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East basketball team imposes its will on Fitch
By Ryan Buck
YOUNGSTOWN
Austintown Fitch boys basketball coach Brian Beany summarized the play of his team’s opponent Tuesday night with an ode to one of the most unforgettable postgame press conferences of all time.
“They are who I thought they were,” Beany said of East after the Panthers’ 65-41 home victory over the Falcons.
Beany’s statement was certainly more poised and complimentary than former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green. The Panthers’ up-and-down game was too much for Fitch in the second half.
“We knew coming in that they were very, very athletic,” Beany said. “They’re probably the most athletic team we’ll see on our schedule. We knew they crashed the boards very well. We did it at times, couldn’t do it at times.”
The Falcons (2-3) slowed the tempo of the game early. They possessed the ball for long stretches, stayed out of a transition game and let leading scorer Jessie Driver (10 points, all in the first half) find open shots.
“The first quarter was huge for us,” Beany said. “We’re hanging around. We had a lot of looks that we didn’t capitalize on.”
They trailed 15-12 after the first quarter and 27-19 after two.
“We had the tempo right where we wanted it. We gave up 27 first half points. So everything in that mindset was perfect for us,” Beany said
It didn’t take long, however, for East (5-1) to impose its will after halftime. Behind the driving penetration of Terrell McClain and Jamir Humphrey, the Panthers got to the rim at will in the final 16 minutes. McClain and Humphrey finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
“That’s one of our strengths,” said first-year East coach Dennis Simmons. “We want to get up and down and we want to get inside.”
If the two versatile guards didn’t get a shot off in the paint, forward Deontay Scott was there to finish.
Scott dominate inside as he sealed off defenders for passes and boxed out for rebounds and put-backs. Scott finished with 19 points, five of those coming from the free-throw line.
“My role on the team is the clean-up man,” said Scott, who is generously listed at 6-foot-4. “I rebound and put it back in. I use the body I’ve got.”
After slowing down Driver before he left with an injury in the third, East went to an aggressive press that forced six Fitch turnovers in the period.
The Panthers outscored the Falcons 19-8 to break the game open.
“In the third quarter, they got after it,” Beany said. “We stopped doing the little things. The pressure made us not get to our spots. Mentally, we started to lose it a little bit. Before you know it, it’s a 10-0 run, they’re up by 10, 15 points.”