Kehler on Hoops: CEDAR CLIFF DEFEATS LOWER DAUPHIN 57-52

Written by: Dell Jackson on January 8, 2022

CEDAR CLIFF DEFEATS LOWER DAUPHIN 57-52

After building a 14 point second quarter lead, Cedar Cliff had to repel a sustained second half surge by visiting Lower Dauphin on Friday night to hold on for a 57-52 victory in a game in which momentum shifted from one team to the other.

Both teams opened the game in man-to-man defenses, with Lower Dauphin collapsing inside whenever Cedar Cliff’s Tyler Houser, a 6′ 9″ senior got the ball in the lane. Cedar Cliff committed three turnovers in the first 3:30 of the game, enabling Lower Dauphin to keep it close. A 6-6 tie was broken on a drive by 6′ Cedar Cliff senior Trenten Smith, which launched a 15-1 run by the Colts that extended into the second quarter. The run included a 3-pointer apiece by 5′ 10″ Cedar Cliff senior Charlie Werner and by Houser. Almost never does a high school team surrender a run like that and come back to win, but gritty Lower Dauphin got back in the game.

At the outset of the game, Lower Dauphin’s offense seemed to be focused on shooting from behind the arc. Cedar Cliff’s relentless defensive pressure clearly bothered Lower Dauphin in the second quarter, but the visitors made a couple of field goals late in the second quarter and trailed 28-20 at halftime. Those two Lower Dauphin hoops were the opening salvos in a 15-3 run that extended into the third quarter

Lower Dauphin switched offensive tactics in the second half, and they began to attack from inside the lane with real success. Early in the third quarter, a jumper by 6′ Lower Dauphin senior Braden Landis cut Cedar Cliff’s lead to 28-25. The momentum had clearly swung in Lower Dauphin’s direction, and Cedar Cliff briefly switched to a zone defense. That didn’t stem the tide, and Lower Dauphin grabbed a defensive rebound and beat the zone down the floor and tied the game at 31. Cedar Cliff wisely called a time out, and, when play resumed, Lower Dauphin briefly took the lead. Cedar Cliff retook the lead for good at 36-34 on a hoop by Houser in the latter stages of the third quarter. From that point, every time that Cedar Cliff would pull away a bit, Lower Dauphin would reel them back in. Notable in this regard was the outside shooting of 5′ 10″ Lower Dauphin senior Cody Rosati, who sank a 3 pointer with 29 seconds left to cut Cedar Cliff’s lead to 55-52. Seventeen seconds later, with the score unchanged, Lower Dauphin had the ball, but they committed a turnover, sealing the win for Cedar Cliff.

These well coached and unselfish teams showed a lot of structure on both offense and defense. Lower Dauphin was particularly impressive in drawing charging fouls, and Cedar Cliff, which had committed 10 turnovers in the first half, had just three miscues after the break. Lower Dauphin was outstanding in mounting a comeback after getting hammered earlier in the game, and unbeaten Cedar Cliff was effective down the stretch.

Cedar Cliff’s Houser, a Virginia Military Institute recruit and one of the top players in the Mid Penn Conference, showed his versatility in scoring from outside and attacking the hoop from close range. His teammates 6′ 2″ sophomore Sam Grube and senior Mike Armanini both scored at critical junctures. For Lower Dauphin, Landis and Rosati were repeatedly clutch.

Lower Dauphin had a 28 to 26 edge on the boards. Cedar Cliff committed 13 turnovers, and Lower Dauphin had just five. Cedar Cliff was 12 of 16 from the stripe, and Lower Dauphin was 6 of 10. Cedar Cliff made eight 3 pointers, and Lower Dauphin made seven.

Lower Dauphin 7 13 19 13-52
Cedar Cliff 11 17 15 14-57

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