Jeannette boys edge host Greensburg Salem for emotional victory

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 30, 2017 | 9:00 AM

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Emotions ran high, boiled over even, in the crowd.

Security had to interact with some rowdy fans.

One coach called the extracurricular antics “a circus.”

In light of it all, the players put on a pretty good show.

The provocation and tense moments at Greensburg Salem Friday night did not seem to bother them, even Jeannette’s high-energy junior Anthony Johnson, who turned into a point guard in the game’s most crucial time and helped propel the Jayhawks to an emotional victory.

Playing with four fouls, Johnson dribbled upcourt and dished three key assists in the closing minutes to help Jeannette build a cushion and knock back the host Golden Lions, 64-57, in the much-anticipated and rowdy finale of the Greensburg Salem Holiday Classic.

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Tre Cunningham scored 22 points for Class 2A No. 2 Jeannette (5-1), which finished 2-0 in the showcase.

Johnson, who had 28 points in last year’s 81-65 win over Greensburg Salem, drove the lane and found Marcus Barnes for a pair of layups with just over two minutes to play to put Jeannette ahead 61-51.

His next kick-out pass went to Robert Kennedy, who buried a 3-pointer from the wing for a 13-point advantage with 1:32 left.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Johnson held up three fingers as the ball splashed in.

Later, with the game in hand, he yelled “Game time,” and skipped down the floor, attempting a post-buzzer dunk.

“Anthony plays with so much intensity,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “He has played high-level AAU against some of the best players in the country. When he stays focused he can do so much. And he’s a tough player to guard. He also had some huge rebounds for us down the stretch.”

The teams, old-time rivals, had exchanged pleasantries on social media in the days leading up to their matchup. But that did not grow into anything more than good basketball. If anything, it added to a playoff atmosphere.

Barnes added 13 points for Jeannette. Johnson finished with nine.

“It was crunch time and we came out with the win,” Barnes said. “We knew this would take a total team effort. Everyone gave so much energy.”

Class 5A Greensburg Salem (6-3) got 25 points from standout guard Marvel McGowan.

Jack Oberdorf and McGowan each hit 3-pointers inside the final 20 seconds to cut the margin to seven, but the Golden Lions ran out of time. McGowan had 29 in last year’s loss to Jeannette.

“In a game like this, with so much emotion and excitement, you have to stay focused and do what you do,” Golden Lions coach Craig Mankins said. “It wasn’t so much what was going on (in the crowd) but our guys got caught watching (Jeannette) instead of playing their game and reacting.”

Oberdorf also hit a 3 with 3:45 remaining to cut the deficit to 55-51.

“We needed to rebound better after that, and we didn’t do a good job of that,” Mankins said.

Dante Parsons made a fast-break layup at the third-quarter buzzer to make it 45-39. Parsons finished with 12 points.

Greensburg Salem shot 16 for 28 from the foul line.

Both coaches were pleased with how the players dealt with the tense moments.

“Our guys have been in some pretty big football games against the likes of Clairton, Imani Christian and Farrell,” Batts said. “We just talked about staying within ourselves. Play hard together, and stay together: that’s Jeannette basketball.”

Said Mankins: “You hate to see that kind of stuff. This is high school basketball, and it’s about the kids.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Jeannette