Penn Hills boys ousted by Muhlenberg in PIAA Class 5A 1st round

By: Jeff Dewees
Friday, March 8, 2019 | 11:58 PM

HERSHEY — Penn Hills had overtime in its sights. But a 3-point attempt, coming off a weave that chewed up 10 of the remaining 12 seconds, came up short.

Penn Hills saw its basketball season end Friday night with a 63-60 loss to District 3 entrant Muhlenberg in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs at Milton Hershey School.

The Indians trailed by that margin, holding the ball following a turnover at midcourt, with 12 seconds to play. But a would-be game-tying jumper from the top of the key misfired with two seconds left.

Penn Hills, the WPIAL’s No. 4 team in the bracket, closes its campaign at 20-6. Muhlenberg, D-3’s No. 2 at 5A, improved to 19-9 with its first state tournament win in 29 years.

“Right now, I’m pumped up,” said Muhlenberg coach Tyrone Nesby, a former NBA player. “We’ve got this 12-hour rule, and I get to enjoy this for 12 hours. After that, it’s back to business.”

Two converted free throws from Makai Washington with 12 seconds to play gave Muhlenberg a crucial three-point lead.

Muhlenberg buried 10 3-pointers, from all angles, to frustrate the Indians. Despite carrying a 33-30 edge into the second half, that slender advantage disappeared in a hail of long-range shots from Muhls during the third quarter, a period in which Penn Hills was outscored 20-11 and lost whatever semblance it had of control heading into the break.

Forward Wes Kropp was a beacon for the Indians during the first half, scoring 13 points to lead his club while proving to be Muhlenberg’s biggest thorn. But Kropp was held to two points in the second half. As his production dried up, so did Penn Hills’ offense to a large extent. The Indians drained just four shots from the floor in the fourth quarter.

“We wanted to double him more,” Nesby said of adjustments made on Kropp during the second half. “We knew by watching film that they go through him. We didn’t want their big man to go off, because he’s their heart.”

With Kropp contained, Muhlenberg’s Nelson Colon was good for 11 points during the third quarter, including a personal 8-0 run, that provided the Muhls with just enough separation to see it through. Colon wrapped with a game-high 20, though fatigue saw him ride the pine for a good chunk down the stretch.

Penn Hills which lost the lead for good during Colon’s personal 8-0 run, still had ample opportunity to flip the verdict to the end. The Indians shaved the deficit to a single point twice during the final 2:29, but couldn’t bury the shot to put them over the top.

Noel Roach’s traditional three-point play made it a 59-58 game with 2:29 to go; a jumper from Kyree Hairston-Mitchell got his club to within 61-60 with 58 ticks left.

Kropp’s 15 led the Indians; Gary Bonner supplied secondary support with four 3-pointers for all his points scored. Hairston-Mitchell chipped in with 11.

Tags: Penn Hills