EF falls to Shenango in S. Allegheny tournament

By Dean Dellamalva Jr.

MVI Sports

The long layoffs that have affected Elizabeth Forward early this season were evident in Friday’s matchup with a more experienced Shenango team.

The Wildcats (8-2) showed the consistency and moxie of a team that has started hitting its stride in a 66-55 win in the opening game of the South Allegheny Christmas Tournament. 

The Warriors (1-4) have dealt with cancellations and had not played in a week.

“We’re still looking at rotations and who we want coming off the bench,” EF coach Matt Loftis said. “It’s definitely something we are still working on whereas Shenango has played 10 games. 

“That’s not an excuse. Shenango is a very good basketball team; they’re well coached and they do a lot of good things.”

Balanced scoring and shooting the ball are two things the Wildcats did well Friday and the Warriors did not. Shenango had four players in double figures, paced by 18 each from Colin McQuiston and Reis Watkins. Jason Kraner (12) and Ryan Lenhart (10) also hit double figures as the Wildcats shot 23-for-41 (56.1%) from the field.

Pat Filson led the Warriors with 18 points. Chase Vaughn added 13 and Evan Lewis notched 12, but the rest of the team only contributed 12 points. EF shot 34% (17-for-50) for the game.

“Our consistency just hasn’t been there,” Loftis said. “We’ve had some really good quarters and some bad quarters. We can’t seem to be able to put four quarters together right now.

“We missed a lot of open looks, especially in the second half. We missed a bunch of layups that could have helped get their lead down a little bit and really make that a game in the fourth quarter. We definitely need to be more consistent if we’re going to compete in the section.”

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.