Chase Watkins and Jack Gunkel bagged 26 of their shared 36 points after the halftime break as Paul Blackburn’s Hershey Trojans registered a 64-57 triumph over Manheim Twp. in the second of two opening-night games at the Hershey Tip-Off Tournament Friday night at Hershey High School.
REVIEWING THE NUMBERS
Watkins finished with 20 points and Gunkel checked in with 16. … Seth Brewer tossed in 25 points for Dan Relin’s Manheim Twp. Blue Streaks, including 16 in the second half. … Ricky Bugg grabbed seven boards and Watkins pulled down six for the Trojans. … Watkins also received props from Blackburn after the contest for absorbing three Manheim Twp. charges. … Brewer bagged four of the Streaks’ six charges. … Bugg scored eight points and also dished our four assists, one more than Jordan Wix Rauch. Dylan Painter also hopped off the bench for Hershey and dropped in eight points. … Christian Fisher, who backed Brewer with 10 points, racked up five assists. … Fisher and Fisayo Oluleye led Manheim Twp. with five boards each. … Kevin Bushong and Galen Arbogast split 18 points for the Streaks.
PIVOTAL SEQUENCE
While Manheim Twp. was able to climb within one point (52-51) with 4:55 remaining on the last of Brewer’s four treys, the host Trojans sandwiched Bugg’s finish at the tin and Painter’s short jumper from the left wing around a Bushong charge and reclaimed a five-point edge. The Streaks were still within five points (62-57) in the final minute, but a key possession was halted when the 6-5, 260-pound Watkins held his ground when Brewer penetrated and a charging foul was whistle. Two freebies by Gunkel with 7.2 to play closed it out.
MORE NOTES AND NUGGETS
Hershey will play defending champion Cumberland Valley, a 74-56 victor over Milton Hershey in the opening game, in Saturday night’s championship scrap. … Manheim Twp. bagged 13 of its 15 attempts at the foul line, while Hershey was just 15-for-23. … Manheim Twp. committed 11 turnovers to Hershey’s collective 10. … Watkins, who has committed to Bucknell to play football, banked eight points in the third quarter and seven more in the fourth. … The Trojans went to a 3-2 zone in the second half in an effort to limit the Streaks’ ability to rub off screens and find space to get to the hole or pop an open jumper.
THEY SAID IT
“They were pretty much in a rhythm there in the third quarter and I thought, ‘Let’s see what the zone does, cause we didn’t show it to them much.’ … In the third quarter they were running their stuff and they were getting the right people the right shots.” — Blackburn on using a 3-2 to disrupt motion sets that were freeing perimeter shooters or getting people to the rim.