Lillian Otto Hopewell traveled to Central Valley on Friday night for an important 4A Section 2 matchup.
Hopewell entered the game, their 11th of the year, with a 4-6 record, in search of their first section win of the year (0-3). Central Valley entered the game with a 10-1 record, 3-0 in the section and in 1st place.
Hopewell set the tone early with an aggressive approach on both ends of the floor. Nick Adams sparked the offense in transition, while James Armstrong established a presence inside with finishes at the rim and trips to the free-throw line. Brody Rock added energy and pace, helping Hopewell generate quality looks and build a narrow advantage. Central Valley stayed close, but Hopewell carried a slim 17–15 lead into the end of the first quarter.
Hopewell continued to share the ball in the second quarter, finding success from multiple spots on the floor. Adams knocked down a corner three and stayed aggressive attacking the basket, while Jeremy Benninghoff converted on a pair of finishes inside. Rock added a jumper and a three as Hopewell answered each Central Valley push and went into halftime with a narrow 31–29 lead.
The third quarter belonged to Hopewell. Armstrong controlled the paint and the glass, scoring on a series of layups and put backs to swing momentum. Rock and Adams continued to contribute, while Benninghoff added a corner three and another second-chance basket. Hopewell used the surge to open up a commanding advantage and took a 48–32 lead into the fourth.
Central Valley didn’t go away though, making an incredible run early in the quarter, cutting into the deficit and grabbing the lead at 55-54 in front of an intense crowd. Hopewell stayed extremely composed down the stretch. Adams scored an important basket, and Armstrong and Biega knocked down some important free throws in the final minutes to seal the outcome. Hopewell closed out a hard-fought 61–57 victory.
The win immediately becomes one of the biggest wins for the Hopewell boys’ program in recent memory and sets the tone for the 2nd half of the season where the expectations are that this team will continue to bond and grow together.
After the game, we had the opportunity to speak with Coach Biega to get his thoughts on the victory and what it means to the season moving forward.
Next up for the boys is a game on Saturday vs Springdale in the Ambridge Legends Classic and then a return to Section Play next week on Tuesday 1/13 at Ambridge.
1st QUARTER-
2-7 Layup for Tre Cameron off feed from James Armstrong
4-9 Fast-break layup by Nick Adams
6-9 Armstrong makes 1 of 2 free throws
8-11 Brody Rock with a fast-break layup
10-13 A nice feed from Rock leads to an Armstrong layup
12-13 Great take to the hoop from Adams
15-13 Corner three from Jeremy Benninghoff
17-13 Zack Sampson with a floater
END OF QUARTER: Hopewell 17 Central Valley 15
2nd QUARTER-
20-15 Adams with a corner three
22-17 Layup off a feed for Benninghoff
24-19 Benninghoff with a spin move layup
26-24 Elbow jumper for Rock
29-27 Rock swishes a three
31-29 Adams with another layup
HALFTIME: Hopewell 31 Central Valley 29
3rd QUARTER-
33-29 Armstrong with a layup
35-29 A put-back for Armstrong
37-32 Rock with a nice layup
39-32 Armstrong with yet another put-back
41-32 Adams makes 2 of 2 free throws
43-32 Armstrong cooking on the boards with a put-back
46-32 Benninghoff with a corner three
48-32 Putback for Benninghoff
END OF QUARTER: Hopewell 48 Central Valley 32
4th QUARTER-
50-36 Armstrong is strong inside with a put-back
52-38 Layup for Justin Shegog off a feed from Armstrong
54-50 Rock makes 2 of 2 free throws
55-55 Armstrong makes 1 of 2 free throws
57-55 Adams with a driving layup
58-55 Armstrong makes 1 of 2 free throws
59-57 Jack Biega makes 1 of 2 free throws
60-57 Biega makes 1 of 2 free throws
61-57 Biega makes 1 of 2 free throws
FINAL SCORE: Hopewell 61 Central Valley 57
VARSITY POINTS-
Armstrong: 15 points
Adams: 13 points
Benninghoff: 12 points
Rock: 11 points
Biega: 3 points
Cameron: 2 points
Sampson: 2 points
Shegog: 2 points
