Schuylkill Valley storms back to beat Conrad Weiser

Schuylkill Valley scored 50 second-half points to overcome a sluggish start and beat Conrad Weiser 75-68 Monday in a wild non-league game at Robesonia.

The Panthers (3-1) trailed by as many as 21 points early in the second half before a huge finish which saw them go to the foul 22 times in the fourth quarter and score 29 points.

“Our game plan was to attack the basket, and we kept getting to the line,” said Panthers coach Taylor Grim.

Mark Rajnath scored a team-high 26 points for Schuylkill Valley, including 13 in the final quarter when he hit 6-of-8 from the foul line.

Conrad Weiser’s Donovan Gingrich scored a game- and career-high 30 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers. He had 20 points at the half as the Scouts (1-2) led 42-25.

“He got hot right off the bat,” Grim said of Gingrich. “It was just catch, release. He kept drilling one after another.”

Gingrich, a sophomore who had never topped 19 points in a game, had 29 points after three quarters.

The Panthers, pressing throughout, finally mounted a comeback in the third quarter and whittled the lead under 10 with six minutes left.

Most of their baskets during the comeback, Grim said, came off forced turnovers.

“We were on a roll,” Grim said. “The kids could feel it. They knew we had ’em on the ropes.”

Evan Miller and Gavin Rapp fouled out for Conrad Weiser and Gingrich finished with four fouls.

Cooper Hohendal scored 16 points and Elijah Houser 13 for Schuylkill Valley. Brady McKee had 10 points and Rapp 10 for Weiser.

The Panthers trailed by 19 points at the half in their last game, Friday at Blue Mountain. They scored 28 fourth-quarter points and had a 3-point look at the buzzer but it didn’t drop and they lost 65-62.

Gingrich’s seven 3-pointers are tied for second-most in program history. John Richardson set the record with 10 in a game against Gov. Mifflin during the 1997-98 season.

The Panthers went to the foul line just twice over the first three quarters.