Mike Vukovcan HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– The new era of Hopewell HS Boys basketball tipped off last night as the Vikings hosted the Beaver Falls Tigers at Hopewell High School.
Friday night marked the return to the sidelines for Hopewell HC Doug Biega, who retired from coaching 8 years ago after a championship run as the Beaver Falls head coach.
While it wasn’t perfect, things got off to a great start for the Vikings as they convincingly defeated Beaver Falls, 56-35.
As expected, the Hopewell defensive pressure forced a number of BF turnovers and while they didn’t shoot great, Hopewell’s ability to rebound allowed them second chance opportunities, which they converted for points.
This game could’ve been more lopsided if Hopewell would’ve been able to convert more opportunities in the paint, which Biega and his staff will no doubt emphasize in practice this week.
Another positive was the contribution that Hopewell got from the players on their bench as Jeremy Benninghoff, Justin Shegog and Riley Biggins all gave positive minutes. After starring in the JV game, Shegog was the first man of the bench and collected 15 points. Benninghoff gave Biega some important minutes down in the paint and I was really impressed with Biggins, who seemed to always do something positive and made a ton of ‘little’ plays that led to positive results.
Taking a look at the Hopewell Box Score- sophomore James Armstrong led the way with 19 points, followed by Shegog with 15, Brody Rock had 14 points, Benninghoff with 4 and Nick Adams and Jack Biega each with 2.
The atmosphere was great as the gym was nearly filled to capacity, which was good to see.
Here’s a look at the scoring during the game:
1ST QUARTER-
*Brody Rock with Hopewell’s first points of the season with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Hopewell 3-0
*Tre Cameron with a corner miss but Armstrong with the offensive rebound, makes the layup and is fouled, Hopewell 6-0
*Rock with a steal, outlet to Adams, who drives into the lane for a layup, Hopewell 8-2
*In Bounds, Armstrong drives and with a nice assist to Rock in the opposite block, Hopewell 10-4
*Nice Hopewell ball movement at the top of the key, results in a pass from Adams to Shegog who nails a 3-pointer, Hopewell 13-4
*Transition, Cameron with a nice assist to Shegog, who finishes in the paint, Hopewell 15-4
*More transition, Jack Biega with a length of the court pass to Shegog, who converts a layup, Hopewell 17-4
*:15 seconds left in the quarter, Hopewell in transition and Shegog with a nice Euro-step move for 2, Hopewell 19-4
END OF QUARTER: HOPEWELL 19 BEAVER FALLS 4
2ND QUARTER-
*After Biega called a timeout, nice ball reversal ends in a spinning layup for Rock, Hopewell 21-6
*Biggins gets into the lane and finds Armstrong with a cross-block pass and Boo finishes, Hopewell 23-6
*Biggins with another nice pass to Rock, who hits his second 3-pointer, Hopewell 26-9
*Running “Two Game”, ball is dumped down low to Armstrong, who converts and is fouled, Hopewell 28-9
*With 2:08 left, Rock drives the lane and finds Armstrong for 2, Hopewell 30-13
HALFTIME: HOPEWELL 30 BEAVER FALLS 15
3RD QUARTER-
*After multiple (3 for 4) offensive rebounds, Armstrong converts a layup plus is fouled, Hopewell 32-15
*Adams gets into the lane and dishes off nicely to Armstrong for 2 more, Hopewell 35-15
*Biggins with a pass to Cameron who dishes off a great assist to Benninghoff for 2, Hopewell 41-20
END OF 3RD QUARTER: HOPEWELL 47-26
*FINAL SCORE- HOPEWELL 56 BEAVER FALLS 35
**Next up for Hopewell will be a tough contest on Monday on the road at Ellwood City.
Prior to the varsity game, the Hopewell and Beaver Falls took the court in a very competitive and spirited game.
After trailing for 3 quarters, Hopewell took the lead midway through the 4th quarter and held on for a 51-45 win.
Shegog, Zack Sampson and Jayvion Lindsey were Hopewell’s top three performers.
Sampson has a natural scorer’s mentality and finds different ways to get his shots. Â A definite player to watch once he gains weight, gets in weight room and plays the defense that Biega demands from all his players.
Lindsey is the player that stood out to meet most due to the effort he displayed on both sides of the court.
Lindsey finished with 10 points and no-doubt double-digit rebound. The other category that Lindsey led the team in and that was in diving for loose balls. Those effort plays will no doubt stand out in the team film review.
Hopewell scorers- Shegog (18), Sampson (16), Lindsey (10), Aiden Gonzalez (5), Jeremy Benninghoff (3).
