By: Jordan Hirsh
January 27, 2023
FAIRLESS HILLS, PA. – It was a great all-around night for the Pennsbury Falcons (12-6) on Thursday, as they knocked off the Truman Tigers (1-15), 59-41. Pennsbury came into this game riding high off of an emotional win over rival Neshaminy on Tuesday, and was looking to carry over the momentum.
“We want to be sharp. That’s what I’m looking for… I want us to adjust to some of the talented athletes that [Truman] has, and that’s our goal” said Falcons’ head coach Wes Emme, pregame.
Pennsbury certainly achieved their goal early on. With just over one minute gone in the second quarter, the Falcons had already exploded to a 21-9 lead, after an excellent sequence by sophomore guard Mike Roccograndi, in which he drilled a three from the corner, and then on the ensuing Truman possession, came up with a steal, and turned it into a fast break layup at the other end.
At halftime, the Falcons held a 28-17 lead. Pennsbury dominated the first half on both sides of the ball. On defense, they forced the Tigers into 9 turnovers, many of which led to easy buckets in transition. They also came up with 4 blocks and were dominating the paint. As for the offense, they were led by Mike Roccograndi who scored 12 of his 13 points prior to the break.
Pennsbury used a balanced scoring attack to pull away in the third. Eight different Falcons found the bottom of the net in the quarter, which concluded with Pennsbury on top 51-31.
As a result of the large lead, the Falcons were able to rest most of their starters in the fourth. This allowed for some of the deep bench and JV players to get some minutes. Players such as Mitch Primola, Kieran Shaw, Grayson Gozum, Sean Faust Jr., and Simon Dlugi all got into the game in the fourth. Perhaps none got the crowd more fired up, however, than Colin Kelliher. Chants of “We want Kell” were raining down throughout the entire game, and when Coach Emme put him in late in the fourth quarter, the place erupted with cheers.
When all was said and done, the Falcons had themselves a 59-41 win, powered by impressive performances up and down the lineup. Most impressive of all, though, was that of Mike Roccograndi. He finished with 13 points 4 rebounds 1 assist and 1 block, and was named co-player of the game along with junior forward Eric David, who provided 4 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.
“My coach always told me to slow it down, play my game, and that’s what I did today” said Roccograndi after the game.
Pennsbury’s next contest is a road matchup with Bensalem on Tuesday, where the Falcons will look to avenge a tough, 49-46 loss at the hands of the Owls earlier this season. As for Truman, their next game is Tuesday as well, as they travel to Neshaminy to take on the Skins.