Saturday, December 17, 2005
Girard missed its first dozen shots from the floor.
By JIM FLICK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GIRARD -- The Warren JFK High boys basketball team stormed out to a quick lead against Girard Friday night and dominated the boards throughout, emerging with a 96-55 victory.
Senior TaShawn Walker scored 15 points to lead the JFK scoring parade, which included 11 players, five in double figures.
Senior Stephan Flanagan and freshman Desmar Jackson contributed 14 points each, while Dorian Rogers tallied 11 points and Marc Rossi added 10.
Controlled the game
From the start, the Eagles (5-0) simply controlled the game, grabbing rebounds and loose balls at both ends of the court.
JFK led 12-0 before the Indians scored their first points, which came on four free throws.
Girard (0-3) missed its first dozen shots from the field, and didn't score a field goal until near the end of the first quarter.
When Brett Dutton coaxed the ball through the net from the field for the first time for the Indians, the two-pointer made the score 24-6 in the Eagles' favor.
The first quarter ended with a 26-8 JFK advantage.
JFK shot well from the field, but also controlled the offensive boards thoroughly.
On several occasions, the Eagles recovered missed shot after missed shots until they succeeded in scoring a field goal.
Smercansky leads Girard
Ten players scored for Girard, led by Jon Smercansky, who sank three 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.
Eric Stevens was the only other Indian in double figures, scoring 10 points.
JFK held leads of 50-24 at halftime and 73-38 at the end of three quarters, and the game grew ugly as the clock ran down. Technical fouls were called against Girard, and a fight nearly broke out among players who became tangled up in a scramble for the ball. Girard head coach Bryan O'Hara grabbed a couple of his players who leapt up off the bench to join what could have become a nasty melee.
With 2:05 left in the third period, JFK head coach Shawn Pompelia pulled his starters out of the game. Several of the starters returned to the game in the fourth quarter, when the game had calmed a bit.
JFK's scoring featured 29 field goals and three 3-pointers. The Eagles also sank 29 of 50 free throws. Girard scored only 11 field goals and four 3-pointers, and sank 21 of 32 free throws.
Hard fouls
"It was a very physical game," Pompelia said afterward. "I was very frustrated by their play because they were hard fouls."
However, the JFK coach added that he was "very proud of my players." He praised their determination to grab rebounds. "Our philosophy is that you hit the boards with heart and desire," Pompelia said. "That's what they did all night."
Pompelia praised several of his players. Townsend, a junior who has played varsity since he was a freshman, "gives us stability," the coach said. Jackson, who is now a freshman, "understands the game and is maturing," according to Pompelia.
While Pompelia is proud of his team's 5-0 record, he said more important tasks lie ahead.
"Now, are we good enough to compete in the Steel Valley Conference?" he said. "That's the question."