GCC girls score 66 points over three quarters to rout Jeannette

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 22, 2018 | 8:54 PM

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As each 3-pointer went down and each transition layup fell through the net, Greensburg Central Catholic gained confidence.

Relentless potency marked this home opener for the Centurions, and the result lit up the scoreboard like Overly’s as they thumped Jeannette, 66-31, on Saturday afternoon in Carbon.

“This was our first home game, and we wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” said junior guard Melina Maietta, who scored 19 of her game-high 25 points in the first half for Class A No. 2 GCC (6-0) in the nonsection victory. “We wanted to make sure to play our best.”

If this wasn’t their best, then some opponent down the line had better brace for a siege.

“The girls were chomping at the bit to play a home game,” GCC first-year coach Sam Salih said.

GCC put on an offensive clinic, shooting nearly 70 percent in the first half and piling up all 66 points in three quarters. Oddly, with backups in the game during a mercy-ruled fourth, GCC went scoreless in the final quarter.

“It got out of hand quick,” Jeannette first-year coach Jonathan Bass said.

Crisp passing and constant movement aided the onslaught. That they produced 20 assists proved the Centurions’ proficiency.

“Our girls looked to share the ball,” Salih said. “It’s a selfless group. They want to make that extra pass.”

The Centurions hit 11 3-pointers, including five from Maietta, three from senior Bella Skatell, and two from senior Anna Eisaman.

Skatell, a Mansfield commit, and Eisaman each scored 17.

Maietta made a couple of nifty, up-and-under layups.

“We needed to get a good start,” Salih said. “Our girls were enthusiastic in their approach.”

Before Jeannette (2-5) could settle into an offensive set, GCC was up 8-0, then 15-3, then 23-3, before Jeannette senior guard Dymond Crawford beat the first-quarter buzzer to cut the margin to 27-9.

Crawford finished with 11 points. She was virtually unstoppable in a section game at GCC last year when she scored 35 in a 57-46 loss.

“We wanted to make it tough on her to get shots up,” Salih said.

Jeannette stayed in Class 2A, and GCC dropped to Class A.

With Crawford held in check, GCC pounced. The Centurions are averaging 64.5 points and allowing 37.

“We couldn’t get any momentum,” Bass said. “For us to be successful, we need Dymond to score 30 a game, Asia Mack to get 20-plus and Jada (Bass) to get 13 to 15. GCC moves the ball excellently, and they are hard to defend. We had to resort to no helping, and you hate to do that.”

Maietta and Skatell had 10 points each in the first quarter. Maietta added nine in the second, including seven in a row as GCC swelled its advantage to 39-14. A 3 by Eisaman made it 44-15.

Jeannette cut it to 26 in the third but a 20-3 run by GCC pushed the spread to 40 to jumpstart the running clock. Junior guard Gia Scala, a Norwin transfer, also made a 3 for GCC.

Jada Bass had four of her nine points in the fourth for Jeannette.

“This game doesn’t show it, but I love our progress,” Jonathan Bass said.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Jeannette