Penn Cambria weathers third-quarter ‘haymaker’
Valentine, Steel Valley fall short of berth in Class 3A quarterfinals
Finally, momentum was on Steel Valley’s side. Star senior Makhai Valentine had just hit a 3-pointer while falling down a second before the third-quarter buzzer to give the Ironmen their first lead.
Penn Cambria boys basketball coach James Ronan referred to Valentine’s shot as a haymaker, but Penn Cambria’s knees never wobbled. Penn Cambria simply put their feet behind the arc and let it fly.
Penn Cambria, a team that always plays a game where 3s are wild, came out in the fourth quarter and made three 3-pointers in the first four-plus minutes, and those long shots propelled the Panthers to a 66-57 victory against Steel Valley in a PIAA Class 3A second-round game Wednesday night at North Allegheny.
The loss kept Steel Valley (16-11) from making the state quarterfinals for the first time and ended a terrific season – and career – for Valentine. A 6foot-3 senior guard who came in averaging 36.9 points, Valentine scored 29 to finish his career with 1,780 points.
But the key to the game was the way Penn Cambria (23-5) shot and the way Steel Valley didn’t shoot, besides Valentine. Penn Cambria, the District 6 champs, attempted 35 3pointers and made 12. Six different players made 3-pointers and junior guard Easton Semelsberger made four. Senior forward Garrett Harrold made two 3-pointers as part of his team-high 23 points.
But the 35 attempts behind the arc and the 12 makes were only a little more than average for Penn Cambria. The Panthers came in attempting 27 3s a game and making 9.8. Six players had more than 20 3pointers this season and three had more than 43.
“When they went ahead, it didn’t even faze us,” said Ronan, whose team had a 10 -point lead at one point in the third quarter. “We said, ‘Listen, we’re meant to be in this situation. We’ve played way too good to let this slip away.’ We’ve shot a ton of 3-pointers all year and we’ve been shooting really well the past two or three weeks. That’s when you want to start shooting your best.”
Penn Cambria outscored Steel Valley, 19-6, in the fourth quarter. Steel Valley didn’t score in the final quarter until Valentine’s shot with 2:36 left that brought the Ironmen within 58-53. But Steel Valley got no closer.
Valentine made 10 of 21 shots from the field and 7 of 14 from 3-point range. Penn Cambria played a special defense against Valentine, who played point guard but was double-teamed as soon as he came across halfcourt. If he got around those two defenders, a third was waiting. But Valentine often gave up the ball when he crossed halfcourt and he rarely got it back. The rest of Steel Valley’s team was 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
“I’ve been coaching 15 years and I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone as dynamic as him,” Ronan said of his reasons for the special defense. “When he gets going, the roof comes down and they get on a roll. He hits 3s like they’re layups.
“We were talking that maybe we just let him get 40 and hold everyone else down. But that’s not my mentality as far as defense. We were definitely trying to hold him down.”
Nahjir Norris was the only other Steel Valley player in double figures with 14.
Lauren Varacalli was Steel Valley’s interim coach, taking over for Dale Chapman, who was suspended by the school at the end of the regular season because of a concussion issue with a player.
“We knew other guys had to step up,” Varacalli said. “Unfortunately, some buckets didn’t fall and a lot of their buckets did fall.”