Boys Hoops - Hempfield vs Penn-Trafford

January 28, 2020

Hempfield Boys Use 25-0 Scoring Run to Top Penn-Trafford 60-52

Hempfield's championship winning softball teams have a history of pitching shutouts on their opponents. And even they would be proud of the shutout the Spartans' boys basketball team pitched in the second quarter of their conference battle against Penn-Trafford on Tuesday, January 28 at Spartan Fieldhouse.

Penn-Trafford jumped out to a 15-6 lead before Hempfield could catch their breath in the opening quarter. But as Hempfield settled into their game, battling back to 15-12 deficit to end the first quarter, the Warriors suddenly went cold. Ice cold. Sub-zero cold. Over 10 minutes in the freezer cold. And Hempfield got hot.

Hempfield took the lead 16-15 at the 5:30 mark of the second quarter on a Marcus McCarthy layup, capping a 10-point come from behind run. But it didn't end there. McCarthy, Michael Hosni, and Mike Gaffney led the Spartans in a 17-0 second quarter shutout of Penn-Trafford, as the stunned Warriors went to the locker room down 29-15 at halftime.

Hempfield opened the second half with a field goal before the Warriors finally stopped the Spartans 25-0 scoring run with a field goal at the 6:20 mark of the third. Penn-Trafford started to get their offense back on track as the quarter went on, but an 18-10 Hempfield advantage left the Warriors down 47-25 with the final eight minutes left to play.

Penn-Trafford made a valiant comeback effort in the final quarter, largely on the back of senior Zach Rocco who scored 17 of the Warriors 27-point fourth quarter output. But the Spartans had the advantage of playing most of the fourth quarter in the double-bonus, and their deliberate offense wound a lot of precious time off the clock when they had possession. Hempfield only scored one field goal in the fourth, but 11 points on 18 attempts from the foul line was enough to keep Rocco and the Warriors in the rear-view mirror as the Spartans notched the 60-52 victory.

Marcus McCarthy led Hempfield with 18 points, and Michael Hosni and Mike Gaffney both added 10. Zach Rocco's 26 points took game high honors while his PT teammate Josh Kapcin chipped in for 10.

The win moved Hempfield (9-9, 4-4) into a second place tie with Penn-Trafford (11-7, 4-4) as they trail undefeated Fox Chapel in the Class 6A Section 3 standings. Up next for Hempfield is a 1/31 trip to Connellsville while the Warriors will host Fox Chapel on the same night.

Watch this link for a full gallery of action photos available for purchase or sharing the day after the game.

Keywords: basketball, boys, hempfield, high school, penn trafford, westmoreland county