The Gov. Mifflin Mustangs were the 10th seed in the District 3 Class 6A boys basketball championships at the start of their run. Going into Tuesday night’s semifinal matchup, none of that was the case anymore.
heir play through the first couple rounds showed they belong amongst the elite of the district. With one game away from the finals, the only thing in their way were the sixth-seeded Central Dauphin Rams, who made an upset up their own in the quarterfinals against third-seed Cumberland Valley.
What at first seemed like a great matchup at the end of the first quarter turned out to be a mismatch instead. The story of the game was Central Dauphin’s ability to create half court and transition offense via turnovers and quick outlets that the Mustangs could not control.
A valiant effort at a comeback by Gov. Mifflin was attempted, but the hole they were caught in was too deep to climb out of and their run for first place was over.
Central Dauphin (20-4) defeated Gov. Mifflin (17-8) 54-41 Tuesday night at Central Dauphin High School Gym in the semifinals.
“That’s a really good team. A very athletic team,” said head coach Garrett Etzel. “Being that athletic, that long, that big, it plays to their advantage. The pressure got to us a little bit.”
The Mustangs focused on ball movement and getting quality shots via driving or drive and kick. Gov. Mifflin ran the offense through Andrew Galantuomo, who finished the first half with seven points.
Central Dauphin made them earn their way down the court with a full court press. Gov. Mifflin managed to work through it in the first quarter, but the Mustangs defense had a tough time early against the Rams driving prowess due to their size.
The size and press became an issue in the second quarter when Central Dauphin went on an 8-0 run. The Rams created turnovers leading to fastbreak opportunities.
Jahmair Johnson broke the run with his aggression toward the basket, earning him two free throws that he converted. But the half wasn’t enough to slow the Central Dauphin down.
“In the second quarter, we had seven turnovers,” said Etzel. “I thought we had some rough shots. Shot selection wasn’t the best.”
The Rams opened the half creating mismatches under the rim and a steal leading to an easy basket. After a missed shot from Gov. Mifflin, Central Dauphin got out quick in transition, making it a 10-2 run through the first three minutes of the second half.
After falling behind as many as 12 in the third quarter, Gov. Mifflin began to create some offense again through their ball movement. However, the Mustangs weren’t able to seriously close the gap due to the continued defensive struggles.
“We’re gonna handle that game like any other game,” said Etzel. “We know we’re going to get a home state playoff game, first time in boys basketball at Mifflin.”
Gov. Mifflin play Chambersburg (19-4) for third place at 7 p.m. Thursday at Chambersburg High School.
Source: Berkshire mont
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