Late turnovers cost Seneca Valley boys basketball in loss vs North Allegheny
WEXFORD — What looked to be a tale of two halves instead morphed into a tale of the latter two quarters.
After overcoming a 13-point deficit early in the third quarter to knot things up by the start of the fourth, Seneca Valley boys basketball sputtered in the final eight minutes, allowing neighboring rival North Allegheny to halt a five-game losing skid with a 50-42 WPIAL Section 1-6A home win.
“I think we came out in the third and we knew we had to be the more physical team,” Raiders senior Andrew Omasits said. “We had to be, and we were at one point — and that’s what got us back into it. And then we had a little bit of a barrage of turnovers, and they transitioned off them, scored and that’s kinda what gave them the edge.”
After Omasits matched Brady Brinkley’s layup with a pair of free-throw makes — making it 33-33 with just over a minute gone in the fourth — the Tigers (7-9, 3-6) ripped off a 14-2 surge, including 11 straight.
Seneca Valley (9-7, 4-5) went ice cold for 4:42 of game time. Omasits knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:37 to play, but the Raiders’ last bucket before that was Reese Fatur’s put-back that kept his side within one point with 1:41 into the quarter.
Between those baskets, Seneca Valley could only fire off two shots and gave the ball away five times, leading to easy points for the hosts.
“It’s definitely a hard thing to get through,” Omasits said. “I think, most of us, honestly, when they kept happening, we always gotta keep our head up. I think, a little bit, we kinda put our head down. ... And that’s what led them to be able to score more and more.
“We weren’t able to bounce back from that.”
It appeared as if the Raiders’ 15-2 run in the third frame earned them the momentum they needed to vault them to their fourth win in a row. Omasits, Owen Congdon, Nico Santapau and Jaxon Householder contributed during that stretch.
Householder had a highlight-reel underhanded layup as part of the run, following Santapau’s corner 3 on the possession prior. Congdon sank a pair of free throws and fought through contact for a layup as part of a 9-0 swing to end the quarter.
In a competitive section, the Seneca Valley could’ve used the victory.
“This one here was one that we needed to get to keep our momentum rolling, and we lost it,” Omasits said. “So we’ve just gotta bounce back and be ready for Friday.”
Seneca Valley coach Kevin Trost was unavailable for comment.
SENECA VALLEY 42
Andrew Omasits 4 3-4 13, Nico Santapau 3 0-0 9, Owen Congdon 1 6-6 8, Ryan Priester 1 2-2 5, Jaxon Householder 2 0-0 4, Reese Fatur 1 1-2 3, Luke West 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 12-14 42.
NORTH ALLEGHENY 50
Blake Craft 6 0-0 13, Ben Coffman 4 1-2 12, Justin Stalter 3 1-3 8, Jahlil Archer 2 0-0 4, Brady Brinkley 2 0-0 4, Cole O’Neil 1 2-2 4, Will Robertson 1 0-0 3, Peter Bratich 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 4-7 50.
Seneca Valley 9 7 15 11 — 42
North Allegheny 15 11 5 19 — 50
3-point goals: North Allegheny 6 (Coffman 3, Craft, Robertson, Stalter); Seneca Valley 6 (Santapau 3, Omasits 2, Priester)
Friday: North Hills at Seneca Valley
