Brother act has carried Antietam to another district title game
By Sam Cavalieri — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Josh McKoy is listed in the District 3 program as 6-3, an inch taller than his senior teammate, Hector Tiburcio. A midseason growth spurt made him the taller of the two Antietam Mounts. That doesn’t stop Tiburcio from referring to the burgeoning sophomore his “little brother.”
Big brother had game-highs of 16 points and nine rebounds while “little brother” scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and had a game-high five assists in an Antietam 52-38 thrashing of Greenwood in the District 3 Class 2A semifinal Friday at Stony Creek.
The brothers led a balanced Mounts (20-4) attack that generated 11 steals and dominated the glass 33-25. McKoy was impressive with his all-around game. He was engaged defensively, and his offensive presence generated good looks for teammates.
“He went through a stretch where he was shooting a heckuva lot, but making a ton of them,” Antietam coach Mike Green said. “He’s a phenomenal player.
“If he had a little more aggression throughout the course of the game, he could be really special.”
McKoy’s offensive game was varied; it included a 3-pointer along with drives to the basket.
He missed a dunk early in the game but got one later off a Tiburcio outlet pass that put the Hershey Kiss on a win that sent Antietam to the district final and clinched a berth in the PIAA Tournament.
The Mounts secured their 20th win for the first time since 1994.
“(Making the district final) is a big deal for the team,” Tiburcio said. “It is for me, as well. I have been there three out of four years in my basketball career. I have two second-place (medals) at home and I’m ready to bring home the gold.”
The semifinal was never in doubt against the Wildcats (14-10). Antietam led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter despite Tiburcio going an uncharacteristic 0-for-6 from the field. He more than made up for it finishing 7-for-7 the rest of the game, helping Antietam lead by 10 or more the entire second half.
The Mounts have an all-time great and the program’s second-leading scorer in Tiburcio, but their strength is their balance. Carson Lubas and Alejandro Montero each scored an efficient six points and Jovan Hollis had 12 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
“Everyone is willing to do their part just for the bigger picture — the win,” Tiburcio said.
McKoy came into the game averaging over 15 points per game but the way he contributes shows up more than just in the points column. He has taken a big leap from a freshman season that was spent mostly on the junior varsity.
“Last year, I was definitely shaky with the ball,” he said. “I wanted it out of my hands as soon as I touched it. This year I can play cool and play my game and be confident with the ball,” McKoy said.
Antietam will play for a district championship Saturday, March 5. It’ll have a chance to avenge last season’s loss to Lancaster Mennonite in the title game. Tiburcio poured in 29 points in that game and Hollis scored 12; McKoy took just one shot. It will certainly be different this time around.
“Him helping me on offense takes the pressure off of me,” Tiburcio said. “If I’m off, he’s on and if he’s off, I’m on. Him coming up this year is a big help and I am happy to see him play in the future. His future is bright.”
Big brother wasn’t done heaping praise on his teammate, saying he believes with hard work McKoy can play at the Division I level in college.
“It means a lot,” McKoy said. “He knows the best for me and what I have to do and what work I have to put in. I have to listen to him, he’s my bigger brother.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Greenwood | 7 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 38 |
| Antietam | 12 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 52 |
| Wildcats (14-10) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Myers | 3-15 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Wagner | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Corkle | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Wirth | 4-8 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Sherman | 6-15 | 3-7 | 1-6 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| Brinser | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tsuseb | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-47 | 5-11 | 3-17 | 6 | 21/25 | 38 |
| Mounts (20-4) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Lubas | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| McKoy | 4-9 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Hollis | 6-12 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Montero | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Tiburcio | 7-13 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 2 | 9 | 16 |
| Archambault | 1-6 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Williams | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Reyes-Rodriguez | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 24-49 | 2-4 | 2-11 | 12 | 30/33 | 52 |
Turnovers: Greenwood 13, Antietam 12.
