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Panthers slip past Falcons
By Dan Hiner
youngstown
At East High School, above a door next to the locker rooms sits a sign that reads “Making the team is one thing, becoming a team is another.”
Dennis Simmons, head coach of the East boys basketball team, said his young team is starting to become a team that could compete consistently in the future after hanging on for a 70-68 win over Fitch on Friday night.
“You have to remember, a lot of these kids have never been in these situations where they had to win in crunch time. So this is a learning experience,” Simmons said. “That’s why I talk about free throws and lay-ups. Those things matter.
“We were winning games early, but those free throws and lay-ups were gonna come back to bite us, and I said that. And now I think they’re starting to see it.”
East (7-4, 4-3 All-American Conference Red) nearly blew the lead in the closing minutes of the game.
The Panthers held a 67-61 lead in the final minute, but Fitch went on a 7-2 run in the final 30 seconds to cut the lead to 69-68.
But with four seconds left, East junior Keshonn Loury stepped to the free throw line and converted one of his two attempts to close out the game.
Fitch (1-11, 1-5) had opportunities to take the lead late in the game, but the Falcons were unable to convert their free throw attempts. The Falcons shot 5-10 from the free throw line in the final 1:09.
“When you lose by two and you shoot 40 [percent] from the free throw line, that’s just a killer,” Fitch head coach Brian Beany said. “Those are free points and we practice free throws every day, every day, every day.
“The difference is shooting free throws in practice and shooting pressure free throws in a game is totally different. We didn’t shoot it that well.”
Falcons’ guard Randy Smith kept Fitch in the game from the foul line. Smith shot 16-18 from the line and finished the game with 25 points. Kole Klasic and Dylan Beany were second on the team with 11 points.
Brian Beany said he’s proud of the way his team played. He said the team has had trouble shooting the ball, but he likes the way the team’s work ethic has kept the Falcons in games.
Simmons said the players he has on this season’s roster are the “players that have committed” to the program. He said the players have committed to putting the work in during the offseason and are starting to “see the benefit.”
East had three players finished in double figures. Calvaughn Bryant led the Panthers with 14 points. While juniors Loury and Shannon Dubose contributed 10 points apiece from the bench.
“We’re undersized in a lot of situations, we’re inexperienced in a lot of situations, Simmons said. “But tonight, I think we played everybody on the roster. Everybody on the roster was ready to contribute.
“I said at the beginning, when our young guys start getting it, I think we’ll be a pretty tough team to beat,” Simmons said. “Our seniors got us this far.
“Our seniors didn’t play too great tonight, but the underclassmen kept us in the ball game. And it was an underclassman who actually finished the deal. That helps.”