On the night of Feb. 28, State College hosted Erie McDowell in front of a packed North Gym with a chance to play in the first round of the PIAA State Playoffs on the line.
Head Coach Brian Scholly mentioned what went into the preparation for tonight’s matchup.
“We knew they were really tough, physical, a lot of seniors and a really well coached team, so we knew we had to be really focused on all the details that helped us be successful on both ends,” Scholly said.
The first quarter was a very physical back and forth matchup. With 5:23 left in the quarter, senior Reed Melvin hit a three pointer to get the game’s first three points. McDowell would quickly strike back with a floater to make it 3-2 State College.
Senior Charlie Yartz drilled a 3 pointer with 4:01 left in the quarter to start a State College 8-2 scoring run. During the run, baskets would be made by Melvin, junior Manny Elliott, and a free throw by Yartz. At the end of the first the score was 11-4 State College.
Yartz would start the second quarter quickly with 7:48 extending the lead to 9. After this McDowell would go on an 8-0 run. State College called its first timeout after two quick three pointers.
Junior Michael Powell struck back with a difficult layup with 4:28 left in the second to maintain a three-point State High lead.
McDowell continued the second quarter run of 16-2. State High senior Ty Salazer hit his two free throws to cut the deficit to three. The first half came to an end McDowell led 20-17.
The McDowell runs were a big issue for the Little Lions throughout the game.
“I just thought there were a few segments where their aggression and their physicality kind of dictated us rather than us dictating to them,” Scholly said.
The third quarter was a back and forth battle with Yartz making a free throw and Salazer making a layup to hold the deficit at three. Salazer then threw up an alley-oop for Yartz with 5:18 remaining in the quarter and he slammed it home, cutting the deficit to 23-22. The North Gym was rocking after the slam dunk by Yartz.
The Trojans were unfazed by the raucous crowd and struck back with a quick three-pointer and a 10-2 scoring run. Melvin hit a two to make it 28-24 McDowell. But McDowell hit two more three pointers, forcing State College to call a timeout with 2:55 to go trailing 33-24.
Melvin struck back quickly with a three pointer 2:35 left. Salazer hit two free throws to end the scoring run. The rest of the quarter was a back and forth as the third quarter ended with McDowell leading 38-32.
McDowell started the quarter off with another three, extending their lead to nine. State called another timeout after a few more McDowell baskets brought the score to 46-32. A few more baskets by McDowell have them on a 13-0 scoring run. Yartz made a floater and three out of his next four free throws to make the score 37-51.
With 1:09 remaining in the game Powell picked up his fifth foul of the night and fouled out of the game. Melvin also picked up his fifth foul with 24 seconds remaining. The rest of the starters get subbed off with a round of applause by the crowd. The game came to a close with McDowell winning 56-43.
Yartz, along with all of the other seniors, played in their last game tonight. Yartz mentioned his emotions with this final match.
“Basketball means everything to me. I’m just proud of the season we had, I wouldn’t change anything, and I’m excited to see what my teammates have to bring,” Yartz said.
Scholly reflected on his team’s performance.
“They tried to do everything I asked them to do. We knew it was going to be a challenge. That was a really good team coming in, we knew some of the challenges they presented be difficult. You could tell our guys showed up with a focus and aggression to try and conquer that challenge,” Scholly said.
With this loss, the Little Lions’ season came to a close. The team finished as District VI Champions with a 10-13 record.
