Central Valley Warriors earn third straight win
CENTER TWP. – Come playoff time in the spring, the results of the non-conference high school basketball games being played now won’t be taken into account as far as who qualifies for the post-season.
But how well these December games are used to build teams will go a long way to determining who reaches the post-season and has success there.
Just ask Central Valley boys’ coach Brandon Ambrose, whose games are especially important as his football players continue to round into basketball shape.
“We didn’t play well in our first game and lost,” said Ambrose. “We played West Allegheny and got a little better, then played better against Keystone Oaks.
“We got better every game and got better this time, too.”
His Warriors improved Tuesday night in a decisive 69-52 win over an impressive Ellwood City team.
“We shot the ball well and everybody picks up the energy when that happens,” Ambrose said. “I was impressed with the way we defended, the way we passed, and we got contributions from all nine guys in the rotation.”
Leading the way for that good shooting were a pair of guards ― Andre Vacich and Isaiah Jeter. Each had 24 points but neither cared about that number ― they cared about the third straight win.
“I don’t pay attention to how many I’m scoring,” said Vacich. “I’m thinking we’re right about where we should be at this point in the season.”
Vacich did most of his scoring in the first half as the Warriors broke open a close game. With four and a half minutes left in the half, Ambrose called a timeout with the score tied at 15-15. At halftime, it was 33-22 in Central Valley’s favor as the Warriors scored the final nine points of the quarter ― and old-fashioned three-point play and then a three-point shot by Jeter followed by a three-pointer by Gabe Raso with three seconds left.
Ellwood City had to play catch-up in the final two quarters and Central Valley kept the defensive pressure up. The Wolverines’ longest scoring run was three points until there was less than six minutes left and the Warriors led 62-39.
“I didn’t care about scoring, I just wanted to play defense,” Jeter said. “My goal is just to make the playoffs and go as far as we can.”
The emphasis on defense was easy to remember as Ellwood City was led by 6-foot-5 Joe Roth. The lone starter remaining from the Wolverines’ WPIAL Championship team of two years ago, Roth is an exceptional athlete ― possibly excelling in swimming even more than on the hard court. He finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds.
“In the 20 years or so that I’ve been coaching, he’s one of the hardest I’ve ever had to prepare for,” Ambrose said. “He works so hard getting the ball and tipping it to himself if he needs to. He trusts his teammates, too, and there’s a reason they’re 6-1. They are a very good team.”
Although the final score may seem to say differently, this game was competitive until the last minute or so as both teams battled to improve for the key section games ahead.
“It was the kind of game you want at this time ― a competitive game that allows you to work on what you need to,” Ambrose said.
‘Now the most important thing becomes tomorrow’s practice. If you don’t come the next day working hard to get better, this doesn’t mean as much,” he added.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Central Valley defeats Ellwood City for third straight win
