The Kiski Area boys basketball team would like to find a way to get its offense right. The Cavaliers found it difficult to fix things Tuesday night on the road against Penn Hills.
The Cavaliers got off to a slow start and were swallowed up by the smothering Indians defense during a 52-31 Section 1-5A loss.
The Indians take delight in playing defense. Penn Hills didn’t allow Kiski Area to make a field goal for nearly six minutes.
The Cavaliers shot 30.6% (11 of 36) from the field and 21.4 % (3 of 14) from the 3-point line. DJ Lindenfelser led Kiski with 13 points.
“We’ve been in a slump lately,” Cavaliers coach Corey Smith said. “We’re staggering on offense right now. A section championship is probably out of the picture now. We’re fighting for a playoff spot right now, and the section starts next Tuesday.”
The Indians (8-5, 5-1) stifled the defending section champs during the opening minutes. Calix Clark scored four points, and Tyrone Johnson added a basket during a 6-0 start for Penn Hills. Gabriel Thimons scored Kiski Area’s first points on a free throw with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the opening quarter.
“Our team motto is defense first,” said Johnson, who scored a game-high 16 points and added eight rebounds. “Whatever we do, we want to open the floor by just playing defense and getting in transition.”
Penn Hills won three consecutive games and is tied with Shaler for first place in the section. Indians coach Chris Giles said his team has been dedicated to studying its opponents.
“It’s just about our preparation,” Giles said. “The guys are locked in and focused on the film. They are paying attention to detail, and they’re staying disciplined. We have a senior-led group. They’ve seen a lot of different things and have been around a long time.”
The Indians won the rebounding battle 32-17.
Darian Robinson (11 points) and Clark (10) finished in double figures scoring. Penn Hills shot 52.6% (20 of 38) from the field.
While Kiski Area (6-8, 2-4) never led, it did make a run in the second quarter. A layup by Amaree Freeman cut the deficit to 21-14 with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first half.
The momentum wouldn’t sustain itself.
Penn Hills answered with a 9-2 run to open the second half that stretched its lead to 32-16.
“That’s been our Achilles’ heel all year is starting out,” Smith said. “Our first and third quarters are not good. They haven’t been good all year. We have to keep grinding.”
Johnson said Penn Hills was determined after halftime to make sure Kiski Area remained stuck in neutral.
“During halftime, our coaches told us to stay ready, stay locked in and come out and start to play like how we started in the first quarter,” Johnson said. “That’s what we did.”