Published Saturday, March 13, 1999 
Gerrmar Ballard rifled in 22 points, including 14 during a 20-2 Viking spurt midway through the first half, and also added a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left in the game to seal the victory.
"He was awfully tired when he made those foul shots," said Valley coach Tom Myers. "He didn't come out for one minute and he was really putting presure on (Luke) McKinley all night."
The Vikings (17-10) employed a diamond-and-one defense to neutralize Grove City's 6-foot-9 senior Josh Morgan. Morgan entered the game averaging 21 points, but was limited to a season-low six.
"I didn't think the diamond-and-one would hurt us the way that it did," said a somber Eagles coach Don Fee. "We prepared for it, but we didn't make shots. We didn't get the ball where we wanted to at times and it frustrated us. But you've gotta credit Valley. It was something we hadn't seen all year and we didn't handle it very well."
Valley, WPIAL Section 3-AAA champions and the No. 7 seed out of the WPIAL, also enjoyed a 28-20 edge on the glass, led by Garold Mobley's eight boards. The Vikings also forced 19 Grove City turnovers.
"Two weeks ago, we lost to Montour and they outrebounded us, 34-17," Myers said. "So we really emphasized boxing out tonight."
A pair of Morgan tip-ins and layups from Todd Fisher and Matt Williamson staked the Eagles (18-9) to an early 10-1 lead. Valley didn't muster a field goal until Kyle McDonald drilled a short jumper at the 3:00 mark of the first period. The Eagles' lead reached 14-3 on a Greg Mattocks bucket and it appeared the rout was on. But a Ballard triple in the final moments of the quarter keyed Valley's massive run.
"We started out with a good lead," Fee said. "I think it was maybe the worst thing that could have happened. I think we let our guard down a little bit."
Valley took the lead for good at 17-16 on a Ballard trey with 4:53 left in the first half.
"They dictated the tempo," Fee said. "We knew it would be a tough game if we got behind those guys. We didn't make shots and it just snowballed. It just totally took us out of character."
Valley advances to play the Montour-Clearfield winner Tuesday in the second round.
Notes: Manny Brutley, Steve Buck, McKinley, Morgan, Surrena and Williamson all played their final games for the Eagles. ... Morgan finished his outstanding career with 1,217 points, third in school annals. "We went 5-1 in the league, won a league championship outright and beat Sharon at home, which is a win these guys will always remember," said Fee. "I know most people weren't giving us much of a chance in the district playoffs, but we had a great win against Franklin and an even greater win against General McLane. I told the kids that those things they can never take away from you. They're a great bunch of seniors and we're going to miss them. They all had special things they brought to the team."
* * *
PIAA AAA FIRST ROUND
GROVE CITY 14 5 6 11 36
VALLEY 6 17 6 11 40
GROVE CITY -- Surrena 4-1-2-10; Williamson 3-0-1-6; Morgan 2-2-2-6; McKinley 2-1-2-5; Fisher 1-0-0-2; Mattocks 2--1-1-5; Bell 1-0-0-2; Buck 0-0-0-0; Otteni 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Surrena 1. Totals: 15-5-8-36.
VALLEY -- Mobley 2-0-0-4; McDonald 3-0-0-6; Ballard 7-6-9-22; Flenory 0-0-0-0; Burke 1-1-2-3; Campbell 2-0-1-5; Guy 0-0-0-0; Cicconi 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Ballard 2, Campbell 1. Totals: 15-7-12-40.
