O’Hara paces Girard past Warren JFK

January 25, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Dylan O’Hara scored a game-high 25 points to lead three Indians in double figures and his team withstood two Warren JFK runs in the second half to claim a 57-48 victory.

The Indians and Eagles played the penultimate game of Saturday’s slate at Lariccia’s See Them Rise basketball tournament at the Covelli Centre.

Thanks to the cavernous — compared to area gyms — backdrops of the tournament’s setting, the sightlines and shooting backdrops were a difficult adjustment.

After falling behind 12-9 in the first quarter, O’Hara lit up the second half scoreboard for 14 points, nine of which came on his first three shots of the quarter.

O’Hara accounted for 14 of the Indians’ 18 second quarter points.

“I was able to break open a couple times and knock down a couple shots,” said O’Hara, a senior. “That got us a lead.”

With the tournament format, time was precious to prepare in the unique setting.

“It’s nice to get into a place like this and play in front of people who normally wouldn’t see us play,” said Girard coach Craig Hannon. “It’s a lot deeper than any high school facility. We didn’t get as many shots up as we’d have liked. But I think O’Hara figured it out there in the second.”

JFK, thanks to three straight baskets and three straight Girard miscues to open the third quarter, got to within one point on a James Burney basket and then three points when AJ Grant finished in transition.

Then the Eagles went cold, turning the ball over three times of their own in the third quarter’s latter stages. Chaston Williams and Christian Bello each scored baskets for Girard to give their team a seven-point lead headed into the fourth.

“We understood they were going to make a run,” said Hannon. “They’re talented enough to make a run at us. They got to the rim and got a couple and-ones and our guys just held their composure. I’ve got seven seniors and a bunch of letterwinners who’ve played in games.

“They just kept plugging along.”

Isaac Carrino’s 3-pointer at the six-minute mark brought JFK to within four points, but Williams, Bello and Deonte Brown responded with baskets on three consecutive Girard possessions to push their lead back to 10.

The Eagles scored 20 fourth quarter points — eight from Zack Usher — but Girard’s capabilities at the foul line, in addition to some ill-timed JFK miscues, led to a comfortable, but gritty win for Girard.

Both teams played Friday night before the quick turnaround Saturday.

“There’s kind of golden rules of basketball,” said JFK coach John Richards, “a foundation of being successful and those revolve around defending, rebounding, taking care of the basketball and free throws.

“Those are the things that I have learned from extremely successful coaches and mentors along the way. I think sometimes there are some ideas from within that playing more efficient on the offensive end is a better brand of basketball than being more concentrated on the other end.

“It’s my job to get these back to the Kennedy brand of basketball back to those cardinal rules that we as a staff know are successful and lead to wins, because those are what will lead you on nights when you’re not shooting well, you’re in foul trouble and you’re loose with the basketball.”