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By Brad Rosemas
For the Mirror
JOHNSTOWN -- Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference foes Penn Cambria and Greater Johnstown were locked in a dogfight for the majority of the first quarter of Tuesday night's matchup.
Johnstown led by just four points with two minutes remaining in the frame, but it was then the veteran Trojans took over.
The Trojans followed by scoring 28 of the next 30 points to blow open the contest en route to a 70-40 victory over the Panthers inside Doc Stofko Gymnasium.
"We talked about that run," Penn Cambria coach Jim Ronan said. "We had to keep it under control. They hit you so quick with these runs, you look up and the game's almost out of reach at that point. I thought we played a great first quarter, they just took advantage of some mistakes."
Despite battling early turnover troubles, Penn Cambria trailed 14-10 after Brandon Rabish knocked down a 3-pointer.
Johnstown then scored the final six points of the first quarter and opened the second on a 22-2 run to lead 42-12. The Trojans held the Panthers to just four points in the second quarter as Johnstown held a 46-14 advantage at the half.
"We've put in a lot of work, and the kids were very excited to get out on the court," Johnstown coach Ryan Durham said. "I'm happy to win any game in the LHAC, especially against a talented team like Penn Cambria. We did our best to play well on both ends of the floor, and the guys executed the game plan tremendously."
Greater Johnstown's half-court pressure defense continuously forced turnovers that resulted in easy buckets in transition.
Nine of the Trojans' 10 first quarter field goals came at the rim, as Greater Johnstown used nine offensive rebounds to help shoot 19 of 37 (51 percent) from the floor in the first half, while turning the ball over just twice.
On the other side, Penn Cambria had more turnovers (19) than shot attempts (15) in the first two quarters.
"Defense is a staple of our team and one of the identities of our program," Durham said. "We always talk about how our defense leads to good opportunities on offense. We may not always have turnovers, but we're always going to be hard-nosed on defense."
With the running clock in effect for the second half, Penn Cambria made its first five shots of the third quarter and outscored Johnstown 26-24 in the final two frames.
"We talked at halftime, and we said we wanted to get something out of this," Ronan said. "We wanted to win the second half. When I took my starters out, I think we had them by a couple points. We made ourselves better in the second half. We played tough and didn't give in."
Rabish topped the Panthers (2-1) with 10 points off the bench. Easton Semelsberger tallied nine points, while Preston Farabaugh added eight.
Donte Tisinger scored a game-high 21 points for the Trojans (1-0).
Returning just one starter from a team that made the PIAA Class 3A Final Four a year ago, Ronan noted that playing opponents like Johnstown will help the Panthers progress throughout the season.
"We always talk about toughness," Ronan said. "That's going to be our MO this year. We have some younger kids, we're athletic, and we have talent on the roster. We'll keep getting better."
Penn Cambria (40): Semelsberger 2 3-4 9, Gibbons 1 1-2 3, Plunkett 0 0-2 0, Jones 1 1-2 4, Harrold 0 0-0 0, Cherico 0 0-0 0, McDermott 2 1-3 6, Farabaugh 3 1-4 8, Rabish 3 2-2 10. Totals: 12 9-19 40.
Johnstown (70): Tisinger 9 3-3 21, Collins 7 1-2 17, Dixon 5 3-5 13, Braswell 3 0-0 7, Robinson 3 2-4 8, Armstrong 1 0-0 2, Carr 1 0-0 2. Totals: 29 9-14 70.
Score by Quarters
Penn Cambria 10 4 17 9 -- 40
Greater Johnstown 20 26 12 12 -- 70
3-point field goals: Penn Cambria 7 (Rabish 2, Semelsberger 2, Jones, McDermott, Farabaugh); Johnstown 3 (Collins 2, Braswell).
Records: Penn Cambria (2-1); Johnstown (1-0).