With leading scorer Johnson sidelined, Jeannette rolls past Springdale

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, January 27, 2018 | 1:12 AM

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Both the Jeannette and Springdale boys basketball teams entered Friday's Section 1-2A matchup hoping to avoid a second consecutive loss in section play.

The Jayhawks suffered a five-point loss to Leechburg last Saturday after winning its first five in section. Springdale had a quick turnaround after Thursday's setback to section-leading Serra Catholic.

When the dust settled at Springdale, Jeannette, playing without leading scorer Anthony Johnson because of an ankle injury suffered in practice Thursday, was able to get the job done in a big way.

Four players scored in doubles figures to lead the Jayhawks to a convincing 61-24 victory.

“I was really pleased with our effort,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “When we play Jeannette basketball, we look good. We got back to that (Friday). We defended and rebounded well and shared the basketball. We played for each other.”

The Jayhawks, No. 3 in the latest Tribune-Review boys Class 2A rankings, turn their attention to Tuesday's rematch with Leechburg. Jeannette improved its section record to 6-1 and overall mark to 11-2.

Section-leader Serra Catholic defeated Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday to move to 7-1 in section play.

Batts said Johnson's time away from the court is projected to be “anywhere from two days to 10 days.”

The Dynamos (9-6, 5-4) will play a third game in as many days when they host Mapletown in a nonsection game Saturday afternoon. The Dynamos return to section action next Friday at Leechburg.

“Jeannette is just a better team,” Springdale coach Seth Thompson said. “They are really good in so many areas, and you have to give credit where credit's due. We didn't play well, but even if we did certain things better, it still would be tough to beat them. They are the No. 3 team in the classification for a reason. I told the guys that we have to just put this one behind us and focus on some big games ahead.”

Springdale struggled from the field and from the foul line, and Jeannette forced 23 Dynamos turnovers. A number of the turnovers led to fast-break layups. Twelve of the Jayhawks' 18 field goals were layups.

Robert Kennedy and A.J. Sharp finished with 12 points each for the Jayhawks, and Tre Cunningham and Marcus Barnes added 11 apiece.

“Everybody shared the ball and got involved,” Kennedy said. “We play better as a team. We want to have everybody share the scoring rather than one person score 40.”

Jeannette led 28-13 at halftime and added on with a 21-7 advantage in the third quarter. An 11-1 run built the lead to 40-14 with a little more than four minutes left on the quarter clock.

Springdale lost 6-foot-4 junior starter Michael Zolnierczyk to a lower right leg injury three minutes into the first quarter, and two other starters — forward Josh Harmon and guard Demitri Fritch — got into foul trouble in the second quarter and had to exit the game.

Jeannette forced 12 Springdale turnovers and got nine points from Sharp over the first 16 minutes to build its halftime lead.

The Dynamos hoped to get back into the game after trailing 18-7 after the first quarter, but they went cold offensively for the first five minutes of the second. The Jayhawks used a 9-0 run to lead 27-7 before Van Pribanic connected on a jumper for Springdale with 2:38 to go until the break.

Nick Taliani led Springdale with nine points.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Jeannette, Springdale