Olympians close strong to defeat Blue Bombers
In an evenly-matched game between two basketball teams, shooting percentages, rebounding edges and free throw attempts matter.
But when it gets down to ‘crunch time,’ intensity, desire and hustle matter most.
In the final three minutes of Tuesday’s Jim Thorpe-Palmerton matchup in the Slatington Rotary Tournament, the Olympians showed more of those determining qualities to nab a 49-45 win.
With the game tied at 41-41, Nick Rosahac’s pair of free throws and drive to the basket provided the winners with the boost needed to prevail.
“I told them at halftime that Palmerton was beating us to all the 50-50 balls, and sending four or five guys to go after rebounds,” Jim Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle said. “We weren’t early on. We were kind of watching the game go by us. But in the end, when it mattered most, we had some plays there that gave us the win. Palmerton’s a good team and it was a fight to the end, so we’re glad to get this one and move on.”
Early on, both sides took their respective turns at surmounting leads, only to see their opponents battle back.
A 10-0 run in the first frame gave the Olympians a 15-7 edge after eight minutes, as Nathan Rosahac put in seven from underneath.
The lead swelled to 18-7 after Tyler Burak drained a trey, giving Thorpe their largest lead of the night. Eric Baumgardt’s drive disrupted the onslaught, and teammate Ryan Yacone hit for six straight, cutting the margin to 18-15 with just under four minutes left before halftime.
The momentum continued to yield Bomber buckets, as they eventually took a 27-21 edge at intermission.
“I thought we might have gotten a little content there, after we built that early lead,” McElmoyle said. “Against a good team like Palmerton, you can’t afford to do that. Because they battled back and then it was a ballgame from there on out.”
The Olympians began their comeback in the second half, as they took advantage down low with offensive rebounds and put-backs.
“Tonight, I thought our downfall was turnovers and the offensive rebounds,” Palmerton mentor Ken Termini said. “They did a little bit better of a job of converting on their chances off our turnovers and turning their offensive rebounds into easy put-backs.”
With the game even at 41-all with 4:17 remaining, Nick Rosahac converted a pair of free throws for the minimal lead. Both teams’ defenses then limited the opponents, as the score remained there until under a minute left on the clock.
Nick Rasohac’s drive down the lane and brother Nathan’s free throw gave the Olympians a 46-41 lead.
The Bombers attempts at catching up from there proved to be futile, as a pair of Chris Valdez free throws iced the victory.
“Credit to their defense,” Termini said. “They shut us down and we missed a few shots that we should have made, and in a game like this one, that’s the difference.”
EVEN STEVENS ... The two sides were similar in other facets of play, as Palmerton was outrebounded 32-31, while the Bombers committed 17 turnovers, in comparison to the Olympians’ 20. However, 15 of the winners’ rebounds were following their own misses, which led to some easy, yet big points.
TOP SCORERS ... Jim Thorpe was led in scoring by Nathan Rosahac, who topped all scorers with 14 points. Justin Marykwas scored eight of his 10 after the break, while Nick Rosahac added nine. For Palmerton, Nate Dougherty managed 13 points to lead his team,. Justin Hosier followed with nine points, while Ryan Yacone and Zach Silfies both added eight.
JIM THORPE
Searfoss 0-0-0-0, Burak 2-0-0-6, Spruill 0-0-0-0, Valdez 2-2-2-7, Forman 1-0-0-3, Marykwas 4-1-2-10, Na. Rosohac 6-2-3-14, Ni. Rosohac 3-3-4-9. TOTALS: 18-8-11-49.
PALMERTON
Yacone 4-0-0-8, Young 1-0-0-2, Baumgardt 1-0-0-2, Dougherty 3-7-10-13, King 0-0-0-0, Kratzer 0-3-4-3, Yaindl 0-0-0-0, Hosier 4-0-0-9, Silfies 4-0-0-8, Taschler 0-0-0-0, Quinn 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-10-14-45.
Jim Thorpe 15 6 13 15 - 49
Palmerton 7 20 10 8 - 45
Three pointers: Jim Thorpe - Burak 2, Valdez 1, Forman 1, Marykwas 1; Palmerton - Hosier 1.
