HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– Following tonight’s season-saving 84-79 WPIAL playoff win over Belle Vernon, Vikings Sports Now caught up with HC Doug Biega and sophomore James Armstrong, who willed Hopewell to a come from behind win.
Armstrong scored a career-high 47 points, including 28 in the second half.
With the win, the Vikings will host Central Valley on Wednesday night from Hopewell High School with the winner advancing to the PIAA playoffs.
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– James Armstrong is an athlete that we’ve written plenty about throughout his junior high and high school career.
In the past, multiple coaches referred to him as a generational athlete. Tonight, Armstrong put on a performance, to quote the late great Mike Lange, “that you had to be there to believe.”
Personally, it was one of the best individual performances that I’ve ever witnessed by a high school athlete.
In a game that Hopewell trailed for nearly the entire game, Armstrong a career-high 47 points (28 in the 2nd half) and 17 rebounds to lead Hopewell to a come from behind 84-79 win over Belle Vernon in a 4A consolation playoff game.
The win means that on Wednesday, the Vikings will host Central Valley at Hopewell High School. The winner of that game qualifies for the PIAA 4A playoffs.
The atmosphere inside the gym, especially in the 4th quarter was incredible as Hopewell just kept fighting to hang in the game, much of the time trailing between 4 and 6 points.
However, with 1:35 left, the Vikings finally took the lead on a basket by Justin Shegog. After Belle Vernon retook the lead, Armstrong took over.
With 1:07 left, Armstrong muscled his way for 2 to give Hopewell a 76-75 lead. With :53 seconds left, Armstrong stole a Belle Vernon pass, raced to the other end to convert a layup and was fouled, Hopewell led 78-75.
With :27 seconds left and Hopewell leading 78-77, Belle Vernon missed a shot, Armstrong powered up for the rebound and was fouled. Hopewell was in the bonus, so he shot free throws and converted both of them to give Hopewell an 80-77 lead.
Boo was done. Hopewell was at the line shooting 2 free throws and missed both, but Armstrong grabbed the offensive rebound and converted a layup to increase the lead to 82-77.
With :05 seconds left and Hopewell leading 82-79, Hopewell had the ball underneath their own hoop and were looking to just inbounds the ball. They did exactly that as Brody Rock threw a deep pass to Armstrong, who caught it up half-court and took it in from slam dunk to end the game.
FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 84 BELLE VERNON 79
1ST QUARTER SCORING:
-Rock cross paint pass to Armstrong, 2 plus the foul (off the glass), Hopewell 3-2
-Rock drives the lane, dumps off to Armstrong, who knocks down a jumper from the lane, Hopewell 5-4
-Rock drives again but this time keeps it and converts the up and under, BV 8-7
-Jeremey Benninghoff with a shot off the glass from the right wing, Hopewell 9-8
-Shegog with the steal and takes it in for the layup, Hopewell 13-12
-Shegog with the drive and a nice touch pass to Armstrong in the paint, who converts, Hopewell 15-14
-:54, Rock with great hustle to track down a ball before it goes out of bounds, throws it to Armstrong who misses but Tre Cameron gets the offensive rebound and layup, Hopewell 17-15
END OF 1ST QUARTER: BELLE VERNON 20 HOPEWELL 18
2ND QUARTER SCORING:
-Jack Biega with a nice entry pass to Armstrong down low for 2 more, 20-20
-Armstrong with a strong drive for 2 off the glass, 22-22
-Armstrong grabs the offensive rebound and is fouled shooting, makes both free throws, 24-24
-Cameron with another strong take, BV 28-26
-Nice inbounds play, Biega finds Armstrong for 2, Hopewell 28-28
-Biega with a strong drive, misses the shot but gets his own rebound and puts it back in, BV 31-30
-Armstrong 2 more in the paint, BV 33-32
-Biega slashes down the middle of the lane, Belle Vernon 37-34
-Rock with the drive, finds Armstrong in the opposite block for 2, BV 39-36
-2:08 left, Rock drives the baseline for a reverse layup, BV 41-38
