Moore’s late surge guide Shady Side Academy past Avonworth

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, February 19, 2018 | 10:27 PM

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Skyy Moore spent most of Monday night dealing with foul trouble, but he didn't dwell on the frustration of the situation.

He patiently waited for his opportunity to make an impact.

And when he reentered the game midway through the fourth quarter he sensed he could help Shady Side Academy close out Avonworth, and he seized the opportunity.

Moore made a pair of tough runners in the lane and hit all six of his free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter to help the No. 7-seeded Indians put away No. 10 Avonworth, 71-55, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball playoffs at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.

Moore scored 12 points in the fourth finished with a team-best 18.

“I saw a moment to put it away and I took it,” Moore said. “I'm glad that it helped us a lot. I've been working on my free throws in practice, so I was glad to see them go in.”

The Indians advanced to play No. 2 Seton LaSalle in the quarterfinals Thursday at a time and site to be announced.

After having to sit for long stretches in the second half, Moore checked in with a little less than four minutes remaining and the Indians leading by 10. He promptly made a layup and followed that up on the next trip by draining a tough runner in the lane.

“It seemed like when we brought him back in he'd pick up a foul right away,” Shady Side coach David Vadnais said. “He got his third and then his fourth, but with about four (minutes) to go we decided we had to go with him. When he went in they were tired, he was fresh and he's tough to stop when it's even. He made his foul shots and finished at the rim. It's what we've come to expect from Skyy.”

Shady Side Academy, which was a co-champion of Section 3-3A, used its pressure defense to force turnovers and tough shots that helped it keep a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half.

The Indians (14-8) really showcased their defensive tenacity in the second quarter, when they held the Antelopes (10-7) without a field goal until the final minute of the quarter.

“We rely on full-court pressure, speeding things up and making a run on the other team at some point in the first or second half, like a 6-0 or 8-0 spurt to get some separation, and we did that tonight,” Vadnais said. “We couldn't quite put them away until the end, but I think that's a credit to Avonworth. They played a tough game.”

Grady Munroe scored 10 for the Indians in the second; including a 3-pointer and a trio of free-throw attempts after he was fouled on a shot from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points.

“I missed a couple of shots in the first quarter, but my coaches told me to keep shooting the ball,” Munroe said. “I was able to make a couple shots and a couple free throws. That helped me get into a rhythm.”

Avonworth had some chances to cut into the Indians' advantage in the second quarter, but missed a couple of shots in close. What really hurt the Antelopes though was their foul shooting. They went 3 for 8 from the line in the second quarter and 17 for 29 for the game.

“I thought they played a good defensive game, but with that being said we executed great at times and missed some point-blank layups,” Avonworth coach Dan Bradley said. “We missed nearly 15 foul shots and if you throw three or four layups that we missed that were uncontested, that's more than the difference in the game.”

Tyreek Davis, who finished with 23 points, broke the Antelopes' field goal drought with a layup with 38 seconds left in the second quarter, then hit a 3-pointer while being fouled with three seconds remaining and converted the free-throw to cut the Shady Side Academy lead to 27-20 entering halftime.

Frankie Fuhrer hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Indians in the third quarter and finished with 16 points. Avonworth's Jacob Harper scored 13 points.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Avonworth, Shady Side Academy