By JAMIE RANKIN
For the MV Independent
The Connellsville boys basketball team looked sharp on offense in Friday’s non-section contest against visiting Ringgold. Defensively, the Falcons made a few mistakes, and the Rams capitalized, bouncing back from an early hole to take home a 71-68 win.
“We’ve got to play better defense. We didn’t make the stops when we had to make the stops,” Connellsville coach Andy Hedrick said, noting that it’s been a consistent problem for the Falcons. “Every time they needed a basket, they got one.”
Hedrick was pleased with Connellsville’s offensive output, though. The Falcons were led by Ahmad Hooper, who piled up a game-high 29 points, including three 3-pointers. Kade Musgrove tallied 16 points, and Bo Soisson sank three treys on his way to 11 points.
Hooper had nine of those points in the first quarter, as Connellsville (6-8) went on a 13-5 run to open the game. Josh Marietta hit a pair of threes and scored all eight of his points in the opening frame. Nate Pajak sank two 3-pointers for Ringgold, but the Rams trailed 20-12 after one quarter.
“At the jump ball, I told my coaches, ‘We’re not ready to play.’ And we weren’t ready to play. But we hung in there, and we got through the first quarter,” Ringgold coach Phil Pergola said. “I thought we were lucky it was only 20-12. It could’ve been more. But, then, we settled down and started to play. I think it’s tough to play an exhibition game halfway through (the season.) It was a good win for us.”