Bryce Epps outduels Kisan in Gladiators’ win over Tigers
By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
The duo of Bryce Epps and Omar Faulkner combined to score 50 of South Allegheny’s points in a 62-59 non-section victory over neighboring McKeesport Monday night.
Epps netted a team-high 28 points for the Gladiators (12-4), while Faulkner collected a double-double with 22 points and 10 blocks. The 6-5 forward added seven rebounds in the win.
“They gave us what they normally give us,” SA head coach Tony DiCenzo said. “Omar has been a presence inside for us all year long and with the ball in Bryce’s hands, I’m confident he’s capable of making a play himself or helping one of his teammates do the same.”
The play of Epps and Faulkner was especially crucial in the second half of the win as McKeesport (6-8) came rallying back from a 10-point halftime deficit.
The Tigers were guided by their own two-headed monster as Brison Kisan and Rob Robinson combined for 48 of their team’s 59 points.
Kisan scored 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half. He had 13 in the fourth quarter. Robinson had 10 of his 19 points in the final 16 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
“Rob and Brison filled it up for us, but we really needed another scorer,” McKeesport head coach Kevin Kovach said. “We really didn’t have it. They just made more shots than us.”
Behind the sharp shooting of Kisan and Robinson, McKeesport trimmed its deficit to 37-36 with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter.
Kisan scored eight points and Robinson added five during a 13-4 run in which SA was limited to buckets by Bryce Epps and Antonio Epps, who was held to eight points.
SA managed to score six points in the final two minutes of the third, while holding McKeesport to three in order to take a 43-39 lead into the fourth.
Robinson started the final frame with a pair of shots from the free throw line before Kisan added a layup to tie the game at 43-43 with 6:14 to go.
SA responded by going on a 9-1 run behind seven points from Faulkner to extend its lead to 52-44 with 4:13 remaining.
After Robinson scored three straight points to cut McKeesport’s deficit to 52-47, Kisan took over by scoring 10 of the Tigers’ final 12 points.
Meanwhile, SA went 12 for 20 from the free throw line in the final 4:13 to help seal the win.
“I think if we had five more minutes in this game, it might have been different, but we’re not making excuses,” said Kovach, whose team played without a pair of starters in Travarese Rowe and Khareke Andrews.
“It’s frustrating, but there’s no shame in losing to these guys because they’re incredible.”
While SA did what it needed to do to come away with a win, DiCenzo knows his team must do a better job of closing out games moving forward.
The Gladiators
“We missed free throws, didn’t get stops and gave up offensive rebounds, and when you’re in a one-and-done scenario in the playoffs, that could cost you,” DiCenzo said. “We have to sure ourselves up in those areas to prepare for the playoffs.”
The first half effort was a more desirable one for DiCenzo’s Gladiators.
SA used a 16-4 run in the final four minutes of the first quarter to take an 18-10 lead before the Gladiators continued to add on in the second. Bryce Epps scored nine of SA’s first 11 points of the frame to help extend the lead to 29-15 with 3:26 on the clock.
After a three-point play by Robinson, Faulkner converted inside on back-to-back possessions to make it a 15-point SA lead.
McKeesport scored five straight points in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter to go into halftime with some renewed momentum and a manageable 33-23 deficit.
The Tigers, who have now lost five games in a row, are scheduled to meet Class 4A Belle Vernon in a non-section bout Wednesday.
SA has a quick turnaround as it travels to Valley for a 6 p.m. matchup tonight.
“This was a big win for us in this last week heading into the playoffs,” DiCenzo said. “That’s another 5A team – a playoff team – that is a contender in that classification, so it’s a big confidence booster for us.”
