PITTSBURGH – Amon Hawthorne silently repeated the same mantra to himself. The Penn Hills senior guard was tasked with stepping to the free-throw line with .3 seconds remaining in regulation for three shots while trailing by three.
Hawthorne Comes Through in the Clutch
Hawthorne delivered, allowing the Indians to force overtime and upend the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 1A champions Neighborhood Academy 58-57 Saturday during The Challenge at Allderdice.
“I was telling myself I was the only one in the gym,” Hawthorne said. “I’m the only one in the gym. I had to harp on that.”
A Resume Win for Penn Hills
Hawthorne finished with a double-double, tying for a team-high 16 points and pulling down a team-best 15 rebounds. Penn Hills coach Chris Giles said this was a win that he believes will help once the postseason rolls around.
“It was a great resume win for us,” Giles said. “Even though they are Single A, they are probably the favorites to win. They showed up for a great game and they put on a show. They can compete in any class.”
Bulldogs Coach Has Interesting Walk to Car
Neighborhood Academy coach Jordan Marks didn’t have much time to collect his thoughts. While walking to his car following the game, a fan stopped him to give his opinion on how things ended…