Williams Valley runs past Salem
Published: March 4, 2010
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MINERSVILLE — Denny Kasper’s message to his Williams Valley squad was simple:
Be active on defense, run when we get the chance, and play with a sense of urgency.
Brent Wolfe certainly listened to his coach’s advice.
The Vikings senior recorded a double-double with 22 points and 18 rebounds as the Vikings crushed Salem Christian 64-35 in a District 11 Class A quarterfinal Feb. 27 at Minersville High School.
The victory advanced the two-time defending District 11 Class A champion Vikings (17-7) to Tuesday’s semifinals, where they were scheduled to face Pius X, a 60-55 winner over Moravian Academy. (Details of that semifinal game were unavailable as of press production time.)
“When Brent comes to play ... when Brent is on his game, everybody else feeds off that,” Kasper said. “He’s like that wild card for us. He played a heck of a game for us, on both ends of the floor.”
Wolfe made his presence felt at both ends of the floor from the outset, especially on the glass.
The Vikings used a pair of 3-pointers from Mike Fortune and the play of Wolfe and fellow senior Tyler Herb to open the game on a 27-8 run.
Wolfe had 10 points in the outburst, mostly on drives to the basket or on follows after offensive rebounds. He compiled 15 points and six rebounds in the opening half — shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field — as the Vikings led 37-21 at intermission.
Herb added 10 points in the first half and finished with 19 points.
“I came out to play. If I don’t have big games, we probably don’t win,” Wolfe said, “Somebody has to help Herb score points.
“We have to rebound, get out and run. That’s the way we have to play to win (the district) again.”
Williams Valley’s defense was a major key to the opening assault, as the Vikings were aggressive in their 3-2 zone with Herb attacking the ball out front and Wolfe and Josh Grimm stopping Salem Christian’s leading scorer, Nate Aston, down low.
The Vikes forced six turnovers in the opening quarter and 20 for the game.
The turnovers led to fast breaks and easy layups on the offensive end for Williams Valley, which shot 15-for-26 (.577) from the field in the first half and 25-for-54 (.463) for the game.
“We wanted to be active in the 3-2. That’s what we were preaching, play defense and run a little bit,” Kasper said. “Defensively, we did a good job.”
Kasper was also impressed with his team’s sense of urgency.
Salem Christian (17-6) never got closer than 15 points in the second half as the Vikings kept their foot on the accelerator.
Grimm added 11 points and senior Allen Rummel came off the bench to pull down six rebounds.
“For your seniors, this is the end of the road,” Kasper said. “With that in mind, there’s a sense of urgency there. At this point, you don’t want it to end.
“For the seniors, this is it. You have to play with a sense of urgency, and we got that today.”
