Allderdice boys win City League showdown over Westinghouse
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Friday, January 19, 2018 | 10:42 PM
City League boys basketball bragging rights were on the line when undefeated teams Allderdice and Westinghouse faced off Friday night.
Allderdice reminded Westinghouse why the Dragons are defending City League champions with a 80-45 victory.
“It was a big section win. You want to try to win every game,” Allderdice coach Buddy Valinsky said. “The biggest thing is you want to defend your home court, and we did.”
The Dragons (11-2, 5-0), who had 18 assists, stuck to their jump-shooting style of play and were led by a of trio double-digit scorers, including junior guard Jackson Blaufeld, who had 18 points, including four 3-pointers.
Blaufeld had two of the Dragons’ five 3-pointers in the second quarter to give Allderdice a 36-19 halftime lead.
“We are becoming a very good outside shooting team,” Valinsky said. “We don’t score inside. It’s nice that it’s finally coming together.”
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Senior guard Tyler Williams finished with 17 points and nine assists. He scored nine in the third quarter after spending most of the first half getting his teammates involved in the game.
“In the first half, I tried to get everyone involved and we went up a lot,” Williams said. “In the second half and the third quarter, my shot came. The opportunities were there, and I took advantage.”
Junior guard Bobby Clifford added 15 points, while sophomore forward Rob Jones quietly finished with 13 points for the Dragons. Clifford and Jones each scored six points in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.
The Bulldogs (11-2, 4-1) saw an eight-game winning streak snapped. They hadn’t lost since Dec. 12 against Franklin Regional.
Friday, they were led by 6-foot-11 senior forward James Ellis’ 16 points, though Allderdice was able to minimize Ellis’ impact on the game.
“I think they just had energy. They played really unselfish and rebounded the ball. They played like champions tonight,” Westinghouse coach Eugene Wilson said.
“I’m really disappointed in my team’s effort. There’s been games where we’ve won close games, and the effort was phenomenal. But this was the first game where I thought my guys just quit, and they were defeated. I’m just used to a lot more energy and dedication.”
After taking a 13-6 lead after one quarter, the Dragons’ defense turned up a notch and either caused turnovers or limited the Bulldogs to one shot per possession, while cashing in on the offensive end.
Allderdice’s 17-3 run in the second quarter was ignited by the two 3-pointers by Blaufeld, and Clifford capped the run with a 3 of his own.
The Dragons, who lost to Class 6A No. 2 Penn Hills and Penn-Trafford in back-to-back games in late December, will have a tough matchup against Class 5A Mars at home on Monday.
“I honestly believe that we can beat anyone because we have the heart and the competitiveness,” Williams said.
Andrew John is freelance writer.
Tags: Allderdice, Westinghouse
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