-:04 seconds, Rock with a steal and is fouled shooting, makes both free throws, BV 43-40
HALFTIME: BELLE VERNON 43 HOPEWELL 40
3RD QUARTER SCORING:
-Armstrong muscles his way for 2, BV 46-42
-Following a long offensive rebound, Shegog nails a deep jumper, BV 46-44
-Hopewell breaks the press, Rock to Shegog for a layup, BV 49-46
-Armstrong with a defensive rebound, throws a length of the court pass to Shegog for a layup, BV 51-48
-3:30 left, Armstrong with another defensive rebound and another long pass to the other end to Rock for a layup, BV 55-50
-Hopewell breaks the press, Armstrong hits a jumper from the foul line, BV 56-52
-Armstrong 2 more in the lane, BV 58-54
-Rock penetrates the paint and drops off to Boo for 2, BV 60-56
-1:11 left, Armstrong with a spin in the lane and off the glass, BV 62-58
-Rock with a strong drive and converts off the glass, BV 64-60
END OF 3RD QUARTER: BELLE VERNON 64 HOPEWELL 60
4TH QUARTER SCORING:
-Boo with 2 in the lane, BV 66-62
-Armstrong fights for a loose ball, grabs it, goes up for 2 more, BV 68-64
-4:02 left, Benninghoff drains a long 3, NV 72-68
-2:49 left, Armstrong 2 plus the foul, BV 73-70
-1:57 left, Armstrong 2 more and is fouled again, BV 73-72
-1:35 left, Shegog gives Hopewell the lead with a floater, Hopewell 74-73
-1:07 left, Armstrong muscles his way inside for 2, Hopewell 76-75
-:53 seconds, Armstrong with a steal at midcourt, converts the layup and is fouled, Hopewell 78-75
-:27 seconds, After grabbing a defensive rebound, Armstrong is fouled, and makes both free throws, Hopewell leads 80-77
-Hopewell misses 2 at the line but Armstrong grabs offensive rebound and makes layup, Hopewell 82-77
-:05 seconds left, Armstrong catches a deep pass from Rock and takes it in for the dunk, Hopewell 84-79
FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 84 BELLE VERNON 79
HOPEWELL SCORING (UNOFFICIAL)
JAMES ARMSTRONG: 47 POINTS
JUSTIN SHEGOG: 11 POINTS
BRODY ROCK: 10 POINTS
JEREMY BENNINGHOFF: 5 POINTS
JACK BIEGA: 4 POINTS
TRE CAMERON: 4 POINTS
Successful head coaches in any sport often times surround themselves with talented assistant coaches and that’s what Doug Biega did soon after becoming named head coach of the Hopewell HS boys basketball program.
Biega assembled one of the top staffs in the WPIAL, many of them being men he’s had personal history with.
Biega hired Mike Sims, Donovan Jeter, Javon Turner, EJ Coleman, Kaden Vandevert and Dwight Hines.
Hines was a huge get considering his success as a head coach at both Aliquippa and Sto-Rox. This afternoon, Vikings Sports Now had the opportunity to talk with Hines about a number of topics, including tomorrow’s matchup against Central Valley.
With two games left in the regular season, the Hopewell HS boys basketball team will have a very important challenge in front of them tomorrow night.
The Vikings will host Central Valley with plenty of implications on the line. I can tell you it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that.
Central Valley currently sits in 2nd place with a section record of 5-2, while Hopewell comes in at 4-4 and in 3rd place.
If Hopewell is able to win, they’d own the tie-breaker over CV and would have a legitimate chance at finishing in 2nd place. However, as the saying goes, it’s very difficult to defeat a quality team twice in a season, so it will be difficult for the Vikings.
Vikings Sports Now stopped over at Hopewell’s practice as they put in final preparations for Tuesday night’s battle and talked with Coach Biega.
The Hopewell Vikings boys basketball team went into last night’s game knowing that they would need to play their best game of the season if they had a chance to beat Keystone Oaks.
Keystone Oaks was 6-0 and the most talented team Hopewell had played to date.
As good teams tend to do, the Vikings rose to the occasion and came away with a 78-64 win. With the win, Hopewell upped their record to 4-0.
A couple major story lines from last night:
*Hopewell sophomore James Armstrong had a monster game with 30 points and 24 rebounds. Boo was a man amongst boys. By the way, that 30 points was a new career-high.
