CLARION, Pa. – Down nine with just under eight-and-half minutes to play, Elk County Catholic went on a game-ending 26-2 run to beat Union, 50-35, in the District 9 Class 1A title game at PennWest Clarion’s Tippin Gym.
It is the second straight title for the Crusaders (25-2), the 28th in school history, and the 25th under 41st-year head coach Aaron Straub.
“We beat a good team,” Aaron Straub said. “When you look at that team, they beat the third seed and the second seed. I am really proud of the kids. It was a good win.”
Union (14-12), the sixth seed, looked like the Cinderella slippery was going to be magical when it took a 33-24 lead when Dawson Camper made the first of a two-shot free-throw situation with 4:23 to go in the third quarter.
But the Golden Knights scored just two more points the rest of the game – on a Skyle Roxbury basket with 5:20 to play.
Meanwhile, ECC ended the third quarter on a 13-0 run to take its first lead since 4-3.
Michael Jacobs gave the Crusaders the lead for good, 35-33, with a basket with 1:08 left in the third quarter, and Wil Wortman hit two free throws with 10 seconds left in the quarter to put ECC up 37-33.
Jordan Wasko, playing with a knee brace in only his second game since hurting the knee vs. Brookville, then started the third quarter with a 3-pointer, and Lance O’Neill followed with a bucket to give ECC a 42-33 lead 2:15 into the fourth quarter.
Union used a 15-2 first-quarter run to take an 18-6 lead late in the quarter.
“We really had a poor defensive game plan,” Aaron Straub said. “The way we played their screens, they really exploited us. It was just little things like that early.”
Zander Laughlin paced the run with 10 first-quarter points.
The Golden Knights still led by 12, 26-14, on a Laughlin bucket with 3:24 left in the second quarter before ECC ended the half on an 8-2 run to get within six, 28-22, at halftime.
Union, though, started the second half with a 5-2 spurt to get the lead back to nine on the Camper free throw.
Wasko, though, got the ECC game-ending run started with a 3-pointer with 3:10 left, and Adam Straub followed with an offensive rebound to make it 33-29.
“Fortunately, we were able to keep enough contact to realize that we still had a chance,” Aaron Straub said.
Wortman and Straub led ECC with 12 points each with Jacobs and Wasko each adding eight points.
“You can not, not be happy for Jordan,” Aaron Straub said. “It’s amazing. When he left the Brookville floor, we were thinking not this year. We were hoping he could get right for next year. To He’s had a lot of treatments and really good care. He has had a lot of prayers. That is for sure. He never stopped believing that he was going to be back.”
Johnston had a game-high 15 points for Union with Laughlin scoring 10.
Both teams advance to the PIAA playoffs and will host opening-round games Friday, March 10.
ECC will take on The Neighborhood Academy, the fifth-place finisher out of the WPIAL, while Union will play Turkeyfoot Valley, the third-place finisher out of District 5.
