Meadville looks to keep the season alive against Penn Hills
· Yahoo Sports
After a disappointing 63-42 loss to Greater Johnstown in the PIAA Class 5A sub-regional, the Bulldogs look to rebound and keep their season alive tonight. At 7 p.m., Meadville hosts the fifth place WPIAL team, Penn Hills.
For Penn Hills, the Indians went 19-7 on their way to beating Gateway in the WPIAL consolation bracket.
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Penn Hills brings in a team that is known for 3-point shooting and a guard who runs its offense.
“Penn Hills is fast and athletic. They also shoot 3-pointers well,” Meadville head coach Chad Sutton said. “Their senior guard Amon Hawthorne is a big part of their offense. We really need to limit his offensive opportunities and make things difficult for him.”
Meadville will rely on its energetic defense, one that secured 19 turnovers against in their first sub-regional game against DuBois.
The defense hummed thanks to the efforts of all five players on the court, but especially senior Jovon Johnson and junior Amarius Foster, who is usually an offensive dynamo for the team.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs need to be able to handle the pressure that Penn Hills brings.
“Penn Hills extends the floor and likes to put a lot of pressure on the ball,” Sutton said. “We need to take care of the ball and get good offensive possessions to prevent them from getting in transition. They like to play fast so we need to make sure we get back quickly into our transition defense in order to prevent easy baskets.”
Meadville’s offense is led by senior Tykie Butler, who despite missing several games due to injury, put up 302 points for the team. The two-way Foster leads Meadville in points with 408 and junior Braelyn Lockett rounds out the top three with 243. Keithen Arnold and Jhy Moffett also are a part of the triple digit club, with 176 and 101 respectively.
The Bulldogs will need to play at their best in order to take down their WPIAL opponent.
“We need a complete game, offensively and defensively, to give us the best chance to win on Friday [Today],” Sutton said. “Taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers will be key. Penn Hills likes to trap and create pressure. If we handle their traps well, then we should get good scoring opportunities.”
This season, the Bulldogs have won six out of their eight wins at home and the team hopes to continue to use its home court advantage to pick up another win.
“Playing at home in front of the home crowd is huge. Our fans are great,” Sutton said. “They always give our team a boost. It should be an electric atmosphere at the House of Thrills!”