The Gehlen Catholic boys basketball team advanced to the district final with a narrow 48-45 victory at home over Kingsley-Pierson on Thursday night.
The Jays came out firing and scored 22 points in the first quarter of play with the team going 4-5 from the three-point arch. Gehlen Catholic head coach Eric Kellen says those outside shots would not have come had it not been for some good inside looks dropping early in the game.
Down 22-10 heading into the second quarter, Kingsley-Pierson knew they had their work cut out for them. They went to work right away and went on a 7-0 run to open the second and cut the deficit to five points. Head coach Lance Howe says once the guys got settled in on defense, they were just fine.
Coach Kellen says that intensity from the Panther defense made it challenging for his team.
Gehlen Catholic knew that Kingsley-Pierson would try to get the ball to Landon Howe, and they did at times throughout the game. Coach Howe said that Gehlen did a great job of making things very tough for Landon to do what he wanted to do.
Late in the game, Kingsley-Pierson cut the deficit to one point, but Gehlen found a way to hit some shots and make some free throws to stave off the Panthers. Coach Kellen says he challenged his players to find that little extra in the tank.
Kingsley-Pierson ends the season with a great record of 16-8, and they graduate five seniors off this year’s team. Coach Howe says this class is special with his son being a part of it, and they have certainly left their mark on the program.
Gehlen Catholic advances to the district final to take on Boyden-Hull in Hull on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Gehlen was scheduled to play the Comets in December, but the game was canceled due to weather. Coach Kellen says some more preparation will have to be done to be ready for a good Boyden-Hull offense.
The Jays will enter the district championship game with a record of 16-7.
