The first half did not foretell what was coming in the second half.
Jai'tavius Kelly
(photo by Chris Shatzer)
Chambersburg ran off the final 11 points of the first half to take a 34-23 over Cedar Cliff in a non-league game at CASHS Field House on Saturday night to wrap up the Hoops For Harmony event for the day.
But the Colts took over in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 37-18 to earn a 60-53 victory and snap Chambersburg's nine-game win streak.
The difference? Cedar Cliff (10-2) made an incredible 13 of 18 shots in the latter half, while holding the Trojans (11-2) to just 7-for-33 shooting. Six-foot-9 big man Tyler Houser had two points by halftime, but ended up with 25 by owning the paint in the second half.
"I don't know if we got too spread out on defense, but they were able to isolate their big in the paint," Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said. "He did a great job of creating a lot of space for himself and he finished."
And while the Trojans were trying to deal with Houser, Colt guard Charlie Werner slipped in for 13 of his 18 points.
Chambersburg was also handicapped when its tallest player, Jai'tavius Kelly, picked up his second foul early in the second period. The Trojans weathered his absence in the first half, but when he got his third early in the second half, it showed.
Shreffler said, "It hurt when J.J. got into foul trouble. Not having his length out there made a difference."
The teams played a back-and-forth game and were tied at 23. But Chambersburg went into one of its quick bursts and tallied the next 11 points before halftime. Noah Yeager drained a three, Nevin Yeager got inside to complete a three-point play, Eli Shearer finished a fast break off a pass from Andon Martin and Jacob Bassham dropped in a 3-pointer, also assisted by Martin.
However, the Trojans' shooting touch got left out in the cold from that point on. Cedar Cliff's defense stiffened and some of the open looks that were available before were just not there later.
"We didn't play with the same tempo in the second half, and that allowed the game to go a little slower," Shreffler said. "They took advantage of that change in pace — it benefits them with their size advantage. And we didn't do as good of a job with ball movement, either.
"We've gotta grow from this … although it's nicer to grow after a win."
NOTES: Bassham led Chambersburg with 14 points, Shearer scored 13 and Kelly had 9, including 8 in the first five minutes of the game before the fouls caught up to him … The Trojans made only 4 turnovers in the game … Because of the impending snow, changes in the schedule for Hoops For Harmony's Sunday schedule have changed … As of late Saturday night, the games included Forest Hills vs. North Allegheny girls at 10:30, Aliquippa vs. Harrisburg boys at 12 and Cumberland Valley vs. Chester boys at 1:30 … The Rock Creek vs. Scotland Prep game is tentative for 3:00, depending on when the snow starts.
Cedar Cliff 60, Chambersburg 52
CEDAR CLIFF
Charlie Werner 6 4-4 18, Ayden Frey 1 0-0 2, Sam Grube 0 0-0 0, Aiden Cada 1 0-0 2, Jaylen Mason 0 0-0 0, Trenton Smith 3 0-0 6, Justin Houser 1 1-4 3, Tyler Houser 11 1-1 25, Mike Armanini 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 6-9 60.
CHAMBERSBURG
Jacob Bassham 5 0-0 14, Carter Fogal 1 0-0 2, Eli Shearer 6 0-0 13, Jai'tavius Kelly 4 1-2 9, Andon Martin 2 0-0 5, Nevin Yeager 1 2-3 4, Noah Yeager 1 0-0 3, James Lilley 1 0-0 2, Landen Simmons 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 3-5 52.
Cedar Cliff 13 10 15 22 — 60
Chambersburg 16 18 8 10 — 52
3-point shots — CC 4 (Werner 2, T.Houser 2); Chbg 7 (Bassham 4, Shearer, Martin, No.Yeager).
