JOHNSTOWN —
Greater Johnstown’s Dwight Andrews was a threat from the outside, the inside and even above the rim Wednesday night at Westmont Hilltop High School.
Andrews tallied a game-high 30 points with four 3-pointers and a pair of alley-oop dunks as the Trojans downed the Hilltoppers 89-70 to take control of Section II in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.
Greater Johnstown is now 9-1 overall with a 6-0 conference record and a 2-0 mark in Section II. The Hilltoppers fell to 8-2, 4-2 and 1-1 in the respective records.
“We came out ready to play,” Trojans coach Neil Cobaugh said. “After a close game Monday with a tough Penn Cambria team, we came out ready to play. I think we finally started to find our groove from the outside. When we start playing like this, these kids are tough to stop.
“We can can play at both ends, run the floor.”
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Andrews began his assault early, connecting on a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the guests a 3-0 lead. Another 3-pointer midway through the frame pushed the Johnstown advantage to 8-4 following a bucket by Brady Hamer. An alley-oop dunk by Andrews made it 18-13.
“Coach (Dave) Roman (Jr.) dared some of our guys to shoot,” Cobaugh said. “I’ve been coaching with him for 10-12 years, I kind of expected it and Dwight knocked down some big shots in the first half ... It got us going.”
Johnstown’s lead ballooned to 28-18 when Mark Watson hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining. Andrews ended the first with 13 points.
“We came out in a junk defense and you gamble to leave somebody open and give Dwight Andrews credit, he knocked down three threes in the first quarter,” Roman said.
After a quick basket by the Hilltoppers’ Stephen Flick opened the second-quarter scoring, Johnstown responded with baskets by Isaiah Haselrig and Andrews before Westmont’s Brad Carney scored five points on consecutive possessions to cut the Trojans’ lead to 32-25.
That was the smallest lead that Johnstown would enjoy for the remainder of the contest.
Watson’s bucket late in the second made it 44-32 at the half.
Following Joe Glennon’s 3-pointer with 5:51 left in the third, back-to-back hoops by Alkwan Williams and a five-point spurt by Haselrig ignited a 17-4 run that spanned the next 3 minutes. Watson hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run with a basket by Andrews completing it.
The Hilltoppers battled back to end the frame, outscoring Greater Johnstown 10-3 with 3-pointers from Glennon and Brandon preceding baskets by Flick and Brandon.
Andrews opened the fourth quarter with four straight points, hitting two free throws and throwing down another alley-oop dunk with 6:36 left in the contest to extend the lead to 71-51. A 3-point play from Haselrig along with a bucket by Williams and two free throws by Phillip Madison made it 78-51 before back-to-back hoops by Glennon.
The Trojans took the lead to 27 points again with 3:59 left on a shot by Watson.
Every Trojans starter reached double figures in scoring with Williams tallying 18, Watson 16, Haselrig 12 and Madison 11 to complement Andrews’ 30-point outburst.
“That’s a seasoned team,” Roman said. “A lot of veterans over there. Very athletic. They seemed to make the big play when they needed to, hit the big shot, get the big rebound or big block to get their crowd excited.”
Williams also collected 10 rebounds while Madison dished out eight assists.
“These kids really rose to the occasion, with a blocked shot, a rebound, an outlet pass, a fast break or a big shot to squelch their momentum,” Cobaugh said. “That’s a testament to their focus. They were ready to go on the bus ride.”
Brandon’s 23 points and 13 rebounds boosted the Hilltoppers while Glennon scored 16 points and Flick added a dozen.
Carney’s eight points led all bench scorers.
Greater Johnstown hosts Bedford on Friday while Westmont Hilltop treks to Richland, also on Friday.
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