It's Time

Moon Area basketball player, Donovan Johnson, tries to score a basket against McKessport.

Source: Moon Basketball- @MoonHoops

For the past two WPIAL basketball seasons, Moon Area basketball player, Donovan Johnson, was so close to winning a WPIAL Basketball championship. For those two seasons, Donovan was playing for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (O.L.S.H) at the time. Put yourself in Donovan Johnson's situation, imagine losing to Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL 2A Boys Basketball championship for two straight years in a row while you are simply carrying your team. That has to be sickening.

Back in July, The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette wrote an article about Johnson transferring to Moon and Donovan's father talked about the move by saying, “This [transfer to Moon] had nothing to do with basketball,” said Gil Johnson, Donovan’s father. “The reasons are financially, socially, bigger class size at Moon and other reasons. He wants to be with kids that live in his community, too.”

Donovan Johnson transferring to Moon has been such a big move for the Moon Area Boys Basketball team. As of right now, Moon's section record is 3-0 and their overall record is 7-0. With Johnson in Moon's lineup, the team seems to have gotten better when it comes to defending the ball, posting rebounds and better screening the opponent players. It seems to be magnificent how a player like Johnson can change the attitude and the way his teammates play.

While Johnson is looking to win his first WPIAL Basketball championship, some of his other teammates are trying to get another WPIAL ring before they graduate. Austin Ryan, Connor Ryan, Jioni Smith, Devontae Humphries, Taru Jones, Tre Carter and Brady Sunday were on the 2016-17 Moon Area Boys basketball team. It was the season where Jarrod Simmons came back to Moon in his senior season and helped Moon defeat Hampton 69-62 in the WPIAL 5A Boys Basketball championship game. Austin Ryan and the rest of his senior teammates that were on that 16-17 team are trying to win one more WPIAL ring together before they graduate and they know if they want that second ring they have to get the job done, this season. It's time.

Moon was already a good basketball team before Johnson joined the team; but, the fact that he is on the roster now makes this team so much better. It turns out that O.L.S.H does not miss Johnson that much as of right now, their section record is 3-0 and their overall record is 6-0. Tyler Bradley, Dante Spadafora and Daren Dimichele must being doing a lot of work with Johnson not there anymore.

I wrote an article about Johnson transferring to Moon in the summer, and I said this one sentence in my article and I am going to say it again because of how true it is. "I am actually amazed that for the second time in three years that once again another player is falling out of the sky and landing right into the hands of Adam Kaufman." Kaufman had a star player in Jarrod Simmons come from a boarding school to help him win a WPIAL championship and Johnson came from a private Catholic high school as he is trying to help win Kaufman another WPIAL championship. What is funny about Johnson and Simmons is that they both attended Moon before high school and they both moved out of the district before their freshman year of high school. What is also funny about both of them is that they both came back to Moon in their high school careers.

Moon has had some impressive wins over Aliquippa, McKeesport, West Allegheny, and South Fayette. Their next game will be at home against Beaver Area on December 28th and their next section game will be on the road on January 8th 2019 against Chartiers Valley. This is the best chance for Donovan Johnson to help win a WPIAL championship for Moon because of all the talent that is around him for this season.