Marinchak sparks No. 2 Ligonier Valley boys to quarterfinal win

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 | 9:33 PM

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Michael Marinchak is similar to the Energizer bunny. Once he gets started, he's hard to slow down.

Penns Valley found that out Wednesday during a District 6 Class 3A quarterfinal game at Ligonier Valley.

Ligonier Valley, the No. 2 seed, won its 14th consecutive game and clinched a berth in the PIAA playoffs with a 57-33 victory. The Rams (19-5) will play Mt. Union (14-9) on Monday at a time and site to be determined.

The Rams were clinging to a 12-11 lead midway through the second quarter when Marinchak zipped a pass to Jackson Daugherty for a layup and one.

The sophomore guard then scored the Rams' next two baskets to spark an 11-0 run and push Ligonier Valley's lead to 23-11 by halftime.

Marinchak scored eight points in the second quarter, added 10 more in the third quarter and finished with 20 points, six assists and five steals.

Marrek Paola, who scored three points in the first half, finished with 20 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, and added 13 rebounds.

“Michael has basketball smarts,” Ligonier Valley coach Todd Hepner said. “He can take a game over. He played smart, hard, and he got his teammates to play together. When that happens, we're tough to beat.”

In the third quarter, Ligonier Valley had opened up a 27-14 lead when Marinchak went on another run, scoring 10 of his team's final 11 points of the quarter as the Rams took a commanding 38-20 lead.

Logan Snyder scored 12 points for Penns Valley (11-2).

“Their point guard is a fabulous player,” Penns Valley coach Terry Glunt said. “They're an athletic team, and we had to play well to stay with them; we didn't play well at all. They didn't allow us to play our patient game.”

Hepner said the reason for that was how well his team played defensively.

“We held them to 11 points in the first half, and we contested their shots,” Hepner said. “They play an opposite game than us. We like to get up and down the court.

“We had to get off to a quick start and not allow them to control the pace of the game. Not many teams score in the 50s against them.”

Ligonier Valley opened the game on a 7-0 run as Daugherty hit a 3-pointer and a layup and Marinchak hit a floater. Daugherty finished with 10 points.

But Penns Valley, which had to endure a two-and-hour bus ride from beyond State College, closed the gap to 9-7 after a quarter. It stayed close early in the second quarter before Marinchak took over.

“When Michael plays under control, he can create plays,” Hepner said.

He's also a big reason why Ligonier Valley is advancing to the next round.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Ligonier Valley