By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUBOIS, PA – Taking the nearly two-hour bus ride to DuBois, the Port Allegany boy’s basketball team had plenty of time to think about the weight of the game ahead of them.
Win and they represent the Black and Orange in the state tournament for the first time in three decades. Lose and their best season in years comes to an end, empty-handed. Pushed into the District 9 Class 2A consolation corner, the Gators fixated on that prospect for four quarters, ultimately keeping their season alive with a 62-51 win over Moniteau.
After earning their first North Tier League title in 25 years, Port kept the accolades coming as they entered the D9 bracket and came away from the first round with their first playoff win in over five years. However, one round later, their run came to an end in the form of a 52-46 loss to Clarion. Ahead of what could be their last game together, head coach Kyle Babcock really wanted his players to understand the pressure of the moment.
“You stress to your seniors over and over if you don’t win, you’re done. Your season’s over. Last night, at the end of practice, I said, ‘don’t let this be our last practice,’” said Babcock. “I don’t think it set in until that point, that it’s do or die. That’s the mentality we came with.”
Off of the jump, Babcock’s motivation materialized. While stunting Moniteau with an aggressive and spacious 3-2 zone, the Gators’ offense went to work, coming away with points on their first three-possessions. In a mix of athleticism and grit, Port ramped up the tempo, swiftly making their way down the court before striking pathways through the paint, then cleaning up any mistakes with a relentless attack on the offensive glass.
Meanwhile, the Warriors struggled to find a way to respond. Held scoreless for over two minutes, the web of defenders that lay between them in the rim relegated them to the perimeter and although they eventually spread the floor with continuous skip passes, they failed to cash in on their open looks. Operating like a well-oiled machine, even without their star forward Jarrod Funk – Funk picked up two fouls early and spent the final two minutes on the sidelines – the Gators kept rolling, holding a 18-12 advantage after the first quarter.
“We talked about wanting to get out and push the ball. I feel like we play better when we push the ball. When we play slow we let defenses set up,” said Babcock. “Especially against a defense like (Moniteau.) They’re quick, they’re scrappy. I didn’t want them to set up so we got out and we ran.”
Heading into the second, Moniteau found some life, albeit, briefly. Again forced to the outside from Port’s extensive zone, the Warriors battled back-and-forth with sporadic shots but failed to make a significant dent in the deficit. However, after scoring just two points in the first three minutes, Moniteau trimmed the lead almost instantly, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to draw to within just one point.
Finding their first taste of momentum of the night, the Warriors looked to stress-test Port with a full-court-press as they hoped to capitalize on their rising wave. However, their influence proved less than effective. Unable to prevent or deny the Gators’ long outlet passes, Moniteau watched as Port quickly responded, scoring six unanswered points as they undid all of the Warriors’ gains.
Despite Moniteau calling off the attack, the Gators refused to yield, continuing to add points to the scoreboard by dominating the glass. Coming away with offensive rebounds in bunches, an effort led by Isac Amell, Port scored inside with ease and entered the break holding a 31-26 lead.
“Last game (Amell) had 10 rebounds, so I challenged him to beat that. Jarrod (Funk) had four rebounds, I told him to double that. I just challenged these guys, I told them that I wanted them to double their rebounds they had last game,” said Babcock. “If we won the rebound battle, we’d win the game.”
Once again recollecting themselves during the intermission, Moniteau found some life, and this time it lingered.
The spark came early and from long range. Knocking down another 3-pointer on their first possession of the half, the Warriors seemed reinvigorated. Although they still faced Port’s zone, Moniteau attacked without hesitation, slicing through the middle before hitting another triple to spark a 8-1 run and take their first lead of the night at 34-32.
Suddenly forced onto their heels, Port’s season rested on how they responded. At first, it seemed bleak. Losing control without any momentum to rest on, the Gators were rushed out of position on both offense and defense, giving up several turnovers and open lanes as a result. However, trading in their gracefulness for physicality, Port took hold once more.
