Bulldogs win dogfight with Greyhounds

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com

A slow start and lack of intensity are just two ingredients for the Monessen basketball teams woes right now.
The Greyhounds saw their losing streak hit three games Saturday as Beth-Center pulled into town and left with a 63-50 nonsection win.
It was the programs’ first meeting in 14 seasons.
“We just didn’t have the energy and we have to understand the things we need to do as a team,” Monessen head coach Dan Bosnic said. “We need to understand the kind of team we are and I really think we need to give more effort, especially on the defensive end.”
Offensively, especially in the first half, the Greyhounds weren’t able to get anything going with Beth-Center packing up the middle in a 2-3 zone.
“We watched the film and we know how athletic they are,” Beth-Center head coach Bill Greco said. “We decided we wanted to pack it in and not give them those second- and third-chance points they usually get. We wanted to eliminate their dribble penetration and not let them get those rebounds.”
Beth-Center’s other game plan was to feed big-man Cameron Palmer inside.
Palmer finished with 10 of his 17 points in the first half, getting easy baskets inside with good footwork and the help of his 6-5 frame.
“Cam’s been a starter for three years now,” Greco said. “This year, he’s able to finish at the rim better, and now, he’s playing through and scoring through contact. We’ve been teaching him all along, but this season he’s really doing a good job with it.”
The Bulldogs limited the Greyhounds’ opportunities offensively and allowed only 13 points in the first half. Beth-Center was perfectly fine letting Monessen take three-point shots, but the Greyhounds didn’t shoot them.
“We have to be ready to shoot,” Bosnic said. “We tried to force a lot of things inside and we turned it over and we didn’t take the shots we were given.”
The Bulldogs (4-2) closed the first half on a 7-0 run to make it 24-13 at the break.
In the second half, the Greyhounds tried to make their run and got the offense going a little bit. It was no secret that it started with senior Chas Mrlack and junior Kody Kuhns asserting themselves offensively.
“Foul trouble really hurt us in the first half and those guys were rotating in and out,” Bosnic said. “They started to get going in the second half but we couldn’t put the effort together defensively early on and that’s what hurt us.”
Mrlack, who finished with a team-high 14 points, scored them all in the second half. He was able to attack the high post and hit a series of soft jumpers and even hit one of those available 3-pointers.
“I thought we could have done a better job of defending the high post, especially in that second half,” Greco said. “We were still packing it in and weren’t rotating with the ball.”
The Greyhounds (4-4) outscored the Bulldogs, 10-5, over the final three minutes of the third quarter and were able to cut the lead down to eight at 42-34 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs answered in the final frame, though, putting the ball in senior Easton McDaniel’s hands more often to handle the Greyhounds’ pressure.
McDaniel, who scored 14 of his game-high 20 points, in the second half had a critical three-point play to get the lead back to 11 with five minutes to play.
After Lorenzo Gardner’s putback cut the lead to nine again, the Bulldogs went back to Palmer inside to start off a 7-0 run that made the lead 56-40 and ended a comeback threat.
The Bulldogs hit 10 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to maintain their lead. For the game they were 23 of 38.
“Monessen has a really good team and I think Coach Bosnic is doing a great job. I don’t want to see them in a couple years when those big freshmen are older,” Greco said with a laugh. “At the end of the game, I wanted the ball in the hands of my senior leader. Easton did a great job and put the team on his back.
“I thought everyone played big for us. Rueben and Colby (Kuhns) were great at the top of the zone and Da’Jion Devers, I can’t say enough about the way he played, especially only being 5-9. He played much bigger than that.”
Monessen will look to rebound Monday with a nonsection game at Greensburg Central Catholic.
“We have to be active and do well defensively and rebounding,” Bosnic said of Monday’s game. “We’re either going to respond or we’re going to have another bad night because that’s another really good team.”

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