Cougars use defense, rebounding to tame Scotties
By ADAM BREWER
MVI Sports
It has been an up-and-down season for the Charleroi boys’ basketball team.
When the shots are falling and the Cougars are nailing their threes, they are a hard team to beat. But when they struggled with their shot, they can falter on the court.
Charleroi didn’t quite have the outside shooting game working Friday night in non-section action against Southmoreland, but the Cougars rely on a strong defense, tough rebounding and crisp passing in a 66-53 victory.
“We struggled with shooting tonight, so rebounding and being physical in the paint carried us,” Charleroi coach Bill Wiltz said. “I thought our bigs gave us those second chance opportunities and we rotated the ball nicely after a miss for a good look. We also got some turnovers and converted some transition hoops.”
The Cougars (9-5) host Brownsville today at 2:30 p.m. and finished out their Section 4-3A schedule Wednesday at home versus Beth-Center.
Gavin Theys led Charleroi in scoring with 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Will Wagner recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Shields added 11 points off the bench, while Zach Usher paced the offense with five points and eight assists.
“On offense, we run a lot of dribble-drive stuff,” Wiltz said. “We want to collapse the defense, and either get an open look on the outside or dish it inside to our forwards. I thought Ben was big for us on the inside. Will’s post game has really improved from last year. He is more confident in his footwork and he is using his body position to get open looks. He is a complete player.”
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