Boys Basketball - GCC vs Jeannette

February 05, 2021

Second Half Surge Drives GCC to 65-59 Win over Jeannette

Even in a season where change and uncertainty has become the norm, one thing remains unchanged. When Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette meet up on the gridiron, the hardwood, or the diamond, you can bet that the long time rivals are going to give it their all for bragging rights and the glory of their alma mater. No exceptions for a Covid plagued season.

Such was the case when the Centurions and the Jayhawks met on Friday, February 5, in Carbon to determine first place in the Class 2A Section 3 standings. GCC's Ryan Appleby set the tone of the game when he drained the game's first shot, a 3-pointer, only 15 seconds after the opening tipoff. What followed was a back-and-forth, fast paced, high scoring quarter of basketball that was as good as it gets. When the horn sounded to end the quarter, Jeannette held a 21-20 lead and the teams had combined to make seven 3-point shots. Jeannette's Toby Cline was already in double figures with 10.

The pace slowed slightly in the second quarter as Jeannette extended their margin to 8, outscoring the Centurions 15-8, and they took a 36-28 lead into halftime.

Once the teams switched ends of the court, it was the Centurions turn to shoot at the hot bucket. GCC slowly chipped away at the Jayhawks margin in the third quarter, cutting their deficit to two points, as they scored 16 versus 10 for Jeannette, and the third quarter ended with GCC trailing 46-44.

GCC found their opening quarter magic again in the final quarter, scoring 21 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line, while holding Jeannette the to only 13 points, and securing a hard fought 65-59 victory.

The Centurions had four players in double figures, led by Christian McGowan with 19. Dylan Sebek had 12, Brevan Williams 11, and Dylan Parsons 10. Sebek, Parsons, and Ryan Appleby each had a pair of 3-pointers, while McGowan added one from behind the arc.

Jeannette was led by Toby Cline's 25 point effort, followed by James Sanders with 17. Sanders scored five of Jeannette's ten 3-pointers, including at least one in each quarter. Cline hit on four from the 3-point mark, with Keith Rockmore also scoring one in the first quarter. The two teams finished with a combined 17 buckets from 3-point territory.

GCC (9-1, 6-1) stands alone at the top of Section 3, with their single loss coming earlier in the season to Jeannette. Following a Saturday non-conference home game with Berlin Brothersvalley, the Centurions will host Clairton in a conference game on 2/8. Jeannette (7-3, 4-2) slipped into a second place tie with Winchester Thurston, who they'll face at home on 2/9.

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

Keywords: basketball, boys, gcc, high school, jeannette, westmoreland county