CENTER TWP. -- Michael Sims admits he is a fan of Richard Sherman, the loquacious cornerback of the Seattle Seahawks who gained fame this week with his nationally televised sideline diatribe after the NFC Championship game.
In fact, Sims did his best Sherman imitation, albeit on the basketball court, Tuesday night when Central Valley met Ambridge in a Section 2-AAA showdown. Over the course of the game�s 32 minutes, Sims talked a lot -- his main target being Ambridge star Stephon McGinnis -- and, like Sherman, he backed it up with his play, scoring 14 points and adding seven assists in Central Valley�s 71-59 victory.
Central Valley improved to 14-1, 8-0 in the section. Ambridge fell to 11-5, 4-3.
Sims said verbal shots aren�t typically part of his arsenal.
Central Valley coach Brandon Ambrose insisted the verbal jousting was pretty innocuous.
Ambridge opened the second quarter with a 12-5 run to take a 22-21 lead before Sims connected on a long-range 3-pointer to stop the rally and spark Central Valley to a 27-26 halftime lead. After Ambridge regained the lead at 32-29 early in the third quarter, Central Valley again answered, taking the lead for good with an 18-5 run. Sims and Brian Kolich combined for 10 points in the rally.
Sims and Jacob St. George then combined to score 17 of Central Valley�s 24 fourth-quarter points, including making 9 of 11 free throws in the final two minutes.
Central Valley�s bench was important after starters Tony Gates and Matt Kline got into early foul trouble. Kolich, Chris Anastas, B.J. Powell and Dante Lucci outscored Ambridge�s bench 14-1 and made several key plays, the biggest being by Kolich, who stepped off the bench in the third quarter and promptly drained a 3-pointer that sparked Central Valley�s rally.
St. George led Central Valley with 24 points. Matt Kline added 11 points, eight rebounds and blocked four shots. Ambridge was led by McGinnis with 21 and David Carter with 20.