Charleroi cruises to 76-48 win over Mikes
FALLOWFIELD TWP. — Charleroi went on a 14-2 run in the first quarter and never looked back in its 76-48 non-section win over Carmichaels Wednesday night.
Charleroi coach Bill Wiltz was pleased with how his team played and Carmichaels coach Don Williams gave the Cougars credit.
“I am very happy with this performance, we have played much better the last four games and I have seen improvement,” said Wiltz. “(Carmichaels) is a good team and we were able to get the win.”
“We didn’t play well tonight and my hats off to Charleroi as they outhustled us,” said Williams. “They beat us to every loose ball and we couldn’t get anything right.”
Carmichaels (6-3) finished with 26 turnovers, while Charleroi (4-7) had 19. Both coaches talked about how the turnovers were huge.
“We would force a turnover and then give it right back to them,” Williams said. “We have faced pressure this year and haven’t turned the ball over, but we didn’t play well from the start (against Charleroi).”
“We had active hands. They were in the passing lanes and it gave them problems,” Wiltz said. “Our defense was the difference tonight and I am happy with our depth.
“We went 10-deep in the first half and got a lot of young kids playing time.”
Down 2-0 a minute into the contest, Charleroi (4-7) went on that 14-2 run to take a 14-4 lead with 2:02 to play in the first quarter, and the Cougars led 21-11 after the first quarter.
In the frame, Charleroi hit 7-of-9 free throw attempts, while Carmichaels (6-3) made its only attempt.
The teams exchanged baskets several times in the second quarter, but the Cougars closed on a 6-2 run to take a 40-24 lead at the half.
Neither team scored consecutive baskets in the third quarter and thanks to its 17-15 advantage in the quarter, Charleroi extended its lead to 57-39 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cam Carter paced the Cougars with 18 points, while Caleb Carson added 14 and Lee Zanardini chipped in with 11.
Chase McAfee led a balanced scoring attack for Carmichaels, whose largest run of the night was a 5-0 run in the third quarter, with 10 points.
Both teams return to section play Friday looking to pick up their first section win. Charleroi returns to Section 4-AAA play at Washington, while Carmichaels hosts California in a Section 2-AA game.