Struthers’ sizzling start overwhelms Lakeview

March 7, 2015 at 12:07a.m.

By Steve Wilaj

STRUTHERS

Struthers coach Jim Franceschelli stressed the importance of a quick start prior to Friday’s matchup with Lakeview. And the Wildcats sure did start quick -- probably quicker than the first-year coach imagined.

Scoring the first 16 points of the contest, Struthers rode that early outburst to a 53-36 win nin a Division II sectional final at the Struthers Field House.

The fourth-seeded Wildcats advance to play top-seeded Poland on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Warren Harding High School.

“We wanted to hit them right in the face from the get-go and try to put the pressure on them -- not on us for once,” Franceschelli said. “This is two games in a row where we’ve done a pretty good job of starting.

“Is there a better time to be peaking than right now?”

Lakeview (11-13) didn’t crack the scoreboard until the 30-second mark of the first quarter. By then, Struthers (12-11) — which was paced by Ray Phifer and Austin Yemma’s 13 points apiece — led 16-2.

“They took away everything we wanted to do right from the get-go,” Lakeview coach Lawrence Herrholtz said. “We had a tough beginning because of how hard they were playing.

“It’s not that we weren’t playing hard, but the way they were playing defense against us was tough and physical.”

The Wildcats then outscored the Bulldogs 37-34 the rest of the contest. Much of that was due to Struthers’ Andrew Carbon, who finished with 12 points — all of them coming after the first quarter.

“We stuck to the basics and moved the ball,” Carbon said. “We didn’t get flustered by the pressure and just did what we were supposed to.”

The sophomore point guard also pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, as the Wildcats finished with a 36-26 advantage on the glass.

“You just have to be the guy that wants it the most,” Carbon said.

Tom Bell scored 16 points for Lakeview, which shot just 12 of 52 from the field. Chris Muir also added six points. The contest marked the last game for seniors Bell, Brandon Keller, Ryan Pishotti and Chris Romano.

“I have four seniors in there who gave it their all,” Herrholtz said. “They laid the foundation this year for the program and I think our younger kids are really going to benefit from it.”

The Wildcats — who shot 18 of 48 (37 percent) — will try to knock off a Poland team that’s already beaten them twice this season.

“We think we’re good enough to compete with them,” Franceschelli said. “Hopefully we have a good crowd Wednesday night and we show people we can play with the best.”