DUBOIS, Pa. – A big first half by Alec Srock and a quick 7-0 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter lifted District 9 runner-up DuBois Central Catholic to a 70-50 win over District 6 third-place finisher Conemaugh Valley in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A boys basketball playoffs Tuesday night at DCC.
“You saw the atmosphere here tonight, 11 years since our last PIAA playoff win,” DCC head coach Dom Varacallo, who knows something about PIAA playoff wins having been a starting guard on the Cardinals 2007 PIAA runner-up team, said. “It’s a great accomplishment for our guys and for our program. It’s another step in the right direction on our ladder to success in our program.”
Srock was unstoppable in the first half recording 20 points and 11 rebounds before halftime to help the Cardinals (19-8) to a 32-19 halftime lead.
“Moving the ball was crucial,” Srock said. “We were able to get quick looks into the paint. Everyone was getting to be part of the offense. That really helped us gain that lead.”
Conemaugh Valley (14-12) adjusted its defense against arguably the best player in District 9 in the second half going to a box-and-1 that limited Srock to seven points. But the senior still finished with a monster double-double of 27 points and 18 rebounds.
“They ran a box-and-1 on me,” Srock said. “Whenever I tried to post up on the block, they would have two guys on me trying to guard up.”
With Srock limited in the scoring department in the second half, DCC turned to Andrew Green in the second half, and Green responded with all 12 of his points after halftime, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“They went box-and-1 on Alec, so it was our time to have some other guys step up and really make plays,” Varacallo said.
Both triples came at opportune times for the Cardinals.
The first one halted a 6-0 spurt by Conemaugh Valley that cut the 13-point halftime lead to five, 40-35, and the second one came nine seconds into the fourth quarter and restored a double-digit lead for DCC, 52-41, after the Blue Jays had closed to within four, 45-41, on an offensive rebound and putback by Noah Graffis with just under a minute left in the third quarter.
“We let them get going a little bit in the third quarter,” Varacallo said Conemaugh Valley’s rally that saw the Blue Jays hit four 3-pointers in the frame. “You saw how capable some of their players are when they get going. But our guys responded.”
Watch Green drill the 3-pointe that made it 43-35 with 1:28 left in the third quarter
Reeling a bit, DCC scored four points in the final 13.1 seconds of the third quarter and then got the big three from Green to start the fourth.
Green started the 7-0 spurt with a jumper and then Jalen Kosko’s layup rolled off his fingertips milliseconds before the horn sounded to end the quarter giving DCC a 49-41 lead going to the fourth.
Kosko beats the third-quarter horn
Conemaugh Valley cut the lead back to single digits twice early in the fourth quarter, the last time at 54-45 with 7:07 to play on a bucket by Zach Malfer.
But the Malfer hoop was the last for the Blue Jays until the 1:59 mark, and DCC went on a 9-0 run with Srock scoring five of the points, to put the game away.
DCC celebrates the win
DCC will take on WPIAL: champion Bishop Canevin, a 73-40 winner over Johnsonburg, the D9 fifth-place team, Friday at a time and place to be announced.
“It’s so great (to extend the season),” Srock said. “As a senior, you always have that worry it’s going to be your last game. But I am so happy we were able to get this win and keep moving on.”
Watch Srock full postgame interview
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 49, ROCHESTER 47
ST. MARYS, Pa. – Adam Straub’s layup with just under two minutes left helped District 9 champion Elk County Catholic escape an upset bid from WPIAL fifth-place finisher Rochester with a 49-47 win in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A boys’ playoffs at ECC.
Straub scored off a feed from Luke Jansen, and then the Crusaders’ defense came up with a late stop when Sal Laure’s inbounds pass to J.D. Azulay was ruled to have gone out of bounds off Azulay with ECC’s Charlie Breindel defending with 3.3 seconds to play.
Watch the turnover courtesy of Jeff Uveino’s Twitter account. Uveino is a sports reporter for the Bradford Era.
