01/27/22 Photo by Javier Pozo Penn State Altoona’s Andruw Harman goes to the basket over Mount Aloysius’ Mike Harris Thursday, Jan 27 at the Adler Athletic Complex.
Ogoh David – Staff Writer
The Penn State Altoona men’s basketball team came into the new season in blistering form winning their first 9 out of 10 games played overall and first 5 in the conference. This was the best start in the history of the program. Not only starting with an amazing run, but they also won the electric city championship with a 77-58 victory over Cairn University.
“The main goal coming into this season was to win an AMCC championship,” said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. “We knew we had a good team and we felt if we work hard we can take the conference trophy at the end of the year”
Rounding up the year the Lions finished with a 10-2 record overall and a 5-0 record in the conference. They started the new year with a win and then fell short at home 3 times. They were also affected by the pandemic as well as other factors that can disrupt the chemistry and momentum of a team “But that’s just part of the game” said coach McGreal. With the win over rivals, Pitt Bradford on Saturday, January 29, 2022, the lion’s record increased to 15-5 overall and 9-2 in the conference.
Coach McGreal said, “Looking back on the season so far I feel very proud of how we started and how we came out ready to play against a lot of good competitions. Everyone in the team has a common goal and that is to win and that is what has carried us throughout the season. Each and everyone is working together to win.”
01/27/22 Photo by Javier Pozo Penn State Altoona’s Mason Bush has his shot blocked by Mount Aloysius’ Rafael Ibanez Medina Thursday, Jan 27 at the Adler Athletic Complex.
The team is averaging 88 points per game, 31.5 field goals made per game, 31.9 rebounds per game, and 15.5 assists per game overall. In the conference, they are averaging 93.5 points per game, 33.2 field goals made per game, 39.9 rebounds per game, and 15.8 assists per game. Leading the Lions in points per game is Robbie Hicks(Rockledge Fl/Rockledge) with 14.2 overall and 16.2 in the conference. Andrew Harman(Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) is right behind him with 12.8 points per game overall and 13.6 in the conference. Saivon Word(Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) and Varun Ajjarapu(Tampa, FL / Berkeley Prep) also follow behind with 11.1 points per game overall 13.9 in the conference 11.7 points per game overall, and 11.1 in the conference respectively.
The lions look to finish strong just as they started with 5 games to go. They are currently on a 2 game winning streak and hope to extend it to 7 by the end of the season. With the playoffs just right around the corner, the Lions hope to finish on top in the AMCC standings by playing great basketball and winning games. “We will continue to remain focused and play great basketball and hopefully our goal will become reality,” coach McGreal said.
Together Always. We are Penn State