H.S. Boys Basketball: Run ends for MMI Prep in Class A state quarterfinals
Mar. 15—POTTSVILLE — It seemed as though Linville Hill couldn't miss from the field on Friday night, and the Warriors shot MMI Prep right out of the state playoffs.
The Warriors made nine three-pointers and overwhelmed MMI on both ends of the floor, beating the Preppers 65-29 in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at Martz Hall.
Ryan Sones had 12 and Brendon Brobst had 11 for MMI Prep, the two combining for eight of the team's 10 made field goals on a night where it felt like the Preppers' rim had a lid on it.
"I thought the first couple possessions we got good shots, and then we panicked a bit and took a bunch of bad ones," MMI Prep coach Joe Flanagan said. "(Linville) could shoot the basketball, they really made some open shots."
District 3 champion Linville Hill was able to take the Preppers out of the style and tempo they wanted to play with an offensive barrage in the first quarter, running out to a 21-6 lead.
The Preppers were forced to play catch-up right from the jump, and the shots just weren't falling. MMI's first three-pointer came with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, long after the game had been decided.
Linville point guard Giovanni Sejuste was able to get into the teeth of the MMI defense and kick out to open shooters time and time again, and the Warriors three-point shooters were lethal from deep.
Chief among them was Jerome Stoltzfus, who took a 24-point game at half and put it permanently out of reach with a 15-point third quarter, drilling three of his five triples in the quarter and helping Linville stretch its lead into mercy-rule territory.
"We couldn't get enough stops in a row," Flanagan said. "We wanted to control the tempo, and we just didn't do enough."
MMI Prep's run comes to an end after a District 2 championship, a runner-up finish in the District 2/11 subregional and two wins in the state tournament, a strong run for a senior-laden team.
Linville Hill will advance to the Class A semifinals to take on Berlin Brothersvalley, a 75-48 win over Lancaster Country Day in another quarterfinal matchup.
PIAA Class A Quarterfinals
Linville Hill 65, MMI Prep 29
MMI PREP (29) — Lispi 1 0-0 2, Pantages 0 0-0 0, Floryshak 0 0-0 0, Sones 5 3-5 12, Brobst 3 4-5 11, Rodriguez 0 2-2 2, Hosier 0 0-0 0, Frask 0 0-0 0, Parikh 0 0-0 0, Schwabe 1 0-0 2, Gombeda 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 9-12 29.
LINVILLE HILL (65) — Smoker 2 0-0 5, Sejuste 2 4-4 8, Chappell 0 0-0 0, Je. Stoltzfus 8 0-0 21, Fisher 1 2-2 5, Jo. Stoltzfus 0 0-0 0, Petersheim 2 0-2 6, Tibbins 2 0-0 4, S. Smucker 6 3-3 15, Westfall 0 1-2 1. Totals 23 10-13 65.
MMI Prep'6'7'8'8 — 29
Linville Hill'21'16'18'10 — 65
Three-point goals — MMI 2 (Sones, Brobst); LIN 9 (Je. Stoltzfus 5, Petersheim 2, Smoker, Fisher).
