McConnellsburg played West Branch in the ICC semifinal at Claysburg Friday night and were defeated by the Warriors 69-63 in overtime,
Coach Joshua Lowery stated “We started off hot against the Warriors with a 12-0 run, but we knew they would eventually start scoring, ending the first quarter 16-7. We held them off heading into halftime with a score of 24-23. From that point on, it would be a game of execution and missed opportunities for both teams. We did not shoot from the charity line well going 6-16 from the line.
Lowery continued, “We preach to our team to win big games, you must take care of the ball, rebound well, and knock down foul shots; we did well in one of those categories and let the other two go, giving them extra opportunities in pivotal moments. We understood them well and game-planned well for them, but in the end, the Warriors would get us in overtime 69-63. Our boys played very well, and as a coaching staff, you couldn’t ask for more, considering we took a senior lead repeat team over time with our first-year built team.”
Leading scorers for the Spartans were Brayden Ramsey, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals, Dom Jefferson, 15 points, 6 steals, 2 assists, Hoyt Glenn, 14 points, 8 steals, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, Drew Mellott 8 points, 6 steals, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, one charge taken, Shaffer Early 5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 charge taken.