Berlin Brothersvalley clobbers Conemaugh Valley to begin PIAA 1A basketball playoffs
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP — Berlin Brothersvalley left no doubt as to why it is once again a PIAA Class 1A title contender after its first-round drubbing of Conemaugh Valley on Friday at the Pitt-Johnstown Sports Center.
The Mountaineers dominated in every facet of the game and cruised to an 81-53 victory.
"I'm happy with the intensity we came out with," said Berlin coach Tanner Prosser. "We were able to create a couple turnovers early, got out in transition and knocked down a couple shots down. Our defense was pretty solid.
"We were able to get the game going up and down. I thought we did a nice job of attacking the rim and getting some threes off of that."
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Senior Pace Prosser delivered a game-high 27 points in less than three full quarters of work, including a monster dunk in the first quarter.
Berlin (25-2) held a 32-13 lead after one. The Mountaineers had their way with the Blue Jays because of their speed and ability to turn defense into offense in a hurry.
"We want to play as fast as possible, get up and pressure the ball," Pace Prosser said. "It starts on defense, turning that defense into offense. When we're able to get up and be high intensity on defense, it usually leads to good things on offense."
It was more of the same in the second for the District 5 champs. Berlin went on an 8-0 spurt, including six points by senior Craig Jarvis to take a 45-16 advantage over the District 6 No. 3 seed. Jarvis finished with 21 points.
Prosser and Jarvis are the two most experienced Mountaineers. The all-state duo set the tone once again.
"We came out with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy on the defensive end," Jarvis said. "We let that intensity on the defensive end lead straight to offense, getting transition buckets."
Berlin led 57-27 at the half.
The Mountaineers continued to control the game in the third. Junior first-year starters Mac Foor and Haydon Hutzell contributed 15 and nine points, respectively, for Berlin.
Coach Prosser played a lot of athletes throughout the second half. Berlin held a 72-41 advantage through three quarters. It's a treat for Pace Prosser and his teammates to watch all of the bench players be a part of a state playoff game.
"It's awesome to see everybody get involved," Pace Prosser said. "The end of the game, I'm sitting down at the end of the bench cheering on the younger guys. It's cool to get them in the game and have an experience like this."
Senior Landon Percinsky tallied 24 points for Conemaugh Valley, which finished 20-6. Jeremy Deitz and Jaylen Henry each netted 10 points.
Berlin will take on District 3 No. 4 seed Lancaster County Christian, a 53-51 winner over Bucktail, in the second round at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Cumberland Valley High School.
Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X (Twitter) @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin Brothersvalley boys advance in PIAA 1A basketball playoffs
