They couldn’t really be called “twin towers,” but at about 6-foot-5 each, State College forwards Tommy Sekunda and Drew Friberg are big enough to cause major headaches for opponents in the paint.
That they also can handle and shoot lights out adds another level of misery for defenses trying to control the Little Lions.
Pick your poison. Put a big man on them and they’ll go outside; a smaller guy will get posted up. There’s little question that matching up against both of them would take some very talented defensive players.
During the Little Lions’ current six-game winning streak, Sekunda and Friberg have been almost like a tag-team. Teams may be able to slow one of them down, but the other is always there to take up the slack.
In State College’s run to take the championship in the Kiwanis Holiday Tournament, for example, it was all Sekunda.
He poured in 30 points in State High’s 80-54 victory in the first round over Shaler (although Friberg was no slouch with 19).
The next night in the championship against Delaware Valley Charter, he added another 25 to lead the Lions to a 63-60 win and the tournament trophy.
“It was really important for us to win that tournament,” Sekunda said. “It was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, and as a team we were really proud to cross it off the list. Whatever I can do to help our team achieve its goals is what I should do.”
Sekunda scoring 55 points in his previous two games was not lost on Cumberland Valley when the Eagles came in to play the Lions on Jan. 3 for a Mid-Penn Colonial contest.
Cumberland Valley was able to sprint out to early leads because of its aggressive defense — and concentration on slowing Sekunda.
But the pressure of playing both Sekunda and Friberg, along with State High’s other quick shooters, began to tell in the second half.
Sekunda scored the first two baskets for the Lions in the third quarter, keeping them within range, and then he and Friberg led State College’s last minute comeback that overtook the Eagles.
“Cumberland Valley is always a great team,” Friberg said. “They jumped on us in the beginning and we had to respond.”
Moving forward, Sekunda said these Little Lions are highly motivated and looking forward to the rest of the Mid-Penn season.
“We’ve won six in a row,” he said, “and we kind of have a chip on our shoulder because we were ranked fourth in the Mid-Penn. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to prove some people wrong. We want to win the Mid-Penn.”
State College travels to Carlisle on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