Hopewell sophomore James Armstrong
*HC Doug Biega and his staff continue to receive major production from someone other than Armstrong and Brody Rock. Sophomore Justin Shegog was the man again last night as he finished with 17 points, as did Rock. Shegog has been a huge part of Hopewell’s success, being so productive as the first person off the bench.
Hopewell sophomore Justin Shegog
*As the often used phrase goes, ‘Offense wins games, defense wins championships’. While the scoring of Armstrong, Rock and Shegog received the headlines, the defensive contribution of sophomore Jack Biega was a huge ingredient to last night’s win. Biega’s second half performance guarding Keystone Oaks leading scorer was elite. Biega kept him 11 points under his season average (27 PPG and held to 16).
Hopewell sophomore guard Jack Biega
Here is the Play-By-Play from last night:
1ST QUARTER:
Brody first to score (rebound and assist by Tre Cameron)
Keystone responded back with a 3
Nick Adams 2 pts
Keystone adds 4 quick points to lead 7-4
Brody 2 pts with assist by James
Justin 2 pts (Biega offensive rebound and assist)
James 2 points as Hopewell takes their first lead, 10-9
Keystone 3 pointer, KO 12-10
James rebound and drives all the way for 2 w/foul, 12-12
Keystone another 3 pointer, KO 15-12
Tre and Justin with 2 each, Hopewell 16-15
Keystone with 2
Brody hits 2 at buzzer
End of 1st Quarter: Hopewell 18-17
2nd Quarter:
Keystone comes out with 2 and retakes lead, 18-19
Jack takes drive to hoop, gets fouled makes 1, 19-19
Keystone goes on a 7-0 run, 19-26
Brody 2pts with foul makes foul shot, 22-26
Justin 2, 24-26
Brody steals ball and makes basket 2
Keystone with 2 more, 28-31
Hopewell Timeout
Justin 2
James offensive rebound & foul. Makes both shots, Hopewell retakes lead 32-31
Keystone 2
Nick 2 with nice assist by Justin
Keystone 2
Nick Adams 2 more, Hopewell 36-33
James with a steal and scores with foul. 3 pt play, Hopewell 39-33
Justin gets fouled at buzzer makes both foul shots
Halftime: Hopewell 41 Keystone Oaks 33
3rd Quarter:
Hopewell starts quarter strong to break the game open.
James 2 with Nick assist
James offensive rebound assist to Brody for 2
James 2
Keystone 3, Hopewell 47-36
Nick fouled makes both shots 2
Keystone 3
Brody 3
Keystone scores the next 5 points, Hopewell 52-44
Jack offensive rebound and basket 2
James fouled makes both shots 2, Hopewell 56-44
Justin and James each with baskets
End of quarter saw Justin and James with 2 pts each
End of 3rd Quarter: Hopewell 60 Keystone Oaks 47
4th Quarter-
Justin 2
Keystone 2
James 2 long pass assist by Brody
Keystone next 9 points, Hopewell 64-58
Brody fouled makes 1 basket
Justin 2 with Brody assist
Brody 2 with Riley assist
Keystone 2, Hopewell 69-60
James offensive rebound and foul makes 1
Justin fouled makes 1
James another offensive rebound and 2, Hopewell 73-60
Keystone 2
James 2
Keystone 2
Jack fouled makes 1
James 2
Final Score: Hopewell 78 Keystone Oaks 64
*All four of Hopewell’s wins have been by double-digits.
After the game, VSN caught up with Coach Biega for his postgame thoughts.
”Tonight was definitely a battle of wills. Keystone Oaks is an excellent team with an excellent coach,” said Biega. The coach is a tough guy, old school, which means you had to play old school to beat them, which I thought our guys responded to.”
“James was an absolute demon tonight, as was Brody. But I thought everybody did their part at some point in the game. When we went down by seven in the second quarter we responded with a huge run that gave us a lead that we never relinquished. I think they’re sort of starting to figure out what it takes to win. It’s been a while right? So they’re trying to figure it out and we are relentless on that approach.”
”My staff is incredible and we will get the best out of these guys moving forward into the section play. But tonight was fun. We beat a 6–0 team. That doesn’t happen a lot. I’m proud of this group. I’m proud of the effort.”
Speaking of section play, that starts for Hopewell on Friday as they travel to take on Avonworth.
Wanted to also mention that the Hopewell JV team remains unbeaten as they beat KO, 49-24. Because of Keystone Oaks limited roster (health and injuries) the two teams only played two minute halves.
