Jeannette fends off Chartiers Valley
If the Jeannette basketball team wants to challenge for a WPIAL Class AA title, then the Jayhawks must improve their play during crunch time.
Sunday afternoon, Jeannette blew a big lead but rallied to edge Chartiers Valley, 65-61, in the opening game of the first Pittsburgh High School Basketball Classic at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center.
Jeannette (13-3) is ranked No. 2 in Class AA by the Tribune-Review, and Chartiers Valley (14-4) is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA.
Davonte Shannon (18 points) made a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to give Jeannette the lead for good, 63-61, seconds after Chartiers Valley freshman T.J. McConnell hit a three to give the Colts their first lead since the first quarter.
Jeannette's Terrelle Pryor, who finished with 21 points and five assists, then stretched his 6-foot-6 frame to block a 3-point attempt by Chartiers Valley's Mike Sherry with 12 seconds left. Terrelle Pryor also pulled down the rebound.
Terrelle Pryor said he knew Sherry was going to shoot.
"Every time he comes off the pick, he looks to shoot," Terrelle Pryor said. "He's a good player and he shoots in well. Coach (Jim Nesser) screamed, 'Make sure we pressure him, and don't let him get open.' "
Jordan Hall (14 points) then iced the game for Jeannette, which has won 11 consecutive games, by making two free throws with 10.9 seconds left.
Nesser said he was pleased with his team's defensive performance for three quarters, but disappointed with the way it finished. The Jayhawks got lazy with some passes and didn't play tight defense.
"I asked them if they were tired, and they said no," Nesser said. "To me, their body language said they were tired. They looked physically and mentally tired. There's no excuse. At the end of the game when you're up that many points, mentally you have to be tougher than that and find a way to work through it. That's my concern."
The diminutive McConnell helped rally the Colts in the fourth quarter and became the crowd favorite when he made three 3-pointers and stole the ball from Pryor.
"T.J. has been doing that all season," said Tim McConnell, T.J's father and Chartiers Valley's coach. "He comes off the bench and hits some shots and makes some steals."
After a close first quarter, Terrelle Pryor took over the game in the second quarter, as Jeannette opened up a 32-18 lead at halftime. Pryor scored 10 points and Shannon eight in the second quarter.
"We let Terrelle take over the game," McConnell said. "We backed away instead of challenging him. I thought we came out sluggish, and they did a nice job defensively. They were more intense than we were."
Jeannette opened up a 39-24 lead in the third quarter when Terrelle Pryor drained a 3-pointer. But Chartiers Valley, behind Sherry (25 points), crawled back into the contest.
A 3-pointer by Hall at the buzzer gave Jeannette a 47-37 lead after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Chartiers Valley, which made only 2-of-20 3-point attempts through three quarters, started to find its range. McConnell hit three 3-pointers, and Sherry and Brian Castello made one each as the Colts put on the pressure. Jeannette also turned the ball over five times during the quarter.
But after T.J. McConnell's 3-pointer gave Chartiers Valley its only lead of the second half, the trio of Shannon, Pryor and Hall came up big in the clutch.
"They've been doing it all season," Nesser said. "I expect them to make big plays.
"Tim is a great coach and runs a great program. Anytime you get a chance to play him and beat him, it's a great win."
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