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Lions having hard time in Mid-Penn

Jeramiah Crockett gets into the lane and looks for a shot. Photo for the Mirror by Chuck Meyers

By Jim Lane

For the Mirror

The Altoona Mountain Lions’ first season in the Mid-Penn Basketball Conference has been disappointing — to say the least.

With only one game remaining in the first cycle, Altoona’s record is 1-6. The Lions are 3-7 overall.

The Lions suffered a 50-34 loss to Chambersburg on Friday night at the AAHS Fieldhouse. Chambersburg, which improved to 4-2 in the league and 8-3 overall, led from start to finish.

The visiting Trojans’ starting five included 6-foot-8 Tyler Collier, 6-4 Max Doctor and 6-3 Ty Holsopple.

Tough matchups for the smaller Mountain Lions, whose tallest player is 6-4 P.J. Charles.

“That’s the Mid-Penn,” Altoona coach Doug West said. “Big. Bulky. Everyone. Even the guards.

“And, they’re athletes. Everyone can move.”

Chambersburg jumped out to a 10-1 lead and prevailed 13-8 after one quarter. The Trojans limited the Lions to just six points (one field goal) in the second quarter and led 27-14 at the half. It was 41-23 after three.

“I thought, at moments, we played really, really well,” said Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler. “What we’re trying to do is become more consistent — play 32 minutes, not just 24.”

Chambersburg didn’t have a double-digit scorer, but put eight players in the scoring column. Holsopple led the way with nine while Collier and Seth Brouse had eight apiece.

“I’m really comfortable with us having multiple scorers,” Shreffler offered. “The kids are comfortable, too. They know anyone can have a mid-to-high double-figures game any night.”

Shreffler was impressed his team was able to hold Altoona’s Charles without a field goal.

“He’s a really good player,” Shreffler said of Charles. “He’s very active and does a lot of things well. To hold him to no field goals was a real key.”

Nate Cherry led Altoona with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. The Lions finished with seven 3’s, including six in the second half. They made only four two-point shots all night.

“I told the kids you can’t feel sorry for yourself,” West offered. “You’ve got to find a way. Who is willing to step up and defend somebody? Who can get a rebound besides P.J.?”

West pulled his starters and went to his bench for much of the second half.

“The kids came off the bench and played with some energy,” he said. “They played hard. There was nothing to lose.”

To start winning, West knows the Lions much shoot better than they did Friday.

“We definitely have to shoot the ball better,” he said. “We can’t make shots. We haven’t all year.”

Game notes: Altoona visits Hollidaysburg for a non-league game Tuesday before hosting Cumberland Valley in a Mid-Penn game Friday. … Chambersburg’s league losses were to State College (by two points) and Central Dauphin (by seven). … Trojans visit Cumberland Valley on Tuesday.

CHAMBERSBURG (50): Brouse 2 4-4 8, Collier 2 4-6 8, Holsopple 4 1-3 9, Shreffler 1 1-2 3, Williams 3 0-1 7, Maynard 2 0-0 5, Doctor 3 0-0 6, Shearer 1 2-2 4, Morton 0 0-0 0, Byers 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 12-18 50.

ALTOONA (34): Charles 0 4-7 4, Cherry 4 0-0 11, Futrell 0 0-0 0, Pierce 2 0-0 5, VonColln 1 0-0 2, Crockett 0 0-0 0, Becker 0 0-0 0, Robinson 2 1-2 7, Foose 1 0-0 2, Warren 1 0-0 3. Totals — 11 5-9 34.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Chambersburg 13 14 14 9 — 50

Altoona 8 6 9 11 — 34

3-point goals: Chambersburg 2 (Williams, Maynard); Altoona 7 (Cherry 3, Robinson 2, Pierce, Warren).

Officials: Shawn Sinclair, Ray Wotkowski, Rich Gergely.

Records: Chambersburg (4-2 Mid-Penn, 8-3 overall); Altoona (1-6 Mid-Penn, 3-7 overall).

JV: Chambersburg, 43-28.

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