After snapping a six-game win streak against Bishop Guilfoyle, Thursday night, Tyrone looked to start over again with a win and a third place finish against Westmont Hilltop on Saturday.
The game was full of suspense and big plays, including a first quarter slam by Steve Catich as he went coast-to-coast and threw it down like a champ. This sparked a 6-0 run with 1:03 left in the first as Tyrone led 11-5 and had the momentum they needed to win the game.
With a 15-9 lead going into the second quarter, Tyrone continued to full-court press the Hilltoppers, forcing 13 first half turnovers. After a couple of Sam Hahn free-throws, Tyrone pulled another 6-0 run, giving the Eagles a 21-11 lead with 4:44 to go in the first half.
Westmont wasn’t out of it yet, as Hahn led a Hilltopper 10-2 run, cutting the lead to 23-21. Tyrone had to take a quick timeout to regroup, and from there, the half ended with alternated scoring, leaving Tyrone on top 32-27.
Tyrone fought through the pressure defense and clutch shooting of Josh Swick and Hahn, and managed kept the lead the entire half.
The Eagles seemed to float to the foul line the entire game. Catich led off the third quarter with two free throws, giving Tyrone a 34-27 lead. Westmont answered yet again with a 9-2 run, tying the game at 36 with 5:11 remaining.
Matt Brooks was key in the third quarter for Tyrone, pulling offensive boards and scoring in the paint. The senior scored six of his 10 points in the third, giving the Eagles the spread offense that they needed.
Tyrone finished the third on top 51-47, but taking out the Hilltoppers was not an easy task.
“Westmont is known for their run and gun offense,” Tyrone head coach George Gripp said, “and we try not to get involved in the back and forth mess, but if we have to, we can run with anyone. It’s not our style, but I thought we ran the floor just as well as Westmont did today.”
Tyrone and Westmont were back and forth the entire fourth quarter. Tyrone was tested at the foul line in the fourth, however, as Westmont sent the Eagles to the line seven times throughout the fourth as Tyrone knocked down nine of their 18 points on foul shots alone.
The Hilltoppers cut the lead to 61-60, but this was as close as it would get, as Brandon Gehret picked a pass, shoved it ahead to Catich and he finished with an amazing no look pass to Ben Ingle for the easy lay-in. Tyrone forced the Hilltoppers back onto their heels as Tyrone sparked an 8-0 run with under a minute left, going on to win 71-62 in the consolation game.
“We knew coming into this game that they were a deep team, so we really wanted to attack the basket and get to their second tier of guys. We have been shooting better from the foul line lately, so we took advantage of our trips to the foul line.”
Foul shooting kept Tyrone in the game, as the Eagles went 17-28, which is a pretty good day compared to some other games this season and last. Catich took himself to the line 14 times where he knocked down 12 of his game high 25 points. Nate Dane was big on the boards once again as he recorded 11 points another double-double. Dane and Catich have recorded double-doubles in almost every game this season, improving Tyrone’s chances of victory every time they accomplish this statistic. Brooks and Ben Ingle also recorded double-figures in scoring with 10 a piece. The Eagles had four players in double-digits, Saturday, and another victory came out of their excellent performance.
The win puts Tyrone at (7-2), as Tyrone will host Lewistown and Indian Valley on Wednesday and Friday..
Westmont had Hahn and Swick lead the way with 17 and 12 in the losing effort.
The Hilltoppers knocked down six treys in the loss and showed that they could still run the court even with the loss of seven key seniors last season.
Tyrone 71 Westmont-Hilltop 62
Tyrone – Catich 6 12-14 25, Dane 5 1-6 11, Brooks 5 0-0 10, Ingle 4 2-2 10, Franco 2 2-4 6, Peterman 2 0-0 5, Updyke 1 0-2 2, Gehret 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 17-28 71.
Westmont – Hahn 6 2-2 17, Swick 5 1-2 12, Ballow 3 0-0 7, Kessler 1 4-4 6, Rudnac 1 2-2 5, Vliet 2 1-2 5, Chessa 2 0-0 4, Valcheff 2 0-0 4, Khuri 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 10-12 62.
Score by Quarter
Tyrone 15 17 19 20 – 71
Westmont 9 18 20 15 – 62
Three-point goals: Tyrone-2 (Catich, Peterman)
Westmont-6 (Hahn-3, Swick, Ballow, Rudnac)
