Warriors get elusive fast start, crush Sharpsville
CHERRY TWP — Moniteau’s Andrew Zepeda knows his team needs to play better in the early stages of games.
The sophomore guard was at the forefront of the Warriors’ impressive early onslaught it struck Sharpsville with Tuesday night.
Zepeda scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter against the Blue Devils. Moniteau led 25-7 after one period and cruised to an 81-44 victory in the first day of its own Christmas Tournament.
Slow starts are still fresh in the memory of Warriors coach Mike Jewart.
“We were down 18-2 to Clarion-Limestone, didn’t even start to play against Karns City until the second half,” he said. “So to see the game tonight play out like it did, it was good to see.
“We were aggressive with our shots tonight and they were good shots. And we cut down on the turnovers.”
Zepeda made six field goals in the opening quarter.
“We just played Franklin (a loss last Friday),” said Zepeda. “We saw how well that team communicates and know that’s what we need to do. We focused on having a strong push at the start of tonight’s game.”
“Andrew has played well for us and being just a sophomore, he has room to grow,” Jewart said. “We’re working on his defense. He’s one heck of a young player and has the potential to be even better.”
The Warriors featured very balanced scoring. Chason Delarosa-Rugg tallied 21 points and David Dessicino added 11.
For the Blue Devils (1-7), Carter DeJulia led the way with 16 points and Graham Pernesky scored 14.
Moniteau (4-3) will meet Slippery Rock in the tournament championship game at 7 p.m. Wednesday. In the consolation game at 5:30 p.m., Union will meet Sharpsville.
“Slippery Rock plays a good 1-3-1 zone and they have a lot of athletes,” said Jewart. “They are a disciplined team and we are not. Defensively, we need to be aware of where we need to be in their different offensive sets. If we can do that, we have a chance. If not, it could be a long night.”
SHARPSVILLE 44
Carter DeJulia 7 1-3 16, Aiden Cadman 3 1-2 7, Dalton Byerly 1 1-3 3, Graham Pernesky 5 3-6 14, Josh Myers 0 2-2 2, Luke Staunch 1 0-0 2, Kieran Scullin 0 0-0 0, Adam Spaulding 0 0-0 0, Ben Lucas 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 8-16 44.
MONITEAU 81
Chason Delarosa-Rugg 8 2-3 21, Andrew Zepeda 7 7-10 23, Aydan Jackson 1 0-0 2, David Dessicino 5 0-0 11, Connor Ealy 1 0-0 3, Landon Kelly 3 2-4 8, Dawson Cook 1 1-2 3, Blaine Jamison 1 0-0 2, Ian Ross 1 1-1 3, Cade Barger 2 0-0 5, David Martino 0 0-0 0, Brendin Sankey 0 0-0 0, Logan Campbell 0 0-0 0. Totals: 30 13-20 81.
Sharpsville 7 12 21 4 — 44
Moniteau 25 21 20 15 — 81
3-point goals: Sharpsville 2 (DeJulia, Pernesky); Moniteau 8 (Delarosa-Rugg 3, Zepeda 2, Dessicino, Ealy, Barger).
Wednesday: Union vs. Sharpsville, 5:30 p.m.; Slippery Rock vs. Moniteau, 7 p.m.
