Mustangs have too much ‘O’ for CC
Trending
By Calem Illig
cillig@altoonamirror.com
PORTAGE -- Taking a moment to get its feet wet, the Portage boys basketball team led by just one with three minutes to go in the first quarter Tuesday night against Central Cambria.
But with an instant flip of a switch, the Mustangs unleashed a rampage of speed and intensity that left their opponents reeling all night.
With a trio of double-digit scorers, Portage controlled the tempo throughout the game and commenced a running clock in the second half with a 74-45 victory.
"I feel like we really came out and applied the pressure early and were able to keep that going for the whole game," said Portage senior Kaden Claar, who netted a game-high 18 points. "We haven't played in a while with a couple games being canceled, and I think once we got into the game a little bit, we were able to take over and won in dominant fashion."
It was the first game in nearly a week for the unbeaten Mustangs (13-0), and though the team took a minute to get back into rhythm, it was deadly when it finally hit its stride.
Portage commanded the floor on offense and executed its game plan to perfection.
There weren't many times when the Mustangs left the offensive zone without points, and they rattled off a 10-2 run to close the first quarter with a 12-point lead.
"The kids were excited to play Central Cambria, because they're a well-coached team that never gives up," Portage coach Travis Kargo said. "They're a good team; and we knew they were going to give us a battle. Our kids really took that as a challenge tonight, and they responded to that challenge."
Claar was a matchup nightmare in the first quarter as he sank two 3-pointers and netted 14 points in the first half.
Once the Red Devils zeroed in on Claar, however, that only opened up an opportunity for someone else to take over.
Junior forward Andrew Miko found his time to shine in the second quarter, leading Portage on a 27-11 run with 11 points on the second alone.
"We really caught fire there," said Miko, who posted 17 points in the victory. "I think we did a really good job of shooting the ball, and we were doing a really good job of just finding the open guy and making the play."
As Miko began to get some extra attention from Central Cambria in the second half, it opened the door for yet another Mustang, Gavin Gouse, to join in on the fun.
Gouse took over in the third with numerous fast breaks, many uncontested, and helped the running clock commence with nine points.
"We really ran the floor, and I don't think (Central Cambria) could keep up with our tempo," said Gouse, who recorded 13 total points in the victory. "Most teams don't have the depth that we do. We can run the entire game, and we have a lot of different guys that can step in and score."
Central Cambria (4-10) had the height advantage and appeared to be the better team under the hoop, but it simply couldn't match the intensity and speed Portage brought to the table.
The Red Devils were led by Hobbs Dill, who netted 15 points and a trio of three-pointers in the loss.
"Portage is a solid and well-coached team, and they're quickness is really difficult to contain," Central Cambria coach Adam Stephan said. "Their defensive pressure tonight was really the difference. We were never truly able to settle down on the offensive side of the ball."
Despite having 10 losses to its name, Central Cambria is still in playoff contention and currently sits just outside of the playoff bubble in District 6 Class 3A.
The Red Devils have seven more games left on the schedule, and the CC coach said his team has refused to buyout.
"I know they want it, and I know they've been working like heck to try to get to that next step," Stephan said. "I know they are going to work their butts off the next couple weeks and try to string a couple wins together."
As the defending District 6 Class 2A champions, Portage continued its dominant reign of basketball.
But with major intra-conference matchups approaching with sectional foes Conemaugh Township and Windber, the Mustangs are getting cozy just yet.
"We have to stay focused," Gouse said. "We have big matchups coming up with (Conemaugh) Township and Windber again, and we have to keep playing hard. We can't let off on the intensity."
PORTAGE (74): Claar 8 0-0 18, Miko 8 1-2 17, Gouse 5 2-2 13, M. Kargo 3 0-2 7, Irvin 2 1-2 6, T. Kargo 1 0-0 3, Diehl 1 0-0 3, Layo 1 1-2 3, E. Hodge 1 0-0 2, Scarton 1 0-0 2, Lawrence 0 0-0 0, Dobrowolsky 0 0-0 0, Heidler 0 0-0 0, Z. Hodge 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 31 5-10 74.
CENTRAL CAMBRIA (45): Dill 6 0-0 15, Koss 3 2-3 8, Snyder 3 1-3 8, Wyrwas 2 0-0 4, Weds 2 0-0 4, Danchanko 2 0-0 4, Serenko 1 0-0 2, Little 0 0-0 0, Ford 0 0-0 0, Westrick 0 0-0 0, Ream 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 19 3-6 45.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Central Cambria 12 11 14 8 -- 45
Portage 24 27 18 5 -- 74
Three-point field goals: Portage 7 (Claar 2, Gouse, Irvin, M. Kargo, T. Kargo, Diehl); Central Cambria 4 (Dill 3, Snyder).
Records: Portage (13-0); Central Cambria (4-11).
JV: CC, 53-39. High scorers: Snyder, CC, 24; T. Kargo, P, 12.