It might not have the same ring to it as ‘league champions’, but you better believe that the Bradford Owls will take ‘co-league champions’ any time.
The Bradford boys cruised past Punxsutawney 69-44 on Friday night to earn a share of the D9 League Championship with Elk County Catholic, as both teams finished with a league record of 8-2 and split their two meetings during the season.
The league crown is Bradford’s first since the 2009-10 season. It’s a title that coach Brian Hobbs feels is well-deserved.
“Our team slogan this year is ‘All In’, and the guys are really doing that,” he said. “They support one another. It’s not a ‘me’ thing, it’s a ‘we’ thing and these guys are really buying into that. They do a nice job of playing defense and I think we’re playing some good basketball right now.”
They sure are. After a huge upset win over ECC on the road a few days ago, the Owls left no doubt last night — the team’s Senior Night — as to who was the superior team.
Eleven different Owls players found the score sheet, with Deondre Terwilliger (14 points), Dan Manion (13), Steven Knowlton (11), and Adam Boyer (10) all finishing in double figures.
The Owls were able to make big momentum-swinging plays throughout the first half. It started in the first quarter with a pair of three-point plays by Terwilliger and Alec Kuzmeskas (five points) and ended with a buzzer-beating trey by Terwilliger that put Bradford up 18-10 after one.
In the second quarter, Bradford stepped up its defensive intensity, making the Chucks work every trip down the court. On the other end, that same aggressive play and the willingness to drive to the hoop got Punxsy into early foul trouble.
After play slowed down a bit, the Owls ended the half with a bang, as Tyler Gigliotti (six points) hit a late 3-pointer. That was immediately followed up by a brilliant behind-the-back move by Terwilliger that resulted in a layup to put Bradford up 33-19 at the half.
Punxsy tried to match Bradford’s aggressiveness coming out of the half by switching to a full-court press, but the Owls were able to find holes on offense and converted on several easy baskets.
On a night when he was able to empty the bench, Hobbs got big contributions from some of his role players. Senior Brice Whelan only scored two points, but he made a couple of huge blocks and dished out some nice assists in the third quarter to put a charge into the home crowd.
“It’s nice to have Brice back,” Hobbs said. “He’s another big guy we can put in there. When Donny and Danny have been in foul trouble, we’ve had to go a little bit smaller when Brice was out with mono. But since he’s been back it makes it a little nicer. We’re getting some solid play out of Steve Knowlton and Adam Boyer too has come around in the second half of the season.”
Bradford was able to take a 53-32 lead into the fourth quarter, and the rest was history.
The Owls have had some ups and downs this year, including a 2-5 start to the season. But the ability to overcome adversity is something Hobbs has seen in his players for a while now.
“From the beginning I said injuries and team chemistry will make or break us,” he said. “Early on we didn’t have the chemistry. A couple weeks ago we had injuries and sickness. Danny was out, Boyer was out, (Gigliotti) was out for a game. But when we have a full team, we’re going to be pretty tough to beat.”
Hobbs is especially happy to be able to send out his group of seniors — Terwilliger, Manion, Kuzmeskas, Boyer, Whelan, and Brent Kennedy — with a league title on Senior Night.
“One of our goals from the beginning of the season was to win the league,” Hobbs said. “Obviously it’s co-champions but we’re there at the top. These guys have worked hard. The amount of time that Deondre and Adam have put in in the offseason. Once baseball’s over we get Danny back. These guys have really come together as a team.”
Bradford will now have to wait and see who it will face in the District 9 AAAA playoffs, likely slated to begin sometime later next week.
“The mindset’s the same no matter who we play,” Hobbs said. “We know it’s going to be a battle. We’ve all had some rough spots and some good runs throughout the season as far as the AAAA teams. It’s a battle. We’ve just got to show up and play our game.”
One reason why Hobbs has such confidence in his team is their willingness to put others before themselves, pointing to Kennedy’s willingness to wait his turn even on Senior Night.
“We asked him about starting tonight but he said, ‘No coach, I know my role and I want to let those other guys start.’” Hobbs said of Kennedy. “Things like that really exemplify what this team is about.”
AT BRADFORD
Punxsutawney (44)
Brandon Matthews 6 5-7 18, Tyler Richardson 3 4-6 10, Kevin Constant 1 0-0 2, Ethan Blose 2 1-2 6, Willie Hoover 2 0-0 4, Byers 1 0-0 2, Wehrle 1 0-0 2, Hanley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 10-15 44
Bradford (69)
P. Manion 0 2-2 2, Kuzmeskas 2 1-2 5, Adam Boyer 2 5-6 10, Pattison 1 0-0 2, Steven Knowlton 4 0-0 11, Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Gigliotti 1 3-4 6, Whelan 1 0-2 2, Deondre Terwilliger 6 1-1 14, Dan Manion 5 3-3 13, Patterson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 15-20 69
Punxsy 10 19 32 44
Bradford 18 33 53 69
Three-point goals: Punxsy 2 (Matthews 1, Blose 1), Bradford 6 (Boyer 1, Knowlton 3, Gigliotti 1, Terwilliger 1); Total fouls: Punxsy 20, Bradford 12; fouled out: none
JV: Bradford won 51-38