Having started the quarter by drawing two fouls in the first 30 seconds, by the time the three minute mark rolled around, the Gators were on the verge of free trips to the charity stripe. With that in mind, they forced their way inside. Seeing their shots no longer sinking consistently, they instead sought out contact, earning frequent trips to the line as they began to build steam. While the Warriors faced their own turnover troubles and inefficiencies from the field, Port launched a comeback, scoring seven unanswered points and finishing the quarter with a five-point lead.
“We switched up our defense. We tried a new defense in the first half and the kids really liked it, I really liked it, but (Andrew) Zepeda was starting to eat us up. We had to go man-to-man and try something different,” said Babcock of Moniteau’s leading scorer on the night. “They were hitting some threes so we went to man and it took us a while to adjust. I really stressed we had to help on Zepeda and it worked out for us.”
Entering the final decisive minutes of play, both teams emptied their tanks in an effort to keep their season alive. Opening the fourth quarter with a flurry of offense, the Warriors and Gators traded frenzied baskets, with Port crashing inside and Moniteau looking for shots beyond the arc. Although the Warriors eventually cut the lead down to just one possession, their tires soon began to bald.
After several missed shots, an empty trip to the free throw line would evaporate the last of the momentum Moniteau possessed, allowing the Gators to go in for the kill. They did so with Funk.
Constantly looking inside and finding him in the post, Port gave the greenlight to their newly-christened 1,000-point scorer, who seemed unstoppable with his back to the basket. Turning off the block for hook shots and fadeaways, Funk quickly rattled off eight-unanswered points as Port’s lead grew to nine with just four minutes remaining.
“Out of everyone on the team, (Funk) is the most dedicated. In the summertime, he wants to be in the gym everyday,” said Babcock. “I told him, ‘it comes down to this. I know you don’t want the season to end so you have to play harder and better than you did against Clarion.’ He accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion.”
Scoreless for over five minutes, the Warriors looked on helplessly, acknowledging the fact that their season was on its last leg. Despite one last effort to creep back into the game with a handful intentional fouls, Moniteau was unable to spark a comeback, instead, facing the finality of elimination. On the other side of the court, Port rejoiced, having survived and advanced.
With his exceptional work under the boards, Amell posted a double-double along with a game-high in points, ending with 19 points and 14 rebounds as well two assists and a block. Funk came away with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, followed by Chase Boyd with 12 points, five rebounds and a steal. Nick Wilfong tallied six assists to go with his five points, followed by Liam Hawver with eight points and three blocks.
Going forward, the Gators are on unbroken ground. Having not made the PIAA state bracket since 1996, the road ahead is uncertain. As the third seed from D9, they will face the runners up from District 6, a challenger who is yet to be decided. That contest will take place on Saturday, March 7 at a time and place yet to be announced.
Luckily, they have some time to breathe.
“I honestly don’t know (about the state tournament.) I haven’t really looked that far ahead yet,” said Babcock. “We’re just going to celebrate and enjoy this moment. We have a week so we’re just going to take time to enjoy this. We’re going to really celebrate.”
AT DUBOIS
Moniteau (51)
Zepeda 7 0-2 15, W. Cook 5 0-1 13, Ross 3 4-5 10, D. Cook 3 0-2 9, Sankey 1 2-2 4. Totals: 19 6-12 51
Port Allegany (62)
Amell 8 3-7 19, Funk 5 4-4 14, Boyd 4 2-4 12, Hawver 2 4-6 8, Wilfong 1 3-4 5, Kaple 1 1-2 4. Totals: 21 17-27 62
Moniteau 12 26 41 51
Port Allegany 18 31 44 62
Three-point goals: MT (7) W. Cook 3, D. Cook 3, Zepeda, PA (3) Boyd 2, Kaple; Total fouls: MT 24, PA 17; Fouled out: D. Cook, Kelly (MT).
