SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – It’s been 50 years in the making for the Oil City, as the No. 6 seed Oilers clinched their first trip to the PIAA playoffs since 1972 with a 57-48 victory over No. 2 Grove City in the D10 Class 4A semifinals.
Judias Johnson and Cam VanWormer both came up huge for the Oilers, scoring 22 and 19 points respectively as the Oilers punched their ticket to state for the first time in half a century.
“It’s great for the community and great for these kids,” Fulmer said. “At the beginning of the year, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure where we were going to be. These kids have grown and come together and play hard. We ask them to play hard every night and they do. And they all contribute.”
The Oilers overwhelmed the Eagles early, jumping out to a 16-5 lead after the first quarter and a 27-8 advantage after a Sayyid Donald layup midway through the second.
And every time Grove City tried to make a run, Oil City had an answer.
Johnson and VanWormer were a huge reason why, as the duo combined to go 12-of-14 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.
They talked about the win afterward:
Grove City put itself in position for a potential second-half comeback with a 9-2 run to close the half on threes from Brett Loughry and Landon Haggart and then a Gavin Lutz banked in three just before the buzzer to make it 29-18 at halftime.
Oil City came out and scored the first five points of the second half, however on a Connor Highfield layup and a three from VanWormer.
“We needed to be able to handle their pressure,” Fulmer said. “We’ve been working on that, making sure we can handle that. We knew with Judias, he’s strong inside and we tried to get him the ball and hit the open shots when they were there.”
The Eagles just couldn’t get past the eight-point deficit in the second half. They cut it to that margin for the final time on a Dylan Stull three with 20 seconds to play.
Lutz had 14 points and Stull 11 to pace GC, which will meet Hickory in the third-place game on Friday for a spot in the state tournament. The two teams split in the regular season.
For Oil City, it’s on to top-seed Fairview in the title game on Friday. The two split during the regular season as well, with Oil City handing the Tigers their only Region 5 loss on Jan. 21 (35-30), with Tigers returning the favor in a big way, 67-31 on Feb. 15.
“We have to play our game,” Fulmer said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’ve seen them, we know what they have and we know what to expect against them.
(1) FAIRVIEW 61, (4) HICKORY 44
ERIE, Pa. – There will be a new District 10 champion in Class 4A this season, as top seed Fairview knocked off No. 4 and three-time defending champion Hickory, 61-44.
The Tigers led virtually from start to finish, leading 16-9 after the first quarter and taking that same seven-point margin into halftime.
James Sitter led the way with 19 points as the lead swelled to 49-34 after three quarters.
Logan and Jeremy Frazao scored 12 points each for the Tigers, who assured themselves of a trip to the PIAA playoffs with the win (District 10 takes three teams from Class 4A).
Jackson Pryts turned in a gutty effort for Hickory, pouring in 18 points, while Tyson Djakovich and Tyler Mele added nine apiece.
CLASS 2A SEMIFINALS
(2) ROCKY GROVE 53, (6) WEST MIDDLESEX 50
MEADVILLE, Pa. – In a back-and-forth thriller, it was Rocky Grove that outlasted West Middlesex, 53-50 to advance to the Class 2A title game.
The Big Reds trailed late, 51-50, and had a chance to take the lead, but Gio Rococi’s shot was off the mark and they were forced to foul Isaac Clayton, who drilled both free throws with under five seconds to play.
That came on the heels of the Big Reds’ Tanner Shick getting them within one, 51-50 on a three-pointer with a minute to play.
Clayton led the Orioles with 18 points, while Quinn Ritchey netted 12, Reece Henderson eight, and D’Andre Whitman six.
Richie Preston had another big game for West Middlesex, pouring in 20 points, while Luke Mild had 17 and Shick 13.
With the win, the Orioles advance to play top seed Kennedy Catholic for the title, while West Middlesex will take on Cambridge Springs in the consolation game. All four teams have already punched their ticket to the state playoffs.
(1) KENNEDY CATHOLIC 73, (4) CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS 53
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Kennedy Catholic broke open a two-point halftime lead with a 25-8 third-quarter run to earn a 73-53 win over Cambridge Springs and advance to the D10 title game.
Elijah Harden led the charge, scoring 13 of his game-high 24 points during the third quarter.
Harden was one of four Golden Eagles in double figures, as Malik Lampkins-Rudolph finished with 15, Gio Magestro 14, and Remington Hart 12.
Harden and Magestro drained four triples each.
Parker Schmidt, who scored 21 points in a quarterfinal win over Eisenhower, led Cambridge Springs with 13 points, while Nathan Held and Josh Reisenauer added 12 each.
CLASS 5A SUBREGIONAL
BRASHEAR 71, GENERAL MCLANE 60
PITTSBURGH – The D10 champion General McLane Lancers saw their season come to an end at the hands of Brasher, 71-60 in subregional action.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 10-point lead, 22-12 after the first quarter.
Titus Gillet led the Bulls with 26 points, while Kameron Cheatom had 17.
Danny Bruce led three GM players in double figures with 16 points, while Logan Anderson added 12 and Owen Martin 11.
CLASS 6A SUBREGIONAL
ALLDERDICE 64, MCDOWELL 43
PITTSBURGH – Logan Golle and Michael Quigley scored 17 points each as Allderdice ended D10 champ McDowell’s season, 64-43.
It was the second win this season for the Dragons over the Trojans.
Allderdice, which also got 12 points from Major Raivey, built a 12-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
Stephon Porter led McDowell with 10 points.
