Moon had led for the first 30 minutes, but found itself trailing Chartiers Valley with less than a minute remaining. Moon needed plays. Two to be exact.
Austin and Connor Ryan came through. It was Moon’s version of a late twinbill.
The fraternal twins scored Moon’s last two baskets of the game. Connor’s was a driving layup a tick before the final buzzer and gave Moon a thrilling 60-58 victory in a big WPIAL Class 5A Section 2 game.
Connor Ryan was mobbed in the corner of the Moon gym by students after his winning shot, which capped off a terrific 30-point performance by the 5-foot-11 junior guard. His winner let Moon remain one of only three WPIAL teams with an undefeated record. The Tigers, ranked No. 2 in 5A by the Post-Gazette, are 8-0 overall and 1-0 in section.
Chartiers Valley (4-4, 1-1), without a senior on the roster, made a nice comeback, led by junior guard Joe Pipilo’s 24 points. The Colts, ranked No. 4 in 5A, fell behind, 9-0, and trailed by 13 late in the third quarter. Pipilo’s 3-pointer gave the Colts a 54-52 lead with 1:34 left. They had a 57-56 lead and the ball when it was twins time.
Austin and Connor Ryan trapped Pipilo in the backcourt, poked the ball away, and Austin scored a layup with 26 seconds left to put Moon ahead, 58-57.
Chartiers Valley’s Jared Goldstrom then made the front end of a one-and-one with 19 seconds left to tie the contest. Connor Ryan dribbled the ball up the court, ran the clock to the 5-second mark, when he drove off a Brady Sunday screen at the top of the key. Ryan didn’t have much room, but somehow stepped through two defenders, got to the basket and made the layup.
“The guys who were on the wings [for Chartiers Valley] pinched in and I just stepped through,” said Connor Ryan.
Connor Ryan, a starter on Moon’s WPIAL champion last year, is the Tigers’ leading scorer and made 12 of 18 shots in the game. Austin, a 5-9 guard, pitched in 14 points. This is Austin’s first year as a starter.
“It’s special doing this with him because we’ve been through so much together,” said Connor Ryan. “When we were freshmen, we were 7-15. Last year, we won the WPIAL. It’s great doing this with all the guys.”
Moon won a WPIAL title last year, led by 6-7 strongman Jarrod Simmons, who now plays at Penn in the Ivy League.
Moon coach Adam Kaufman felt he had good guards last year, but you didn’t hear much about them because of Simmons’ presence. With the Ryans and junior point guard Jioni Smith, the Tigers have “guarded” optimism this year.
“I think those three are as good as any three guards in 5A,” said Kaufman. “Our problem is size. We’re a little undersized and they’re like their coach. They’re not weightroom guys. … I think you saw what we’re capable of for two-and-a-half quarters in this game. We just didn’t sustain it for whatever reason.”
First Published: January 4, 2018, 3:58 a.m.
