DANVILLE —
Energy was the key word for both coaches in Wednesday’s Heartland Athletic Conference Division I matchup between Danville and Selinsgrove.
Unfortunately for the Seals, by the time Selinsgrove matched Danville’s energy, it was too late.
The Ironmen used a 17-2 run in the first half to open up a 22-point halftime lead and rolled to a 56-39 victory over Selinsgrove to remain undefeated in the HAC-I at the Whitey McCloskey Center.
“We had a good energy level in the first half. I think it really snowballed on (Selinsgrove) and we really grabbed the momentum,” Danville coach Lenny Smith said.
“I thought we got outhustled and they had a lot more energy than we did in the first half,” Selinsgrove coach Ray Moyer said. “We were much better in the second half, but we have to able to have that kind of energy for four quarters.”
Danville improves to 13-2 overall, 8-0 in the HAC-I, while the Seals drop to 8-5, 5-3.
The Seals started the game well, playing strong defense and holding Danville standout guard Andrew Andreychik to just one shot attempt. However, there were cracks in the Seals’ armor. They missed some easy layups and the Ironmen were able to grab six offensive rebounds in the opening quarter.
“We didn’t do a good job of boxing out in the first half and when you give a team like Danville second and third opportunities, you are in trouble,” Moyer said.
Things started to go south for Selinsgrove late in the first quarter. Andreychik’s three-point play sparked the key point of the game. With the Seals trailing 10-6, Danville went on a 17-2 run that saw the Ironmen open up a 27-8 lead on Selinsgrove on Bret Berg’s jumper with four minutes left in the first half.
Danville’s offense was outstanding in the first half. Its ball movement generated 10 assists on its 13 first-half baskets. And after their 17-2 run, the Ironmen ended the second quarter with three consecutive 3-pointers to open up a 38-16 lead at halftime.
Selinsgrove played much better in the second half, holding the Ironmen to just 18 points, but it proved to be too little, too late.
The Seals made a couple of mini runs at Danville in the second half, but were never able to cut the lead to less than 15 points.
“We didn’t have the same kind of energy in the second half, but we did a good job keeping them at bay,” Smith said. “We ran a lot of offense to make them play defense for a long time and even though they kept coming, we never let them back in the game.”
Andreychik led the Ironmen with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Berg and Scott Heeter added 11 points for Danville. David Vitunac had 12 rebounds for the Ironmen.
Justin Keiser was the lone Selinsgrove player in double figures with 11.
Danville has now won both games against the Seals by a combined 52 points, but don’t think the Seals don’t concern Smith heading into the postseason.
“That’s a really good, well-coached team over there. If they can stay with us early in the game, the kind of defense that they play can give us trouble,” Smith said. “That’s a team that never gives up.”
Danville Sports
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Danville's Ross Litz makes the pass to teammate, Kyle Gruss, during their game against Selinsgrove Wednesday night in Danville.
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