No. 2 Moon holds off No. 4 Chartiers Valley in Section 2-5A battle

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 | 10:12 PM

Tuesday night’s clash for Section 2-5A boys basketball supremacy lived up to the hype.

Ultimately, Moon prevailed 69-64 over host Chartiers Valley to remain unbeaten before a boisterous crowd at Chartiers Valley High School.

Moon (11-0, 4-0), ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL and No. 5 statewide, moved into first place atop Section 2. Chartiers Valley (4-1, 7-2), ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL, suffered its first section loss.

Donovan Johnson scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, while teammate Connor Ryan added 21 points, including 15 in the first half.

“We just had a lot more intensity in the second half (and) we came out a lot more focused,” Johnson said. “We were a little lackadaisical at the start. … We started good and then we tailed off a little bit. We just have to keep the energy level, and we’ll be fine.”

Moon point guard Jioni Smith added 13 points, including 10 after halftime as he and Johnson combined for 28 second-half points.

“We’ve had moments like this throughout throughout the season where we needed a pick-me-up and (Smith) is generally the guy who does it,” Moon coach Andy Kaufman said. “He does a great job defensively for us. He can get the ball off the glass and lead the transition break. He’s a great passer. He does a lot of things people don’t talk about, but he’s a perfect point guard for what we’re trying to get done.”

Jared Goldstrom led a balanced CV effort with 16 points. Sean Banas added 14, Brayden Reynolds had 13 and Joe Pipilo added 12 before fouling out in the final minute.

“We fought and I was proud of my guys,” CV coach Brandon Sensor said. “(Moon) is a good team, a very good team, well-coached and smart. I thought both teams played good and they ended up on top. I think it could have gone either way at the end.”

Neither team led by more than eight points in the back-and-forth affair.

CV opened up an eight-point lead in the third, but Moon rallied as the third came to close, and the teams entered the final quarter knotted 50-50.

The Tigers opened the fourth by building a quick eight-point lead of their own, but CV’s Goldstrom hit a pair of 3-pointers to tie the game 60-60 with 2:14 to play.

“We were just talking to each other, we had each other’s back,” Johnson said. “We just said, ‘Next play, next play, don’t listen to the crowd.’ We were all in it for each other.”

Johnson regained the lead for Moon with a basket inside, and the Tigers pulled away by going 5 of 8 from the free throw line in the final two-plus minutes and limiting CV to a pair of layups by point guard Reynolds.

“I didn’t think we played well it the third quarter,” Kaufman said. “We gave up some offensive rebounds, we didn’t box out, we didn’t pursue the ball. In the fourth quarter we had a couple of breakdowns on switches that led to wide-open 3s and got bailed out because they missed a few shots. I don’t think we executed enough to deserve the win.”

CV led 17-16 after a frenetic opening quarter. The Colts hit a trio of 3-pointers and benefited from a Moon technical foul in the second to maintain a 31-30 lead at the half.

The Colts held Smith and Johnson largely at bay in the first half before the duo erupted in the second.

“They tried to get it inside a little bit more to Johnson, but other than that I don’t think they did much different,” Sensor said. “They just tried to post him up a little bit more, but he’s going to score some points so you gotta be ready for that.”

The Colts and Tigers square off again Feb. 1 at Moon.

Jesse Geleynse is a freelance writer.

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Moon