Metro

Altoona Area High School boys basketball coach Doug Pfeffer is still giving his team an ‘A’ for effort past the midway point of this season.

Pfeffer’s grade for the Mountain Lions regarding their execution in games is much more modest, however.

Altoona ran into a tall, lanky and athletic Chambersburg team in a Mid-Penn Conference Commonwealth Division matchup Friday night at the Altoona High School Fieldhouse, and the Trojans controlled the boards and filled the scoring lanes to make high-percentage shots, as Chambersburg logged a 61-43 victory.

Chambersburg, which improved to 11-5 overall and 7-4 in conference play, placed three starters in double figures, led by 6-foot-4 senior guard Colton Cornwell’s game-high 24 points. Landon Buhrman, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, scored 14 points, and 6-foot-2 senior guard Grayson Kegerreis added 10 for Chambersburg, which carried the second quarter, 18-9 to take a 29-19 halftime lead, before carving out a 14-9 edge in the third period to go ahead, 43-28 after three stops.

With Buhrman grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds and Cornwell and 6-foot-1 senior guard Josh Rudy snaring eight apiece, Chambersburg enjoyed a 34-16 advantage on the boards.

“I think that one of the keys to tonight’s game was that they’re very long (physically), and they killed us on the boards,” said Pfeffer, whose Mountain Lions dropped to 4-12 overall and 3-8 in the conference. “They’re a very well-coached team that uses its strengths perfectly and makes things very difficult for their opposition.

“They have great size, they use it to their advantage, and they work well together,” Pfeffer added.

Ahead by just three points, 11-8, after one quarter, Chambersburg gained some separation in the second period.

After Cornwell’s fast-break layup started the period, Altoona senior Dylan Hicks responded with a layup of his own to make it a 13-10 game. Chambersburg carried the rest of the period, 16-9, getting a free throw from Kegerreis before reeling off two straight buckets on a 3-point shot by Cornwell from the right side and a jumper from the key by Kegerreis, to take a 19-10 lead.

A jumper by Altoona junior forward Eliott McCloskey closed the gap to 19-12, before two Cornwell free throws and a fast-break layup by junior Seth Gilliam following his steal and full-court drive put Chambersburg ahead, 23-12.

“We did some real nice things defensively in that second quarter that created some offense for us,” Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said. “I think that our length is one of our strengths, and we did a real nice job on the glass tonight.

“We try to (keep a good team scoring balance) as much as possible, and share the ball to give us multiple weapons on offense,” Shreffler added. “I thought that our guys played well tonight. We have a lot of respect for Altoona, and we’re really happy to come out of here with a win.”

The closest that the Mountain Lions could get for the remainder of the game was nine points, 43-34 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-point shot by senior guard Malikai Shields.

Chambersburg — which also defeated Altoona, 71-43 on its home court on Dec. 19 — closed strong, however, running off 18 of the game’s final 27 points, with Cornell scoring six points in the fourth quarter on a field goal and four free throws, and both Buhrman and Kegerreis chipping in two fourth-quarter field goals apiece.

“They were cutting into our lead early in the fourth quarter, but we did a nice job of executing from that point on and took control,” Shreffler said.

Altoona was led by junior forward Justin Pfeffer’s 12 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Altoona made 40 percent of its floor shots (14 of 35), while Chambersburg enjoyed much more numerous scoring opportunities and converted 22 of its 57 shots for a 38.6 percent clip.

The Mountain Lions’ home game with Cumberland Valley, scheduled for Monday, was postponed until Feb. 11 due to the expected impending winter storm. Altoona hosts Mid-Penn frontrunner Central Dauphin next Thursday night.

“Our kids are always putting forth a great effort, and I’m proud of that,” Coach Pfeffer said. “But as a team, we’ve got to learn how to take control of the basketball better, make open shots and defend.”

CHAMBERSBURG (61): Kegerreis 4 2-5 10, Cornwell 7 9-12 24, Rudy 3 1-2 7, Buhrman 6 2-2 14, Onomastico 0 0-0 0, Gilliam 1 0-0 2, Gipe 0 0-0 0, Walker 0 0-0 0, Stockslager 0 0-0 0, Truett 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 2-2 2, Myers 0 0-0 0. Totals – 22 16-23 61.

ALTOONA (43): Wagner 0 0-0 0, Pfeffer 5 1-3 12, Shields 2 2-2 8, Chathams 0 0-0 0, McCloskey 4 1-2 9, D. Hicks 3 0-2 8, E. Hicks 0 3-4 3, Helsel 0 2-2 2, Cochran 0 1-2 1, Wuckovich 0 0-0 0, Coldwell 0 0-0 0. Totals -14 10-17 43.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Chambersburg 11 18 14 18–61

Altoona 8 11 9 15–43

3-point goals: Chambersburg 1 (Cornwell); Altoona 5 (Shields 2, D. Hicks 2, Pfeffer).

Records: Chambersburg (11-5 overall, 7-4 in the Mid-Penn Conference); Altoona (4-12, 3-8).

Officials: Curtis Miller, Bill Musser, Jarryd Burkett.

JV: Chambersburg, 44-37. High scorers–Cam Green, C, 15; Carson Crawford, A, 12.