Conemaugh Township cruises past Rockwood in WestPAC semifinal

ROCKWOOD — Senior teammates Alex Gregory and Declan Mainhart each poured in 15 points, including a combined seven three-pointers to lead a balanced Conemaugh Township attack and advance to the WestPAC championship with a 72-42 victory over Rockwood in the semifinals on Wednesday.

“We came into this game knowing Tanner Shirley had a big game against them last time out, and we would have to be more balanced this time,” said Gregory. “It just takes one shot, and it can change a whole night for somebody, and it did tonight as everyone chipped in.”

Conemaugh Township head coach Chuck Lesko was pleased with how his team handled the playoff atmosphere.

“It’s postseason so there was a touch of the nerves to start the game,” said Lesko. “Rockwood had a great gameplan and executed that plan in the first quarter, and then we made some adjustments and got it going in the second and third quarters.”

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Rockwood, the top seed in the South, got the scoring started with junior forward Christian Schrock finally breaking the ice almost two minutes into the game. Schrock netted 13 points in the game. Both teams struggled to get the offense moving, and after trading three pointers late in the quarter, Conemaugh Township, the No. 2 seed in the North, held a 12-10 lead after one quarter.

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Rockwood got an opening possession three-pointer in the second quarter by Will Latuch, but after a 7-0 run gave Conemaugh Township a 28-17 lead late in the second quarter, Rockwood head coach Dale Foy called a timeout to try and settle his team down and get the offense going.

Rockwood (13-9) came out of the timeout with a three-pointer by Latuch to cut it to an eight-point lead. He finished with 14 points on the night.

However, a questionable foul with under a second left in the half, sent Mainhart to the line for three shots. He drained them all to make it 31-20 at the half.

The third quarter was dominated by Conemaugh Township (16-6), particularly from behind the arc, as they made four three-pointers. Its tight defense kept Rockwood in check as well.

Mainhart had a huge third quarter, scoring 10 points to help Conemaugh Township pull away for a 49-34 after the third. Conemaugh Township was eventually able to institute the running clock in the fourth quarter.

“Coach wanted us to have more contributors tonight and we all got the job done,” said Mainhart. “In the third, I was feeling it and we ran the offense well, and kept hitting the open shooters and they put them in. It’s exciting to face a rival in Windber and we took two losses to them this season, so we are hoping to get our first win against them this time out.”

Colin Dinyar added 12 points and Jon Updyke contributed 11 points for Conemaugh Township.

Gregory is excited for a return trip to the championship game after falling short to Portage last season.

“It’s going to be a hard-fought game between us and Windber,” said Gregory. “You always want to go into those games wanting to work harder, play harder and out rebound them. If we can go in there with the right mindset and play like tonight, good things are going to happen.”

A spot in the WestPAC championship is a little extra special this time out for Coach Lesko.

“You're playing for a championship, and with us changing conferences next year, it would be nice to add one final WestPAC banner to our gym," said Lesko. "WestPAC championships are always fun because no matter if you win or lose, your season is not over so you can try some things maybe you haven’t run yet this year. Ultimately, you have to have a feel for what your team does well, and you need to play to your strengths.”

Rockwood head coach Dale Foy is also hoping to take this game's experience and learn from it for next week's playoff action. However, he was disappointed he didn’t get more from his team against Conemaugh Township.

“They are a good team, and our shooting went really cold in the second and third quarters,” said Foy. “This team usually shows up to play, but tonight we just did not come out ready to play. We will have to regroup and get ready for the next one.”

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This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Conemaugh Township upends Rockwood for spot in WestPAC Championship