NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington men's basketball team lost to Penn State Beaver at home on Monday in a commendable and substantial team endeavor.
It was a game of nonstop scoring in the Athletic Center on Monday night as Penn State New Kensington took off early with an incredible pace of scoring. Beaver proved their worth on the court, though, putting up a formidable defense that rarely left any holes.
New Kensington managed to break through over the course of the half, especially Jovan Kojic (Subotica, Serbia / Canterbury), whose height alone gave New Kensington the advantage they needed in such a tough contest. Meanwhile, Kojic was not alone. Shyheim Flanagan (St. Martinville, La. / Westside) was first to score for the men and the rest of the offense showed off in a phenomenal performance of passing and driving.
When the passing was interrupted, the men took to the hard-nosed drive, accumulating four fouls, while taking six. Twenty minutes moved as quickly as the scoring tempo despite both teams taking advantage of their timeouts.
By the end of the half, New Kensington was encouraged to pick up the pace from their bench. The first period ended in dramatic fashion yet again as Beaver hit a controversial buzzer-beater from the three, New Kensington trailing 37-25. The men's free throws landed at 50%. Scoring leaders included Kojic with seven points, Flanagan and Evan Clarke (Aston, Pa. / Garnet Valley) with five, and Benjamin Cunningham (Woodbridge, Va. / Christ Chapel Academy) with four.
Kojic returned in the lineup at the start of the second, acquiring a terrific steal and subsequent score to start the half. New Kensington kept up the scoring as Kojic added more to his total. He was followed closely by Flanagan and Clarke. Cunningham supported this scoring with points of his own.
While New Kensington increased their work rate on both offense and defense, Beaver was capable of scoring with a much faster turnaround, allowing them to finish on top 80-63. Throughout the game, there were four ties and three lead changes. New Kensington concluded with a free throw percentage of 66.7, 27 rebounds, and 28 of their points coming in the paint. As expected, Jovan Kojic lead the team's scoring with 19 points, Evan Clarke totaled 12, and Benjamin Cunningham finished with 10.
There is no reason to dispute the men's team when they say that all of their players can play offense. Not only are they all great offensive competitors, but they are also great shooters. At Wednesday's practice, the men worked through shooting drills. The mentality of all on the team is "just keep going". Of course, this is easier said than done but the men surely make it look very easy.
Their game plan is very detailed. As they gathered in center court Wednesday they reviewed the course of action for the next day's game. A few bullet points include their opponent's game habits, their best players, their style of play, and their scoring stability. The shooting drills picked up again for five minutes. They moved next to three on two, two on one. In addition to the uniformity of practice, there is never any downtime.
At six foot eight inches tall, sophomore forward Jovan Kojic only averages 22.6 points per game. However, his impact on the team's ability to defend has enhanced their already highly valuable performances. With four and a half rebounds per game and 11 blocks, he is the premier defensive player. His shooting ability is not bad either, with an average field goal percentage of 55.1.
"I think it's mostly about concentration and focus on a game and courage to actually end a game," said Kojic during a February 10 practice. "So teams that are not afraid to have the confidence to actually play the game are those teams that are ice cold."
The term Ice Cold is a good way to describe the overall frame of mind of the men's team. They have played great basketball from the beginning, worked out the issues that prevented them from reaching the next level, and now, as we approach playoff time, they are bringing everything together for good.
"Earlier in the year, we would a lot of times dwell on games because we would think, oh, we're supposed to be here," said Shyheim Flanagan during a February 7 practice. "But as we start to get a lot better we just start putting it behind us and just keep pushing forward. I feel like that's what we have to do. Just get it out of our minds and move on to the next game because it's a long season. We've been playing for a long time."
The long duration of time spent together also brought the team together and allowed for each of the players to understand how the teammates play. Comprehensively, there is a lot to look forward to from the Penn State New Kensington men's basketball team in the coming days as well as a promise for an exciting playoff series.
"The overall message from the staff and everyone from our team is trust the process," said Flanagan. "I've been saying this since I've been here. We are not supposed to be where we are now. But we trust the process . . . it's such a transition from where it used to be . . . now it's a name. So it's trusting the process, our coach says trust the process and trust in everything that he says. And the process will eventually pay off if we just buy into it 100%."
The men will play their final regular-season game on the road at Penn State Shenango on Thursday, February 17, at 7:00 p.m.
Written by Matt Heavner, PSNK Athletics Communications Intern
