Defense has become a mainstay of Bradford High boys basketball,
but even head coach Dave Fuhrman will admit “there’s no substitute
for putting the ball in the basket.”

No one needs to tell the Owls that after a stagnant two-point
quarter cost BHS a shot at the second round of the PIAA Class AAA
tournament in a heartbreaking 40-38 loss to Ambridge at the
Pitt-Bradford Sport & Fitness Center on Friday.

BHS was solid in the first quarter as 6-5 center Ben Lanich
showed his strength inside and Tommy Morris made the first of his
five threes and the Owls were leading 9-4.

What’s more, Bradford held a remarkable 7-0 edge in team fouls
and was in the bonus with 41 seconds still to go in the first.

But the Bridgers closed the gap defensively in the second and
did not allow the Owls to capitalize on that advantage. BHS went to
the line just one time in the period – two successful throws from
Lanich at the 4:31 mark.

Meantime, Ambridge discovered its range offensively and
outscored the Owls 15-2 to take a 19-11 margin into halftime.

“We got off to a good start, but the second quarter really hurt
us,” Fuhrman said. “They outscored us 15-2 in the second quarter –
that’s a killer.

“You have to play four solid quarters this time of year. We had
a bad quarter and it cost us. They got real physical with us and
got up in our ball handlers hard. We had some turnovers and didn’t
see the floor. We were stagnant and they pushed us away from the
basket. They took us out of the attacking area so we couldn’t get
to the line.

“To our kids’ credit though, we really regrouped in the second
half.”

The Bridgers enjoyed a 10-point cushion twice early in the third
quarter, but Morris found the mark from beyond the arc with 4:23 to
go and it was 25-18 Ambridge.

Lanich followed with a baseline jumper over his defender for a
25-20 score and when Ryan LaBrozzi chased down a loose ball to find
Morris for another three it was a two-point game, 25-23.

Owl fans were still hooting 16 seconds later when 6-4 Bridgers
forward Zach Delo found himself with the ball about five feet
behind the line and he banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to
quiet the crowd.

Bradford’s defensive specialist Tom Taylor took a key charge
with 6:36 left in the game, sparking a 6-0 run that gave the Owls
the lead at 29-28 by the 4:23 mark.

Unfortunately for BHS, Taylor would foul out of the game during
that spurt.

Ambridge star guard Slade Unis, finally free of Taylor’s
pressure, converted a lay-up to recover a lead the Bridgers would
not relinquish.

Still, the Owls did not give up.

Down 34-30 with one minute to go, Morris drilled a deep ball to
pull within one and a bucket from Lanich at the front of the rim
with 18 ticks made it 36-35.

Bridger guard Jared Gibson then made his fifth and sixth free
throws in the last two minutes to make it 38-35, but BHS would have
another possession.

The Owls got the ball to their senior leader in Morris and No.
12 made a veteran play in drawing the foul on a three-point shot
with eight seconds left.

Morris stepped to the line likely wanting nothing more than the
chance to extend his career at BHS for even another five minutes
and he buried all three.

Unis, however, didn’t want anything to do with an overtime
period and, with the Owls hesitant to foul, went coast-to-coast for
the game-winning basket as time expired.

“It sure was a tough loss,” Fuhrman lamented.

“Morris did a great job. With eight seconds to go he has to make
three (free throws) just to tie it, that’s a lot of pressure. He
also hit a couple of threes in the fourth that were huge in helping
us come back.”

Morris finished the game with 18 points, while Lanich added 17
points and eight boards.

“Tom Taylor, even though he didn’t score played a heck of a game
guarding Unis,” Fuhrman noted. “He had 10 points and four of them
after Tom fouled out. He’s played great defense down the stretch
and I bet Unis hasn’t been guarded like that all season.

“I’m very proud of Tommy Morris and Dan Vecellio as our
seniors,” Fuhrman added. “We’re going to miss those guys and the
loyalty, leadership and dedication they’ve given to the
program.”

Ambridge’s victory puts the Bridgers at 20-8 and they advance to
play Grove City (a 52-46 winner over Chartiers Valley) on
Tuesday.

While Bradford’s record of 13-12 seems average when taken at
face value, Fuhrman said the season was one of the more unqiue
campaigns he’s experienced at the helm.

“I’m very proud of our guys, we came a long way over some bumps
in the road. We overcame a lot of issues with this team on the
court and off and I think the guys learned some real life
lessons.

“I work hard at (coaching), but I worked extra hard at it this
year – it’s one of the more gratifying seasons I’ve had,” Fuhrman
continued. “(The team) was a work in progress, but the finished
product turned out pretty good.”