Elkers beat Rams in AML semis
ST. MARYS – Five days after beating Johnsonburg, 46-33, to end their regular season last Saturday, Ridgway again beat the Rams, 43-26, on Thursday to advance to the AML championship game tonight at St. Marys High School (8 p.m.).
The win for the South Division winning 16-6 Elkers, was their eighth straight. The Rams, North runnersup, are 11-12. Before last Saturday, Johnsonburg had won the first two meetings with Ridgway. Both teams will compete in the District 9 playoffs next week (see D9 playoffs).
The Elkers never trailed and led 10-7 after one period. Senior Aaron Sorg, who scored a game-high 19 points, opened the second by going the length of the floor for a layup. Senior Jack Benninger made it 14-7 with a jumper. Johnsonburg senior Jake Lobaugh hit the first of two from the charity stripe with 4:13 to play in the half – breaking a 6:08 scoring drought. After two free throws from Sorg, junior Alex Merritt, who scored 16 points, hit a jumper, making it 20-8 with 2:57 left in the second. Sorg extended the lead to 14 1:10 later with a bucket. Ram junior Isaiah Jackson scored with 27 seconds left, but Sorg put his team up by 14 with a buzzer-beater.
Merritt converted a three-point play 2:27 into the third period. Ram senior Kole Asti scored, and Jackson hit one-of-two from the line before Benninger hit. A player technical gave the Rams a chance to mount a comeback with 1:45 left in the frame. Senior Aaron Myers hit one of the free throws, but there was no more scoring in the third.
Ridgway led by as
many as 19 in the fourth, and Johnsonburg couldn’t get closer than 13.
Sorg, Merritt, and Benniger, who scored nine points, accounted for all the Elker points. Jackson led the
Rams with eight. Juniors Eric Hoffman and Luke Zimmerman, and Asti finished with four points. Myers and senior Jack Lobaugh had three each.
“We know what Elk County basketball is all about,” said Ridgway head coach Eric Herzing. “Our kids had great
efforts on both ends of the floor, and we were able to get a win.”
Ridgway 43, Johnsonburg 26
By Quarter J-burg 7 3 4 12 26 Ridgway 10 14 5 14 43 FG-FTM-FTA-Points Johnsonburg: Isaiah Jackson 3-2-4-8, Eric Hoffman 2-0-0-4, Kole
Asti 2-2-2-4, Luke Zimmerman 1-2-2-4, Aaron Myers 1-1-2-3, Jake Lobaugh 0-3-4-3, Noah Shaffer 0-0-0-0, Nick Myers 0-0-0-0, Totals 9-8-12-26.
Ridgway: Aaron Sorg 8-2-2-19, Alex Merritt 6-4-6-16, Jack Benninger 2-4-4-8, Erik Panebianco 0-0-0-0,
Eric Gustafson 0-0-0-0, Alec DeVallance 0-0-00, Hunter Beeler 0-0-00, Jackson Kilpeck 0-00-0, Evan Gustafson 0-0-0-0, Totals 16-1012-43.
Three-pointers: Johnsonburg 0; Ridgway 1 – Sorg.