LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – After getting outscored by 15 in the first half on Friday, New Kensington men's basketball was unable to clinch a win that was only eight points away. This close contest, against Fayette, will drop New Kensington to 0-6 (conference) and move Fayette to 4-3 (conference).
Connecting 15 of 32 field goals in the opening half, along with seven three-pointers, Fayette gave itself a large advantage over New Kensington's scoring. New Kensington managed to stay one to two possessions behind Fayette, but when midpoint hit, Fayette was too far ahead to catch. All five starters from Fayette contributed numbers during this time to total up its 38 points. Jamison Nee (Natrona Heights, Pa./ Highlands) was the forefront for New Kensington in the half, compiling 14 points. Heading into the break, Fayette was leading 38-23.
The second half was much needed for New Kensington, as it outdid Fayette by seven points. Nee began the scoring with a three-point jump shot, followed by a Jahi Ogbonna (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Allderdice) layup. New Kensington converted 15 of 40 shots, while Fayette connected on 12. Contributing eight of New Kensington's field goals was Ogbonna who led the team with 17 points during the half. After outscoring the host 38-31, New Kensington still fell short after facing that deficit in the first half.
Hitting double digits, Nee led the way for New Kensington with 22 points, while also adding six rebounds. Ogbonna was right there with 21 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Ogbonna also tied with Brian Davidson (Pittsburgh, Pa./ North Catholic) in steals, each taking three. Davidson led in rebounds, eight.
For Fayette, Iman Young produced 21 points, 17 rebounds, and three steals. Dominic Boring tallied up 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Tavian Mozie was the third Fayette player who reached double digits, with 13. Mozie led in assists with seven.
New Kensington returns to play on Jan. 4 as they travel to Point Park for a 3 p.m. contest. Fayette will play next at Penn State Greater Allegheny on Jan. 14.
Written by Janet Surma