CARLISLE -- Highly efficient on both ends of the floor in the second half, Mechanicsburg stormed past Carlisle 64-58 Saturday night, the surprising result landing the Wildcats the Carlisle Classic tip-off tournament championship at Carlisle High School.
Tournament MVP Drew Schankweiler and teammate Zach Brunner both contributed double-doubles for the Wildcats (2-0), helping offset a career night for point guard Timmy Atkinson of the Thundering Herd (1-1).
Schankweiler totaled 20 points and 14 rebounds, with Brunner amassing 19 points and 10 boards. Together, the seniors scored 23 points in the second half.
Atkinson, a senior, drained five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 28 points. He scored 20 of those in the first half as Carlisle, which led by as many as 11, built a 36-28 halftime edge.
The Herd then found themselves down by 11 midway through the fourth quarter, mounted a final comeback push to cut the deficit to three in the final minute, but Mechanicsburg was able to ice it at the free-throw line.
Hatboro-Horsham edged South Western 43-36 in the consolation game.
PIVOTAL SEQUENCE
With Brunner on the bench in foul trouble, Mechanicsburg simply wanted to weather the Atkinson storm in the first half, and head coach Bob Strickler was OK with his team's eight-point halftime deficit considering the situation.
Evan Brosious opened the second half with a four-point play, then followed with another 3-pointer and a driving layup. Brunner found Schankweiler to cap a quick 11-0 surge that ended with the Wildcats in front for the first time.
From there, Brunner, Schankweiler and Reed Alioth (seven points, four assists) were key in running a productive Mechanicsburg offense that finished the second half by making 14 of 22 field-goal attempts.
Alioth also switched to Atkinson, who was still effective but was unable to connect from deep after nailing five in the first half.
GAME NUGGETS
Brosious finished with 11 points, giving the Wildcats three players in double figures. Nine of those points came in less than two minutes at the start of the second half.
Atkinson (8-for-15 from the floor) added five rebounds and a team-high four assists. Teammate Jordan Dockens, who joined Atkinson, Brunner and Schankweiler on the all-tournament team, added 13 points and five boards for the Herd.
Down 60-49 with about three minutes left, Carlisle went on a 9-1 run to slice its deficit to 61-58 after a Dockens put-back with 47 seconds left. Brunner then missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw trip, Dockens rebounded, but his drive at the other end was off target. Brunner grabbed that board, was fouled, and made both freebies with 13 seconds left to essentially seal it.
COACHES' QUOTES
Strickler on turning the tide: "We were on our heels [in the first half], but we steadied it out. We had a good conversation at halftime. Certainly Evan Brosious gave us a huge lift catching fire. I don't know how long he lived in that zone, but it got us going. ... [Once we built a lead], maybe it was a bit of a hang-on job, playing not to lose down the stretch. But these kids haven't really been there. It's kind of a learning experience, and hopefully we'll get better in that situation next time."
Strickler on his guys finding their roles: "Everybody kind of understands their roles. We have two good bigs [Schankweiler and Brunner], and we've got to be able to feed that animal. Reed gives us a little bit of what Josh [Smith] gave us last year, penetrating the defense. Our two bigs had 39, but without [Alioth] we don't win that game."
Carlisle head coach Andre Anderson: "First half was obviously great. Things were clicking, and that was probably the best half of basketball we've seen in a while. We just got comfortable. Halftime came, and I made the decision to put the starters back in, including some guys who sat for a while. I probably should have kept that group in that was hot. We just weren't ready in the second half. We lacked communication. Their transition game hurt us. Brunner is a heck of a player. We just didn't come out with any intensity. We got some young kids learning the ropes, and they'll get better as the year goes. We'll get better as a team as the year goes."
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