Defense and the shooting of freshman Dave Kwiat lead Neshannock to 56-43 win over Keystone Oaks in WPIAL 3A first round

Kwiat scored 20 points and knocked down five 3-pointers for the Lancers in the win

NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania – Heading into his first postseason game, Neshannock freshman Dave Kwiat wasn’t feeling any nerves and it showed.

The 6-foot-1 guard scored a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers, to help lead the Lancers past Keystone Oaks 56-43 in the first round of the WPIAL 3A playoffs.

Kwiat got started right away, as he knocked down two 3s in the first quarter, with the second one giving the Lancers a 10-2 lead. Kwiat said the game felt just like he expected it would, despite the regular season being over.

“It was exciting and that’s what I expected coming in here,” Kwiat said. “It doesn’t matter if I am a freshman or a senior.”

Once the Lancers got the lead, they never allowed the Golden Eagles to mount a run. In the first quarter, Keystone Oaks scored on the first possession and then didn’t get another field goal until there was 1:50 left in the quarter. And then the Golden Eagles went scoreless for the first 5:15 of the second quarter as Neshannock got out to a 20-9 lead.

“I thought defensively we played well,” Neshannock head coach John Corey said. “We like to pride ourselves on how we guard the basketball. I thought our defensive assignments and our scout against them was good.”

Senior Jack Glies opened the second half with a free throw for the Lancers to give them a 23-13 lead and the Golden Eagles never got it to back within single digits again.

Kwiat led the scoring attack for the Lancers, but he credited his teammates with never losing faith. In him all season.

“It makes it so much easier because my teammates when I miss a shot have all the confidence in me and tell me to keep shooting,” Kwiat said.

Kwiat added a 3-pointer in the second quarter and then another pair of 3s in the third with the last one pushing the lead to 18 at 36-18.

“We have been in Dave’s ear, and he has had a really special freshman season for us,” Corey said. “We are happy with his growth. And when he is able to step up and hit big shots like that, we know we have something special.”

Glies scored 13 for Neshannock, while Luciano DeLillo had eight and Nate Rynd scored five.

While Keystone Oaks was the No. 15 seed in the draw, it wasn’t because of a lack of talent. A number of injuries added up over the past couple of weeks which led the Golden Oaks to lose four in a row, including three conference games, after they had started 6-3 in conference play.

“They are a really good basketball team, and they are very well coached,” Corey said. “They are a handful. I said it all week that there is no way that’s a 15-seed basketball team.”

The Golden Eagles were led by Tukio Watts and Ethan Spivak, who each scored 16 points.

The second-seeded Lancers move on to the quarterfinals, where they will play No. 7 Yough on Thursday, February 23rd.