Roaring Lions down New Kensington 78-68
LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – Five Roaring Lion starters posted double figures in the scoring column in Wednesday's 78-68 PSUAC win against visiting Penn State New Kensington. The victory puts the Roaring Lions at 5-2 in PSUAC play, two games behind the nation's number one team, PSU Beaver in the Eastern Division of the PSUAC.
In his second game as a Roaring Lion, Matt McKenna (Pittsburgh, PA) posted his second double-double, scoring 10 and pulling down 12 rebounds. Jacob Bronder (Pittsburgh, PA) led the Roaring Lions in scoring, going 4-7 from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe adding up to 15 points. Following Bronder with scoring honors was guard Luke Williams (Maui, HI) with 14. Williams also tallied 4 steals in a solid defensive effort for the Lions. High school teammates CJ Gaddis and Derek Jones (Brownsville, PA) rounded out the Roaring Lion scoring with 12 and 10 respectively. Gaddis is also averaging over 7 assists a game after the semester break, while Jones has been busy keeping his shooting percentages at an all-time high. "Derek and CJ are playing some pretty good basketball right now. CJ is really running the team like a true point guard, and Derek posting some unexpected numbers in the block, rebounding, and steal columns," says head coach Mark John.
The Fayette bench played an integral role in the successes of the Roaring Lions. Sean Smoggie (Carmichaels, PA) provided a quick a spark in the first half, as he hit his first three point attempt of the evening from the top of the key, giving the Roaring Lions a 15-14 lead with 11:23 left. Point guard Dominick Jackson (Minneapolis, MN) collected 3 steals, all in the first half. Jackson's first steal of the game led to a two on one transition situation in which he drew the lone defender to him and hit a trailing Darius Mack (Washington, DC) with a beautiful no-look, behind his head pass for a layup, giving the Lions a 3 point lead. The Lions then used a 14-6 run to end the half.
Behind Sophomore Spencer Perieff's (Maui, HI) defensive efforts and balanced floor game, the Roaring Lions and the Lions from Penn State New Kensington played a nearly evenly matched half. Perieff tallied 3 steals, 3 assists, and 4 defensive rebounds in the second half alone.
New Kensington's Shaquille Hagar led all scorers with 26 points.
The Roaring Lions are back in action on Wednesday, January 23rd, when they play host to division rival Penn State Greater Allegheny. Tip-off is slated for 8PM and will be broadcast live by WMBS 590 AM. For those who are out of the listening range, audio will be streamed online at www.msasports.net.