennedy Christian (24-2), a 71-46 winner of Sheffield on Tuesday. Site, day and time will be announced.

``I feel good for the kids, especially the five seniors,'' said West Middlesex coach Larry Ellison of returning to the finals for a second straight year. ``One of their goals all year was to get there. We sort of figured from the outset that it would be Kennedy and here we get a third shot at them. And maybe the third time's a charm.''

Kennedy already owns a pair of victories (44-43 and 73-56) his season over the Big Reds, the MCAC's No. 2 team.

``We probably know them as well as anybody and (Kennedy coach) Joe Votino knows us as well as anybody who's going to play us,'' Ellison said. ``I look for it to be a war.''

Despite the fact Saegertown (17-9) was missing leading scorer and point guard Jason Shea (19.9 ppg.), who was reportedly academically ineligible, West Middlesex found itself trailing 33-30 at the intermission. But a 20-9 third-quarter surge, sparked by some high-pressure defense and 11 of Marc Bator's career-high 37 points, enabled the Big Reds to roll to victory.

``The first half we were real sloppy,'' said Ellison. ``I wasn't pleased at all. We had a couple of guys playing with some intensity on defense, but three guys weren't. But we went out in the third quarter and all five started playing defense the way we can play. And that's what turned the game around.''

The Big Reds go 10 deep off the bench and employed that depth to their advantage in a second-half run that saw them build the lead to 68-51 with 2:43 remaining in the game.

``I think it was a big factor, because you could see even at the end of the first half (Saegertown) were getting tired; all of their shots were hitting the front of the rim,'' Ellison said. ``And when we bring (Tom) Freed and those guys off the bench we don't lose a whole lot. Sometimes they give us a big lift.''

Freed, the 6-foot-4 sophomore, certainly did early on. With Saegertown's 6-4 senior Jason Edge and 6-4 freshman Greg Scott having their way, the Big Reds fell behind 14-6 five minutes into the game. Freed came in, however, and sparked a 7-0 run with 5 quick points, a pair of blocked shots and a rebound, enabling West Middlesex to close to 17-15 at the end of one quarter.

Bator was already on fire for the Big Reds, with 8 first-quarter points, but he saved his best for last, nailing 23 of his points in the second half. He also grabbed 9 rebounds.

``It was a quiet 37,'' Ellison said. ``When coach (Chad) Mild told me on the bench, I couldn't believe it. Marc's been our key offensively and he moves without the ball well as I think everyone saw. The other guys didn't have their top games tonight, but he on offense and (Tim) Van Buren on defense picked us up. That was the key.''

Van Buren was assigned to handle backup sophomore point guard Ryan Schlosser, in for the absent Shea, and pressured him into numerous turnovers. Dave Jennings added 10 points; Derek Gearhart scored 9 points; Van Buren collected 8 points and 6 rebounds; and Freed finished with 5 points, 4 blocked shots and 3 rebounds for the Big Reds.

``They're great athletes; they get up and down the court,'' said Saegertown coach Chuck Swick. ``I wish I would have been a fan; it would have been fun to watch them get up and down.''

Edge and Scott paced the Panthers, the FCVC's No. 2 team, with 23 and 19 points, respectively. In addition Edge snared 10 rebounds, while Scott grabbed 5. Saegertown will meet Sheffield in the D-10 consolation game, with the winner advancing to the state playoffs. Swick did not know if Shea would be eligible for that game.

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Updated Feb. 25, 1998
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