Big man Kerr carries Derry over Greensburg Central Catholic

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 15, 2018 | 6:09 PM

Add John Kerr to the list of impressive local big men you probably never heard of.

The rangy, 6-foot-6, 195-pound center from Derry is making a name for himself this season.

He has been a force for the Trojans, scoring inside, altering shots and running the floor like a guard. Work in the weight room helped him add 20 pounds in the offseason, and he has been doing the heavy lifting for the Trojans since.

Kerr continued his dominating start Saturday afternoon with a career-high 26 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks to lead Derry to a 63-52 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic in the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Showcase at Hempfield Field House.

Kerr had 21 points and eight blocks in each of the first two games for Derry (2-1). A volleyball standout who is getting Division I college attention, Kerr gave GCC (2-2) problems from the start with his length and active nature on both sides of the floor.

“Coach told us GCC probably thought they could come in here and walk all over us,” said Kerr, who had 15 points in the first half as the Trojans built a 36-28 advantage. “That got us going.

Kerr had a tip-in dunk and a 3-pointer.

“My first 3 all season,” he said. “Coach likes me to play under the hoop.”

Derry played at a fast pace and made GCC take rushed shots. The Centurions did not seem comfortable running offensive sets until the second half, when they trailed by double figures.

GCC never led.

“When you have a 6-6 guy, you can’t teach that height,” Derry coach Tom Esposito said. “He can do so much for us. But it wasn’t just John. All five we had on the floor won that game today. And to do it against one of the best programs in Westmoreland County is huge for us.”

Class 4A Derry led by 10 after the first quarter and stretched the margin to 33-18 late in the first half.

GCC, playing in Class A this season, made several comeback attempts but could not overtake the Trojans.

“Derry plays good team basketball, and (Kerr) has improved significantly and was a hard guard for our team,” GCC coach Greg Bisignani said. “We are not a very good team right now. We need to get better and play team basketball.”

Geoff Helm, a Shippensburg recruit and one of the area’s top scorers, hit back-to-back 3s for GCC to trim the deficit to 33-24.

Tom Erdele’s runner — a nice recovery after a block by Kerr — beat the first-half buzzer and got GCC within 36-28 at the half.

Joel LoNigro, who scored a team-high 20 for GCC, hit the first hoop of the second half to make it 36-30, but Derry went on a 15-7 run to increase the advantage to 51-37.

Kerr’s 3 came during the run.

GCC rallied again in the fourth, getting within 57-50 on a 3 from LoNigro, but a 6-0 spurt by Derry, which included a nifty dish-and-score from sophomore point guard Ryan Bushey to Kerr.

Derry made just 6 of 13 free throws in the fourth or it might have won by more.

Bushey made a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 13 points, and Justin Huss finished with 10 points and six steals. Aidan Bushey had five steals.

Jacob Biros chipped in 11 points, and Helm was limited to 10 for GCC.

“We have a few players getting over injuries and illness, so hopefully we will improve as a team,” Bisignani said. “And we will be a much better team when January and February roll around.”

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Derry Area, Greensburg C.C.