B.F. over quip with new weapon
B.F. over quip with new weapon
Beaver Falls follows Harris to key victory
Sophomore scores 22, leads No. 1 Tigers past Aliquippa, 70-64
Saturday, January 19, 2008
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Aliquippa wanted to keep Beaver Falls sharpshooter David Phillips from getting many shots. A box-and one-defense helped the Quips achieve their goal as Phillips had only six attempts the entire game.
Aliquippa's defense achieved another goal, holding Beaver Falls standout junior Todd Thomas to 12 points, three points below his average.
But a sophomore came off the bench for Beaver Falls and kept Aliquippa from achieving its ultimate goal -- a win.
Chaston Harris, a smooth 6-foot-5 forward, scored a career-high 22 points as host Beaver Falls defeated Aliquippa, 70-64, in a WPIAL Class AA game in front of a sellout crowd.
Barring a major collapse, Beaver Falls, the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked AA team, will win the Section 6 championship outright for the first time in Doug Biega's nine years as coach. The Tigers are 13-3 overall, and their 8-0 section record is good for at least a two-game lead on every other team.
Aliquippa, ranked No. 3, dropped to 12-6 overall and 7-2 in section.
"Chaston wasn't one of the differences. He was the main difference," Biega said.
Harris has become a pain to the Quips. When Beaver Falls beat Aliquippa, 81-75, in December, Harris had 18 points. He averages 10 a game.
"The first time I saw Chaston play was two years ago when I was a referee for the eighth grade vs. faculty game," Biega said. "When I saw him, I said to some people, this kid is going to be a player.
"Last year, he had to learn to be part of a team, had to get stronger. He's just gotten better and better. The sky is the limit for him. He has every tool, every skill, except strength."
Harris' strong performance was needed because Aliquippa standout forward Jonathan Baldwin had a big game, scoring 34 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
"Athlete for athlete, I thought Todd and Baldwin may have canceled each other out," Biega said. "Chaston was the X factor."
Things didn't start so well for Beaver Falls as the Tigers missed their first 12 shots and fell behind, 10-0.
"We were a little too amped for this game because -- what's Aliquippa won? -- something like 35 sections in a row," Biega said with a bit of exaggeration.
Beaver Falls settled down after the slow start and crept within 14-12 by the end of the first quarter. Harris scored seven points in the first half, and Beaver Falls came back to take a 31-29 halftime lead.
"It doesn't matter to me if I start or come off the bench," Harris said. "When I was on the bench, I was just observing everything. When coach called my name, I was ready to go."
Harris didn't back down from Baldwin or any other Aliquippa player. He hit a few medium-range shots but also attacked the basket with authority.
"It's not my style to back down," Harris said, with fiendish grin.
Beaver Falls opened up a 61-54 lead with 3:27 left, but Baldwin scored twice, once off a steal, to make it 61-58 with 2:40 remaining.
But over the next two minutes, Aliquippa turned the ball over once, missed two shots and two of four three throws. Twice in that span, the Quips didn't get a rebound after Beaver Falls missed a free throw. Those errors spelled Aliquippa's doom.
Phillips finished with 13 points, and Kenny Cottman added 10. Besides Baldwin, the only other Aliquippa player in double figures was Gerald Boykin with 10.
Mike White can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1975
Sophomore scores 22, leads No. 1 Tigers past Aliquippa, 70-64
Saturday, January 19, 2008
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Aliquippa wanted to keep Beaver Falls sharpshooter David Phillips from getting many shots. A box-and one-defense helped the Quips achieve their goal as Phillips had only six attempts the entire game.
Aliquippa's defense achieved another goal, holding Beaver Falls standout junior Todd Thomas to 12 points, three points below his average.
But a sophomore came off the bench for Beaver Falls and kept Aliquippa from achieving its ultimate goal -- a win.
Chaston Harris, a smooth 6-foot-5 forward, scored a career-high 22 points as host Beaver Falls defeated Aliquippa, 70-64, in a WPIAL Class AA game in front of a sellout crowd.
Barring a major collapse, Beaver Falls, the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked AA team, will win the Section 6 championship outright for the first time in Doug Biega's nine years as coach. The Tigers are 13-3 overall, and their 8-0 section record is good for at least a two-game lead on every other team.
Aliquippa, ranked No. 3, dropped to 12-6 overall and 7-2 in section.
"Chaston wasn't one of the differences. He was the main difference," Biega said.
Harris has become a pain to the Quips. When Beaver Falls beat Aliquippa, 81-75, in December, Harris had 18 points. He averages 10 a game.
"The first time I saw Chaston play was two years ago when I was a referee for the eighth grade vs. faculty game," Biega said. "When I saw him, I said to some people, this kid is going to be a player.
"Last year, he had to learn to be part of a team, had to get stronger. He's just gotten better and better. The sky is the limit for him. He has every tool, every skill, except strength."
Harris' strong performance was needed because Aliquippa standout forward Jonathan Baldwin had a big game, scoring 34 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
"Athlete for athlete, I thought Todd and Baldwin may have canceled each other out," Biega said. "Chaston was the X factor."
Things didn't start so well for Beaver Falls as the Tigers missed their first 12 shots and fell behind, 10-0.
"We were a little too amped for this game because -- what's Aliquippa won? -- something like 35 sections in a row," Biega said with a bit of exaggeration.
Beaver Falls settled down after the slow start and crept within 14-12 by the end of the first quarter. Harris scored seven points in the first half, and Beaver Falls came back to take a 31-29 halftime lead.
"It doesn't matter to me if I start or come off the bench," Harris said. "When I was on the bench, I was just observing everything. When coach called my name, I was ready to go."
Harris didn't back down from Baldwin or any other Aliquippa player. He hit a few medium-range shots but also attacked the basket with authority.
"It's not my style to back down," Harris said, with fiendish grin.
Beaver Falls opened up a 61-54 lead with 3:27 left, but Baldwin scored twice, once off a steal, to make it 61-58 with 2:40 remaining.
But over the next two minutes, Aliquippa turned the ball over once, missed two shots and two of four three throws. Twice in that span, the Quips didn't get a rebound after Beaver Falls missed a free throw. Those errors spelled Aliquippa's doom.
Phillips finished with 13 points, and Kenny Cottman added 10. Besides Baldwin, the only other Aliquippa player in double figures was Gerald Boykin with 10.
Mike White can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1975