SA victorious in 3A showdown
By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com’
There’s nothing like being tested right out of the gate. On Thursday, South Allegheny passed their first big test of the season with flying colors.
Playing without two starters – Omar Faulker and Ethan Kirkwood – the top-ranked Gladiators opened their season against highly touted Washington. Despite a slow start and shaking off some rust, South Allegheny came away with a 46-35 win to kick off the season on a winning note.
“It definitely feels good to get back out here after so much time off,” Gladiators senior Antonio Epps said. “It’s even more special coming out in your first game and playing a team like Washington. This is the kind of game that’s going to prepare us for the playoffs down the road.”
Early on, the Gladiators couldn’t put the ball in the net, scoring only five points in the opening quarter and trailing 8-5 after the first eight minutes.
“We had a lot of good looks early on, we just didn’t make them,” SA head coach Tony DiCenzo said. “I just kept telling them to stay confident and let them know those shots were going to fall.
“We ended up getting a couple of baskets inside at the rim and that really opened up a lot more for us.”
The second and third quarters were nothing like the first.
The Gladiators showed their mettle and starting playing like the team that went to the WPIAL semifinals last year.
“We knew rust was going to be a factor,” DiCenzo said. “We knew without Omar that their height was going to be a bit of a factor. We were able to keep them off the offensive glass for the most part and that really helped us in the second and third quarters.”
Antonio and brother Bryce started to get their legs under their shots and started hitting from behind the arc.
The 3-pointers helped the Gladiators (1-0, 1-0) tie the game at 20-20 at the half after Antonio Epps hit two free throws with less than a second remaining.
One of the unsung heroes of the game for South Allegheny was Ayden Sloss. The senior big man didn’t do a lot of scoring, but he grabbed six big rebounds and had a couple of big baskets off the offensive glass.
“Ayden was huge for us. He did his job and got great experience coming out and starting this game,” DiCenzo said. “Even last year, we knew we could rely on him to give us big minutes when we needed them. He altered some shots and was big on the glass.”
Bryce Epps, who finished with a game-high 17 points, led the SA charge in the third quarter as the Glads outscored the Prexies, 20-9, in the frame.
“I thought we did well defensively in the second half and that’s something we need to fix early on for our next game,” Antonio Epps said.
Antonio Epps scored 12 points and now only needs 18 to hit 1,000 for his career.
The Gladiators were able to frustrate the Prexies toward the end of the third, possessing the ball for the final 1:42 of the period by playing keep away.
“It’s an added bonus when you have two guys like Antonio and Bryce that can really handle the ball the way they do,” DiCenzo said. “I trust all of these guys to get the ball in the hands of the right players at the right times. They’re all so unselfish.”
Brandon Patterson led the Prexies (2-1) with 10 points.
Antonio Epps will have a chance at hitting point No. 1,000 Monday when the Gladiators host Steel Valley at 7:30 p.m.
“This was a really great test for us,” DiCenzo said. “To open up with that team and get a win is huge. That’s why we scheduled the non-league games the way we did. We want to be ready at playoff time.”
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