CLAYSBURG, Pa. – Junior Hoyt Glenn scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as McConnellsburg defeated Berlin Brothersvalley 57-41 in an Inter-County Conference boys basketball semifinal Friday.
“He’s an amazing young kid,” McConnellsburg coach Josh Lowery said. “He’s been playing well all year for us. He does the right things. He’s known for scoring, but 12 rebounds tonight.”
Senior Shaffer Earley tallied 15 points and seven rebounds for the defending conference champion Spartans, and senior Jake Hann grabbed nine boards to go with six points at Claysburg-Kimmel High School.
McConnellsburg (22-1) will play Claysburg-Kimmel in the boys title game at 6:45 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated Williamsburg 59-45 in Friday’s other semifinal.
PHOTO GALLERY | McConnellsburg boys defeat Berlin 57-41 in ICC semifinal hoops
“It feels really good to be going into the title game,” Lowery said. “We locked in on defense. At the beginning, our offense wasn’t in a rhythm and we focused on being a little more patient in it. Once we did that, we got a little more fluidity on it.”
Berlin Brothersvalley (16-6) was led by Carson Janidlo’s 14 points. Matthew Miller tallied 13 points for the Mountaineers, including three 3-pointers.
The teams traded points in a low-scoring opening quarter that had the teams tied at 8-all.
McConnellsburg built a 21-14 halftime advantage by outscoring the Mountaineers 13-6 in the second quarter.
Berlin Brothersvalley didn’t score its first points of the frame until Ryan Janidlo’s basket pulled the Mountaineers within 14-10 with 3:08 left in the opening half.
McConnellsburg’s Glenn, who entered the game averaging 22.9 points a game, netted nine points in the second quarter and 13 in the first half.
His 3-pointer with 2:18 on the clock made it 17-10, and a basket with 1:05 remaining set a 21-12 score.
Berlin Brothersvalley’s Matt Miller closed the half with a late field goal.
The Spartans built on the momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers 20-14 to lead 41-28.
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.