Roughies race past Northern Lehigh
NORTHAMPTON - The spring sports season is just around the corner.
But at Catasauqua, track started back in early December on the basketball court.
The Rough Riders love to get up and down the floor, and on Saturday night in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinals, they raced to a 75-60 victory over Northern Lehigh.
“They’re very athletic,” said Bulldog head coach Jeff Miller. “We knew that, and we were trying to limit that. But we had some turnovers and missed shots ... that led to them getting out in transition. And that hurt us.
“We wanted to control the tempo. Our two keys coming into the game were to control the tempo and get the ball out of (Isaiah) Graves’ hands.”
While Northern Lehigh (11-12) did a decent job of doing both in the opening quarter, they couldn’t sustain it.
Graves, the MVP of the Colonial League this season, didn’t get many touches in the first frame, managing just three points. Meanwhile, Miller’s squad kept the pace slower, and his team excelled in the halfcourt game.
Brandon Hess and Nate Keller both tallied five points for the Bulldogs in the period, but Jaylen Green exploded for 12 points to give Catty (15-8) a narrow lead.
“That was key,” said Eric Snyder, head coach of the Roughies, of Green. “He does a lot ... When he hit his first shot, you could see he just lit up.
“We do want to go. The more we run, the better we are. And that comes from your defense. If they’re scoring, we can’t run. We were in a halfcourt game, and we don’t move as well on offense when we’re in a halfcourt game.”
Eventually, Graves did get the ball in his hands and turned up the speed on offense. His seven points during a 14-4 run turned a close contest into a double-digit advantage. It also set up his other teammates.
“Yeah, they started running,” said Miller. “We knew what Graves and Green could do, but give credit to their other guys. They had guys that stepped up and made plays. And we just couldn’t stop all of them.”
Robert Oppedisano was one of the benefactors, hitting open three-pointers in the last two minutes of the first half.
Nolehi’s Keller drained a pair of treys early in the second half to keep his team within striking distance, but Graves continued to get to the basket in the open floor. Oppedisano nailed another deep ball and the Roughies lead grew to 19 points.
“That was probably the best game Catty played, at least the ones I’ve seen them,” said Miller. “But our kids didn’t quit. That’s the nature of these kids. When they get down, they actually work harder. They’re just great to coach. It’s a shame it had to end because it’s been a great year.”
LEADING THE WAY ... Green finished with a game-high 21 points and also collected seven rebounds. Graves had 20 points and Oppedisano ended with 15. Hess paced the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Keller and Gio Colon each netted 14. Colon also had nine boards.
SENIOR SALUTE ... Miller loses three seniors from his squad - Colon, Mason Seiler, and Robert Shoff. “All three seniors have been great,” said Miller. “They’ve been great leaders for this team ... Whatever we needed, they accepted their role and did a great job with it. I can’t say enough about what they meant to this program.”
NORTHERN LEHIGH
Kemery 1-1-2-3, Colon 5-4-8-14, Shoff 0-0-0-0, Seier 4-2-3-10, Seiler 0-0-0-0, Kroll 0-0-0-0, Berger 0-0-0-0, Keller 5-0-0-14, Hess 5-4-6-16, Moyer 1-1-2-3, Richards 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-12-21-60.
CATASAUQUA
Graves 7-6-7-20, Hernandez 2-0-1-4, A. Martinez 1-2-2-4, Green 8-3-4-21, Smith 0-0-0-0, D. Martinez 0-0-0-0, Bond 1-1-3-3, Brett 0-0-0-0, Ritter 1-0-0-3, Dolon 0-0-2-0, Chase 0-0-0-0, Der. Troxell 1-2-2-5, Dev. Troxell 0-0-0-0, Velez 0-0-0-0, Schneck 0-0-0-0, Oppedisano 6-0-0-15. TOTALS: 27-14-21-75.
Northern Lehigh 14 11 15 20 - 60
Catasauqua 17 19 20 19 - 75
Three-pointers: No. Lehigh - Keller 4, Hess 2; Catasauqua - Oppedisano 3, Green 2, Ritter 1, Der. Troxell 1.