Hopewell 49 Keystone Oaks 24
Hopewell Scorers:
Zack Sampson with 10
Avery Bokor with 16
Jayvion Lindsey with 11
Jeremy Beninghoff with 8
Justin Shegog with 4
The Hopewell HS Boys basketball team returns to the court tonight to take on New Brighton at Hopewell High School.
The Vikings will look to up their record to 3-0 following wins over Beaver Falls and Ellwood City.
Hopewell is looking to improve their game and keep the momentum as one week from today they’ll start section play against Avonworth.
Vikings Sports Now stopped over to Hopewell practice on Thursday and got some thoughts from HC Doug Biega on a variety of topics.
Remember, varsity tipoff tonight is 7:30 PM, with junior varsity at 6:00 PM.
The Hopewell HS Boys Basketball team will look to improve their record to 3-0 tomorrow night when they host New Brighton. Varsity tipoff from Hopewell High School is set for 7:30 PM.
This Vikings team has had many people contribute to the early season success including their two seniors Nick Adams and Riley Biggins.
Adams was a member of last year’s team but missed a large portion of the season due to a hand injury, while Biggins decided to rejoin the basketball program this year.
Prior to this afternoon’s practice, Vikings Sports Now caught up with these two players to get their perspective on the start of the season, the impact of the new coaching staff, their roles and what making it to the playoffs would mean.
Hopewell Township- This morning, Vikings Sports Now had the pleasure of sitting in as the Hopewell boys went through another open gym session.
This wasn’t our first time sitting in during a workout this summer and let me make two observations: 1) it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart as they kids are working their asses off 2) this program is headed up and will be winning soon.
Perfection isn’t being demanded of these players as a new sheriff is in town but a few things won’t be tolerated 1) walking out for drills 2) lack of effort and going through the motions on the court 3) not being able to communicate. This was HEAVILY stressed today.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the best player on the roster or a newcomer, if any of that occurs, the whole will pay for it in terms of running sprints or pushups.
These coaches aren’t being mean or rough, it’s just that a new culture and way of doing things is being established with Hopewell boys basketball. While it might be rough now, in the end both the players and program as a whole will benefit.
After this mornings open gym, Vikings Sports Now had a chance to talk with new Hopewell boys assistant basketball coach Mike Sims about this philosophy, along with other things.
A winning team relies on more than just one or two players to win throughout a season.
The Hopewell HS boys basketball team is trying to become that and last night they showed the depth that they have on the roster in a Summer League game against Freedom.
The Vikings evened out their summer league record at 2 wins and 2 losses with a 13-point victory against Freedom. Hopewell was playing last night without James Armstrong, Brody Rock and Bryce Ray yet found a way to scrap out a 47-34 win in a game that took place at Ambridge High School.
Balanced scoring was the key as Avery Bokor, Jack Biega, Tre Cameron and Nick Adams led the Vikings on the court and in scoring. With the lead going into the 4th quarter, Coach Biega’s squad as able to rely upon their defense to bring home the victory.
Hopewell will once again be shorthanded and the team mentality will be test on Thursday as they conclude the Summer League action when they travel to Ellwood City.
Today at the Hopewell Junior High School it was all about giving back and developing the future.
This morning was the 1st annual Coach Biega Hall of Fame Summer Skills Camp.
Girls and Boys in Hopewell Grades 3-8 started their weeklong skills camp where they had fun and received instruction from various coaches along with players in the Hopewell School District.
Vikings Sports Now wanted to mention the coaches and players that showed up today to instruct the campers:
Kaden Vandervert
Zach Kovell
Aaron Dickart
Thomas Pipkins
Nick Adams
Avery Boyd
Jack Biega
Tre Cameron
Avery Bokor
Brody Rock
Jayvion Lindsey
Ava Ray
Today’s camp was run by Vikings head coach Doug Biega, who was excited to be able to put this camp together in such a short period of time.
“By far, the best part of the day was the enthusiasm, genuine enthusiasm, of the high school and graduate assistant coaches that they were working with the young kids,” said Coach Biega. “Every kid was being coached the entire time.”
Each camper received a free basketball for signing up and this camp will run every morning through Thursday.
Here’s some pictures from this morning’s first day.
