Knoch beat West Mifflin by a score of 56-23 in a first-round playoff matchup at home.
On paper this was an interesting game. Knoch is one of the biggest teams in the WPIAL and West Mifflin is full of quick guards. The West Mifflin guards were wreaking havoc early in the first quarter.
They were flying around defensively and just muddying things up as Knoch tried to advance the ball.
West Mifflin jumped out to an 8-1 lead that they took through the halfway point of the first quarter. Both teams really struggled early on in this one, but as the quarter went on, Knoch began to settle down and find their footing. Jackson Bauman scored the 5 of their first 6 points en route to what would be a huge night for him. After 1, West Mifflin was clinging to a 9-7 lead.
Jackson Bauman came out firing in the second quarter as Knoch took a 10-9 lead after he sunk the free throw to complete the and-1. Knoch wouldn't surrender that lead the rest of the night. Jackson Bauman put the team on his shoulders in the second quarter. He hit multiple threes, made multiple and-1s and simply couldn't be stopped.
During a timeout late in the second quarter, the score was 22-16 in favor of Knoch. Bauman had 18. He finished the half with 20 and after a 3 to end the half, Knoch was up 27-19.
I spoke with Knoch Head Coach, Alan Bauman, after the game and asked him what changed after that first quarter. “We just came out a little tight, but we worked through it,” Bauman said. “We relied on our defense to keep us in it and then we finally started hitting shots.”
The second half began with West Mifflin picking up 2 fouls in the first 30 seconds and 3 in the first minute and a half. They had 3 guys on the floor with 3 fouls and one on the bench with 4 early in the third quarter. At one point the foul count in the third was 5 for West Mifflin and 0 for Knoch.
Knoch hit back to back 3s late in the third and the lead ballooned to 19. West Mifflin just had no answers on either end of the floor at this point as Knoch took a 20-point lead into the final quarter.
Bauman put the finishing touches on a phenomenal performance, adding 6 more points in the fourth quarter and bringing his total to a game high 30.
I spoke to him about how he was able to take over the game and propel his team to victory. “I just knew we needed a spark, and I gave it,” Bauman said. “West Mifflin came out and punched us in the mouth, but I was just happy that I was our spark tonight and it ended up being a win for us.”
His father and head coach, Alan Bauman, sung his praises as well saying, “I’m proud of my son. He stepped up for us when we were struggling. That’s what leaders do, and I’m very proud of him.”
After trailing 8-1 in the first quarter, Knoch effectively went on a 55-15 run to end the game, as the Knights went on to win 56-23.
Knoch advances to the second round, where they'll face off against the WPIAL’s leading scorer in Rowan Carmichael. That game will take place next Wednesday at Avonworth.