Demons continue to battle hard | williamstown-sports

Williamstown loses close one to Beechwood Tigers, 49-47

Sophomore Brennan Stanley, shown in a recent game against Eminence, scored 29 points versus Carroll Co. on Saturday.

Demons also fall at Carroll Co. despite Stanley's 29 points

By Patrick Gatewood

WRS Staff

Generally speaking, when Williamstown and Beechwood meet up in temperatures at or below freezing there are crowded college football stadiums, scores of artistic minds, and state championship implications.

When the Demons and Tigers met Friday night, however, there wasn't a soul in the gym considering intonation or inter-sectional balance. The focus was on crossover dribbles and crashing the glass; the former by Williamstown, and the latter by Beechwood.

In the first frame, the two sides were deliberate in feeling each other out, resulting in 20 combined points, with Chris Parsons connecting from three and adding a lay-up contested by Beechwood center, JT Toebbe, who had seven of his team's 12 in the period. Jon Jump added a three-ball of his own to bring the score to 12-8 heading into the second.

Scoring, and the pace picked up in the second period, which saw four Demons get in on the scoring, led by Brennan Stanley, who scored all six of his points in the period. Beechwood countered, getting five players in the scoring column and doubling their lead to eight at the half.

After the intermission, Junior guard Derrick Cipollone found a rhythm and cut the lead to seven on the strength of his seven points and the help of a stingy team defense, which combated a slow offensive quarter by allowing only nine points to the Tigers.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, with Cipollone leading the way with his six points, while Jump and Parsons combined for six more, and more solid defense, cutting the lead to just three.

With five seconds on the clock and the ball in the Demons' possession, Jon Jump hoisted a three from the top of the key that banked a fraction of an inch too high off the glass and bounced right to Carter Sarcione, who put it back up and cut the lead to just one with a shade under two seconds to play, and at this point, things got interesting.

A timeout was called, however, the coach responsible for calling it will be debated among those in attendance for weeks to come. The timeout was awarded to Coach Roger Harden, except he had none remaining. Despite his efforts to convince the 9th Region officiating crew he hadn't requested the whistle, he was subsequently assessed a technical foul, resulting in two free throws for Beechwood, who connected on only one.

The Demons, still stunned by the transgressions, allowed the ball to be inbounded without fouling as time expired.

Never one to make excuses, Harden was heard expressing his desire to make defensive changes earlier in the game to offset the clear advantage the Tigers held in the paint, and acknowledging that one basket, or two free throws, changes the complexion of the game, and potentially the outcome of this report.

One might also point to the Demons being outrebounded for the majority of the first half and how significant the impact of simply boxing out in the second actually was. Whatever was adjusted in the locker room at half time played a large role in the flow of the game.

One thing is for certain, and that is this isn't the typical Williamstown basketball team. No victories against them will come easily. Two games into the season, and fans have been treated to excitement of all variety. Threes falling against Eminence and four quarters of team basketball against a solid Beechwood program have this team primed to make a statement moving forward this season.

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Coming off a win to open the season against Eminence and a loss that could have been a win at Beechwood, Williamstown went to Carroll County with expectations of its first 2-1 start in four years. A win was not in the cards however, as the Demons wrapped up their first week of games with a second road loss in two days on Saturday.

The Panthers' seven seniors provided the leadership and lights-out shooting to jump out to a big lead in the first period, and never looked back, winning the game 82-69.

Leading all scorers was Carroll County's Donahue, with his 30 points on five three-point baskets, three of which coming in a third quarter that saw a combined 49 points between the teams.

Williamstown once again made it interesting, at one point cutting the lead to just eight in the fourth, but Brennan Stanley's 27 second-half points were not enough. Stanley finished the game with a season-high 29 points.

Brady Montgomery, who was forced to step in due to foul trouble in the Demons backcourt, carried his weight, with a season-high 17 points, including nine in the second period.

Of the remaining 23 Williamstown points, Derrick Cipollone had 10, Jon Jump had eight, Chris Parsons scored two, and Chase Good added three from the charity stripe.

Overall, it was a game the team and its fans would love to forget, and one they will have to put behind them quickly if they intend to right the ship, as a tall task stands before them in a match-up with their neighbors across I-75, the Grant County Braves in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Tuesday, December 8.