Mont Alto drops to York in PSUAC Semi-Final game

Penn State Mont Alto Men's Basketball team set out on Saturday to play against Penn State York in the PSUAC semi-final game in the PSUAC Championship Tournament at Penn State Beaver.  Both teams knew that they had to play hard to get to the championship game and they both did just that.  But Mont Alto fell short of their goal by just a few points, losing to York 65-59.

During the beginning of the first half of play, Mont Alto was able to stick with York.  It went back and forth, each team taking the lead before the other team would answer back with a made shot.  York was able to gain more momentum right before halftime going on a nine point run to lead Mont Alto 32-23. 

When Mont Alto came out ready in the second half; they were in control.  They played with a lot of heart until the buzzer rang and outscored York in the last twenty minutes.  But it was just not enough to get the win they were looking for. 

"The game was back forth for most of the first half.  We were sloppy with the ball in the first half and York was able to get up nine at half time.  We were the better team in the second half but could not overcome the first half deficit.  I thought the guys played hard.  We just did not play smart in the first half and that was our doom," commented Head Coach Jack Shenzel.                                                                

Mont Alto was led by Jeremiah Mitchell who came off the bench and netted 15 points.  Keven King and Sharif Welton each added 10 points.  DeVonte Merritt and King both grabbed six rebounds.

"York played well and did a great job to end the game and earn a victory. This was a tough loss for many reasons but most of all because it was the chance to get to the conference championship."

Coach Schenzel added, "I am proud of the guys for getting this far. We hope to use this playoff push as momentum going into next season. We are sad to see Cameron and Derek end their careers with a tough loss, but they were able to get further this year than any before."

Mont Alto ended their season with an overall record of 14-12 and PSUAC record of 11-8.  This was the first time in five years that Mont Alto made it to the PSUAC semi-final game.