COAL TOWNSHIP - Last season, a young Lourdes Regional team came from behind to beat Meadowbrook Christian in the first round of the District Four A playoffs.
This year, the Lions are a solid, veteran team which starts five seniors, and it showed Saturday as they downed the Red Raiders, 57-33, in the championship game of the 18th annual Red Raider Tipoff Classic.
"Last year, I felt we really got manhandled physically in that game," said Meadowbrook coach Rod Baughman. "We had some kids who really worked hard in the weight room in the offseason. It is a veteran group and the thing we've been preaching to them is not to get too high with the highs, or too low with the lows, and they've been doing a good job with that so far."
The Lions banged in 9 of 20 three-point shots. Six-foot-four Austin Schott and 5-9 David Showers each hit four threes in pacing Meadowbrook with 15 points each. They also complemented each other nicely - Schott had five rebounds and two steals, and Showers had two rebounds and five steals. But Baughman said he would like to see his team work its inside game more.
"That's (just shooting from outside) is a recipe for disaster," he said. "We need to work it inside more."
But their inside zone defense was also the difference, according to Lourdes coach Pete Long.
"They just packed it in and dared us to beat them from the perimeter," Long said. "We're not going to beat many teams if we make just three jump shots in a game. They really made it tough inside for Larry (center Larry Czeponis) too."
"We've been stressing how important every possession is," said Baughman, who was heard yelling, "this possession, this possession" to his players on defense all game.
Long wasn't pleased with how his team responded in other ways, either.
"We had 22 turnovers," he said. "We didn't do all the little things that help you win. Ball fakes near the play. We didn't get any 50-50 balls, I don't think. They outhustled us, outscrapped us and outskilled us. But it's only the second game of the year. We're going to get better."
Lourdes failed to score in double figures in any of the first three quarters as Meadowbrook built a 35-20 lead. The Lions then opened the final quarter with a 12-4 spurt to open a 23-point lead. The Lions were 6-for-6 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the foul line in the final quarter.
Jordan Fobia was the only Lourdes player to score in double figures, with 13 points. Czeponis had nine points and seven rebounds.
Game Summary
MEADOWBROOK CHRISTIAN (57) - Pickett 3 1-1 7, Baughman 1 3-7 7, Duncan 2 0-1 4, Schott 6 0-0 15, Showers 4 3-4 15, Torrey 1 0-1 3, Sholtis 0 1-4 1, Ulmer 1 0-0 2, Shoop 0 0-0 0, Moscarello 0 0-0 0, McNeal 0 0-0 0, Hulsizer 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 10-18 57.
LOURDES (33) - Henninger 0 0-0 0, Adams 0 0-0 0, Nguyen 0 0-0 0, L. Holleran 1 0-1 3, Fobia 4 4-7 13, Allen 0 0-0 0, Ahrensfield 0 0-0 0, Czeponis 3 3-5 9, Padula 1 0-0 2, Feese 0 0-0 0, Pawelczyk 1 0-0 2, Bucanelli 2 0-0 4, Maneval 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 7-13 33.
3-point FGs: Meadowbrook (9) - Schott 3, Showers 4, Ulmer, Hulsizer; Lourdes (2) - Holleran, Fobia.