Bishop Canevin holds off Jeannette for 5th place in Class 2A

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 | 10:32 PM

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Jeannette basketball coach Adrian Batts said anytime his young Jayhawks are still playing games at this time of the year, it’s a good thing.

Even though the Jayhawks (17-9) had already qualified for the PIAA playoffs, Batts was hoping for a better performance in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 2A consolation game against Bishop Canevin, which was for placement in the state tournament.

Bishop Canevin (15-11) won the fifth place battle, 52-46, and will face the District 5 champion, either Windber or Conemaugh Township. Jeannette heads north to face the District 10 champion, either Cambridge Springs or Iroquois. Both games will be played March 9.

“We had our opportunities,” Batts said. “We just didn’t shoot it well. I thought we had an ‘and-one’ that would have made it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter and Jayce (Powell) was called for a charge.

“I love this team. They work hard and playing into March will benefit them in the future.”

Jeannette got off to a quick 6-2 lead against the Crusaders and then went cold. Bishop Canevin went on a 6-0 run to grab an 8-6 first-quarter advantage.

The Jayhawks’ shooting woes continued early in the second quarter as the Crusaders pushed the lead to 19-12. But 3-pointers by Markus McGowan and Isaiah Mallich tied the score 19-19 with 39 seconds left in the first half.

Bishop Canevin sharp-shooter Jackson Maddix nailed a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 22-19 lead at halftime.

Bishop Canevin was able to extend its lead to 35-26 late in the third quarter before a 3-pointer by McGowan trimmed Jeannette’s deficit to 35-29.

The Jayhawks opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets by Powell and Kymon’e Brown to close to gap to 35-33, but Maddix drilled his third 3-pointer of the game, which seemed to settled the Crusaders.

“Jackson is a big-time player,” Bishop Canevin coach Aaron McGee said. “His basket seemed to calm us down. It’s nice to be heading home with a victory.”

After going 1 for 8 from the foul line in the first half, the Crusaders were 11 for 15 in the second half.

Maddix, who was 9 for 12 in the second half, and sophomore Drew Allen each scored 20 points for the Crusaders.

“The 3-pointer after we cut the lead to two was a killer,” Batts said. “We battled hard, but we gave them a couple easy ones and we missed a couple layups.”

Brown and Powell each scored 15 for the Jayhawks.

“I thought both teams played well defensively,” McGee said. “We did have a few breakdowns that Jeannette took advantage of.”

Batts said the week off may help his players recharge and find their shooting touch.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Jeannette