Boys Basketball - Greensburg Salem vs Jeannette

January 30, 2021

Greensburg Salem Boys Fall 60-33 to Jeannette in Season Debut

After what must have felt like forever, the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions boys basketball team finally got to to play their first game in the 2020-2021 season. Losing almost a full month of practice and game play to Covid 19 restrictions, the Lions were the last boys team in the league to tip off their season. With only 3 days elapsed since they were permitted to resume practice on Wednesday, Greensburg Salem hit the court to celebrate Senior Day with a non-conference game against local rival Jeannette. Unfortunately for the Lions, the Jayhawks had the benefit of 7 games already under their belt and had been battle tested against the top teams in their own conference. Jeannette easily dispatched Greensburg Salem 60-33 in the Saturday, January 30 matinee in Greensburg.

Cade Cavanaugh's 3-pointer opened the scoring for Greensburg Salem on their first trip up the court. Cavanaugh then added a field goal and the Lions owned an early 5-2 lead. But Jeannette tied the game at 5-5 only 2- 1/2 minutes into the contest, then quickly ran the score to 11-5 in the next minute before Lions head coach Mark Zahorchak called a timeout to regroup. A Waller Donavin 3-pointer for the Lions out of the timeout cut the Jayhawks lead to 11-8. It was a close as Greensburg Salem would get for the rest of the game. The faster, seasoned Jayhawks added 11 more before the quarter ended and took a 22-8 lead into quarter two.

The second quarter provided no relief for Greensburg Salem as Jeannette outscored them 12-7, with the Lions only field goals coming on a pair of shots from behind the arc. Twelve of the Lions 15 first half points came on 3-point shots, while Jeannette's two lone 3-pointers of the game came in the first quarter.

Leading 34-15 to start the second half, Jeannette turned on the jets and opened a 52-23 lead going to the final frame. Jeannette head coach Adrian Batts got some playing time for his bench in the fourth quarter, while Lions coach Zahorchak gave everyone on his squad floor time before the small home crowd. With the outcome already determined, Greensburg Salem outscored the Jayhawks 10-8 in the final quarter, which ended with a running game clock and a 60-33 Jeannette win.

Jeannette's Hunter Schmidt led all scoring with 18, and Toby Cline added 13 for the Jayhawks. Ryan Kimmel, James Sanders, and Keith Rockmore also turned in strong performances for the Hawks. Cade Cavanaugh had 10 points and Ben Thomas 9 for Greensburg Salem.

Jeannette (6-2, 4-1) resumes conference play on Tuesday 2/2 with a road trip to Serra Catholic. Greensburg Salem get an opportunity to fine tune their game with a non-conference matchup at Mount Pleasant on Monday 2/1. Then the Lions, who are playing up in class 6A beginning this season, start their conference grind with a trip to Penn-Trafford on Tuesday, a home game with Norwin on Friday, and a Saturday afternoon visit to Hempfield. They currently have 13 games scheduled from February 1st through the 26th.

Click this link for a full gallery of action photos from this game, available for purchase or sharing.

Keywords: high school, westmoreland county