Highlands boys roll past Burrell in tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 27, 2018 | 11:36 PM

Highlands finally had its first home game of the season Thursday night.

And the Golden Rams put on quite a show for their fans.

Highlands, ranked fifth in this week’s TribHSSN Class 4A poll, took control early and rolled to a 67-30 victory over Burrell in the opening round of the school’s holiday tournament.

The Golden Rams (4-2) will take on Blackhawk (3-5) in the final at 8 p.m. Friday.

Blackhawk defeated Valley, 81-68, in the tournament opener. But several Highlands school officials reported a fracas took place in the Valley locker room, and the Vikings will not be returning to Highlands on Friday night for the scheduled consolation game, giving Burrell (3-6) an unanticipated night off.

Highlands athletic director Chuck Debor said Highlands and Blackhawk will play a junior varsity game at 6, followed by the varsity contest.

With the score knotted at 5-5 with 4 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first quarter Thursday, Highlands went on a 25-5 tear and built a 30-10 halftime advantage.

Dom Pesci scored 12 of his personal-best 18 points in the first half. Korry Myers had eight in the first half as the Golden Rams built their commanding lead.

“We just talked about intensity the entire game,” Highlands coach Tyler Stoczynski said. “We wanted to make them uncomfortable handling the ball, and our defensive pressure started to force some turnovers.”

Said Burrell coach Shawn Bennis: “When you play against Highlands, you pick your poison. You’re watching their big guys, then Pesci scores 12 in the first half. It sort of puts a damper of your thoughts there, and it changes up some things you do.”

Johnny Crise and Luke Cochran, Highlands’ leading scorers, had four points each in the first half.

But Crise hit on a variety of shots in the second half and finished with 19 points, and Cochran concentrated on ballhandling and had 10 assists.

Pesci’s 3-pointer with 4:49 left in the game gave the Golden Rams a 65-25 lead. That started the PIAA’s continuous clock rules.

“I’m just trying to play my best; it’s exciting,” said Pesci, a sophomore. “I just want to play hard. We’re doing well, but we could always do better.”

Said Stoczynski: “With a lot of focus on some of the other guys on the team, there’s opportunities for guys to step up. Dom’s a kid who’s been working on his shot all summer and fall, and he’s putting the time in and I’m happy for him.”

It was the 15th consecutive Highlands victory over Burrell, a streak that dates to 2005.

Burrell was led by Logan Bitar’s 12 points. Seth Fischbach had 10 and Andrew Bigler eight to account for Burrell’s scoring.

“When it gets to a certain point, they start to do things on their own, and things just steamroll,” Bennis said of his team. “You have to execute as a team, and I think they’ll learn from it.”

Myers finished with 14 for Highlands, and Crise and Seth Cohen collected 11 rebounds each.

George Guido is a freelance writer.

Tags: Burrell, Highlands