Defense and free throws proved to be a winning recipe for Moon on Friday night.
The fourth-seeded Tigers forced 20 turnovers in defeating No. 5 Gateway, 57-43, in the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball quarterfinals at North Allegheny’s UPMC Court.
The Tigers (20-3) used the free-throw line to their advantage throughout the night, shooting 21-for-27 from the charity stripe in the win.
“They shot 27 foul shots; we shot nine,” Gateway coach Vern Benson said. “We made 13 field goals; they made 12. We made three 3s; they made four 3s. You guys come to your own conclusion.
“And we fouled. I’m not saying that we didn’t foul. But those are the facts; you can’t dispute the facts.”
Gateway (16-8) got off to a fast start, scoring four of the first five field goals of the game, but Moon’s methodical offense took over in the final three minutes of the first quarter. The Tigers finished the frame on a 10-0 run, including going 6-for-6 from the line in that stretch.
“Our defensive structure those first couple of possessions of the game isn’t what we do,” Moon coach Gino Palmosina said. “It may have been nerves. Then we kind of settled in and got stop after stop after stop.”
Gateway’s 6-foot-6 senior Mykel Bruce-McCrommon got a pair of field goals in the second quarter but was called for a charge with 2:10 remaining in the stanza and had to go to the bench. Moon responded with a couple of putback buckets off of turnovers and took a 22-16 lead to the locker room.
“That’s the best way that you can score in high school basketball — a stop and a runout,” Palmosina said. “Stops lead to fast-break points. We emphasize that a lot in practice.”
Bruce-McCrommon exploded for the Gators in the third. Following a Jax Vovaris 3-pointer, the first made by Gateway in the game to that point, Bruce-McCrommon went on a 10-2 run himself. Vovaris hit a pair of free throws to then cut the Tigers’ lead to one at 36-35 with thirty seconds remaining in the quarter.
“He started making some tough shots,” Palmosina said of Bruce-McCrommon. “When he made that run in the third quarter, anything that he was throwing up was going in. As a three-level scorer, he’s a special kid and a special player. He was fun to watch, even though we were against him.”
However, after the Vovaris free throws, a Gateway substitute came onto the court without being summoned into the game. An administrative technical was assessed against the Gators as a result.
Jackson Bauman made both technical free throws and then two more before the quarter ended to give the Tigers a five-point lead entering the fourth.
After trading baskets early in the fourth, Vovaris gave Gateway an and-one to again cut the lead down to five points with five minutes remaining. Moon answered, as it seemed to do every time the Gators made a run. On the next possession, Hunter Kopay hit a 3-pointer and was fouled on the play. The Gators did not get any closer.
All six Tigers who played made a field goal. Bauman led with 15 points, with brother Brody Bauman also in double figures with 12 points.
“I always say that if we can get four in doubles, that’s a very good recipe to win basketball games,” Palmosina said. “We didn’t have that tonight, but if you’re edging up to four in double figures, you usually have a good chance to win the game.”
Bruce-McCrommon led all scorers with 20 points for Gateway. Vovaris followed with 14. The Gators committed 20 turnovers, many leading to fast-break opportunities for Moon.
“We guard. That’s why we’re here,” Palmosina said, “and we need to find a way to guard on Tuesday night. It’s obviously a huge task in front of us.”
Moon will now face a familiar opponent in section foe Chartiers Valley in the semifinals Tuesday night at a site and time to be determined. The Colts and Tigers split their regular season matchups.
The season does not end for Gateway. The Gators will now host No. 9 Shaler, which lost to Chartiers Valley, 69-66, in the consolation bracket on Monday night.
“We’re still playing,” Benson said. “That’s the positive about it. We wanted to win this one, but we’re not done.”