Jeannette boys maintain unbeaten mark with victory over Riverview

By: Dave Mackall
Friday, December 20, 2024 | 10:12 PM

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Adrian Batts has seen a lot of talented teams come and go as Jeannette’s longtime basketball coach. It has been a while since he has watched a group like this.

Coming off a year in which the Jayhawks made a bit of a run in the PIAA playoffs — winning two games in the Class 2A tournament — they haven’t backed off, starting strong and running their unbeaten streak to six Friday night.

Jayce Powell scored 18, and Marcus McGowen added 14 as No. 2 Jeannette rolled to a 66-34 victory over visiting Riverview in a WPIAL Section 1-2A game.

The Jayhawks (6-0, 3-0) are outscoring opponents by an average of 32 points per game.

“We’re playing well,” Batts said. “I really like our guys. I like the way they compete.”

Jeannette’s speed an athleticism quickly was on display as the Jayhawks jumped on Riverview (4-5, 2-1) for a 24-8 lead in the first quarter.

“It’s very easy for high school kids to not be focused on the teams that they think they’re better than,” Batts said. “These guys don’t overlook anybody. They play hard and compete.”

It is the sort of thing that first-year Riverview coach Dre Corbin said his staff will take to film sessions with hopes of making an impression on the Raiders players.

“We’ve got to show more heart. Period.” Corbin said. “From a skill perspective, (Jeannette) has got some really good players, and I respect what they have talent-wise. But I think our guys can do a better job of controlling the emotions and the effort they’re showing with their heart of the floor overall.”

Kymon’e Brown’s 14 assists — nine in the first half — sparked Jeannette’s offense.

“I don’t think he took a shot in the first half,” Batts said of the junior point guard, who led Jeannette in scoring last season and Sunday was named as the TribLive Westmoreland Football Player of the Year.

Jeannette, which was scheduled to face Mt. Pleasant on Saturday in the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association Showcase, held a 39-12 halftime lead before outscoring Riverview in the second half 27-22.

Rex Roberts led Riverview with 15 points.

“We shared the ball tonight, and we got after it on the defensive end,” Batts said. “Our Achilles’ heel right now is our rebounding. We started the second half getting outrebounded, and that’s something we need to correct if we want to take that next step. If we want to be great and be with the best teams in Double-A, you’ve got to defend the rebound.

Though he harps on it frequently, Batts can live with it a while longer, it seems.

“Not that we’re rebounding badly,” he said. “but we can be a little better. Those possessions we’ve got to eliminate. We just can’t let teams get second and third shots.”

Perhaps a bit more probing by Batts and his players just might get the job done.

“They’ve been doing what I ask of them, and I’m really appreciate of that,” he said.

Tags: Jeannette, Riverview