Northeastern shakes off slow start vs. Red Lion
The first quarter of Saturday's Bobcat Tip-Off Tournament championship was forgettable for both the Red Lion and Northeastern boys' basketball teams, which combined for just six points.
"That was two teams playing some pretty good defense also coupled with some bad offense," Red Lion coach Steve Schmehl said.
Northeastern was able to erase that memory in the second quarter, using it to drive the Bobcats to a 64-37 win at Northeastern High School.
Solanco won the consolation game with a 50-40 victory against Northern York.
Northeastern's Kobi Nwandu was named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player, while his teammates Jeff Reynolds, Antonio Rizzuto and Donovian Maxfield earned All-Tournament honors. They were joined by Red Lion's Ryan Schreckengast and Solanco's Dylan Hastings.
Northeastern (2-0) shot 1-for-10 in the first quarter but rebounded with an 18-point second quarter, giving the Bobcats an eight-point halftime advantage.
Rizzuto, a sophomore guard, came off the bench to spark Northeastern. Rizzuto scored seven of his nine points in a 72-second span in which he sank two free throws, a 3-pointer from the left corner and a layup off a steal. That stretch turned a tie game into a seven-point Northeastern lead, and Red Lion never recovered.
"Antonio came in and gave us a lift," said Northeastern coach Jon Eyster. "We love him coming off the bench. He can give us a lift. He's high energy and athleticism. He helped get us a little cushion."
The Bobcats led by 13 points after three quarters and poured on a 28-point final quarter to wrap up the tourney. Maxfield connected on three of his four second-half 3-point goals in the final eight minutes. Maxfield has seven 3-pointers in his first two games this season.
"Those made the cushion a little bigger," Eyster said. "(Red Lion) went to a 1-3-1 there. We want our shooters to shoot. (Maxfield) was open, he shot and knocked them down."
Friday night against Solanco, Red Lion (1-1) was able to snap out of its shooting funk in the second half, but the Lions couldn't shake it off against the Bobcats.
Red Lion made just 3-of-18 field-goal attempts in the opening half and went 4-of-12 from the field in the third quarter. The fourth quarter proved to be Red Lion's best-shooting quarter, but they mustered only seven shots (making three).
"We loved where we were at after the first quarter," Schmehl said. "We thought we were still in the game in the third quarter. It just got out of control a little bit. Once we got down 10 or 12 and we were struggling to put the ball in the hoop, they were getting out and running. We just have to get better on offense."
Northeastern 64, Red Lion 37
Red Lion (37)
Bennett Frey 0 6-6 6, Kendrick Boyd-Gillespie 0 4-6 4, Wyatt Tyson 1 1-2 3, Ryan Schreckengast 3 1-2 9, Jason Rebuck 2 1-3 5, Gary Hunt 1 0-0 3, Jamel Foster 3 0-0 7, Derek Urey 0 0-2 0, Tyler Burchett 0 0-0 0, Tyler Stabley 0 0-0 0. Totals — 10 13-21 37.
Northeastern (64)
Donovian Maxfield 4 1-4 13, Jeff Reynolds 4 6-10 14, Kobi Nwandu 5 4-6 14, Jordan Zirkle 1 0-1 3, Brandon Coleman 0 0-0 0, Antonio Rizzuto 3 2-2 9, Fred Mulbah 2 1-3 5, Jeremiah McCarter 3 0-1 6, Austin Green 0 0-0 0, Brett Hersh 0 0-0 0. Totals — 22 14-27 64.
Red Lion _ 3 _ 10 _ 10 _ 14 _ — _ 37
Northeastern _ 3 _ 18 _ 15 _ 28 _ — _ 64
3-point goals — Red Lion 4 (Hunt, Foster, Schreckengast 2), Northeastern 6 (Maxfield 4, Zirkle, Rizzuto).