FINAL | Elk County Catholic 49, Rochester 47
Crusaders get the call on this deflection. They successfully inbounded afterward to hold on. pic.twitter.com/ndU2ZtF3iO
— Jeff Uveino (@realjuveino) March 9, 2022
ECC (23-5) led 26-25 at halftime and started the second half with a 10-2 run to go ahead 36-27 before Rochester (9-13) used the long ball to close within three, 36-33.
Jordan Wasko nailed a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to push the Crusaders lead to six, 39-33, but Rochester went on a 14-8 run to tie the game up at 47.
Wasko, only a sophomore, hit three 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 13 points for ECC.
Michael Jacobs added 12 for the Crusaders, Breindel notched 10, and Jansen eight. Five of Jacobs’ points came in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
Azulay hit six 3-pointers, including a pair in the fourth quarter when he scored eight points, to lead all scorers with 20 points for Rochester.
Laure chipped in 14 points for the Rams.
ECC will take on District 10 champion Farrell, Friday, March 11, at a time and place to be announced. Farrell defeated WPIAL third-place finisher Geibel Catholic, 67-55.
GATEWAY 58, DUBOIS 32
DUBOIS, Pa. – A strong third quarter and defense helped the fourth-place team out of the WPIAL, Gateway, get a 58-32 road victory over DuBois in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A boys’ playoffs.
Leading 29-22 at the half, the Gators (16-6) went on a 12-0 run to go up 41-22 before the Beavers (17-7) got their first field goal of the second half.
The Gateway defense held DuBois to only three field goals the rest of the game and 10 total points.
“They’re extremely deep,” DuBois head coach Dave Bennett said. “I think once their depth came into play, they came with relentless pressure and we wore down.”
Despite a slow second half, DuBois started strong knocking down three 3-pointers in a row to build a 9-2 lead.
Gateway responded, going on a 9-0 run to take an 11-9 lead.
Another 3-pointer from Al Pasternak helped the Beavers reclaim a 12-11 lead and a pair of field-goals from Chooch Husted and Ryan Kovalyak saw DuBois lead 16-14 at the end of one.
“I thought we got good shots early,” Bennett said. “I thought we executed what we had initially planned.”
The second quarter was a different story.
Failure to beat the press and turnovers hurt as Gateway outscored the Beavers, 15-6 in the quarter.
“In the first half, out of their 29 points, 17 were off of live-ball turnovers,” Bennett said. “That was one of our main focuses. Ultimately it was what we gave up in the first half and that’s what got them going.”
The Gators’ offense was led by Ryan Greggerson who scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half.
Jaydon Carr shared game-high honors scoring 14 points also with 10 of the 14 coming in the first half. MJ Stevenson and Will Kromka each chipped in nine tallies.
The Beavers’ offense was paced by Joey Foradora, who hit three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points. Pasternak finished with six points, both 3-pointers and Kovalyak added four points.
“This group of seniors has been incredible,” Bennett said. “This shows what coachability and complete unselfishness can accomplish. This group never cared who scored the points, they’re a tight-knit group, super unselfish and I think that elevated us even beyond what our talent level was. They’re a phenomenal group that will be sorely missed.”
Gateway moves into the second round where it will take on Hershey, the third-place team out of District 6. Hershey beat WPIAL sixth-place finisher Shaler, 71-45.
WILLIAMSBURG 53, OTTO-ELDRED 44
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. – Leading by four to start the fourth quarter, District 6 runner-up Williamsburg went on a 9-4 run on its way to a 53-44 win over District 9 third-place finisher Otto-Eldred in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A boys’ playoffs at Hollidaysburg High School.
The Blue Pirates (22-5) led 28-24 at the end of 24 minutes after breaking a 19-all halftime tie before the run to start the fourth quarter gave them a 37-29 lead with four minutes to play.
Still down seven, 43-36, with two minutes left Otto-Eldred (22-4) rallied with a quick 5-0 spurt to close the gap to four, 45-41, with 1:09 to play but couldn’t get any closer.
Freshman Landon Francis played a big role in the Terrors’ comeback scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Shene Thomas, another freshman, added 12 points for Otto-Eldred with senior Gavin Jimerson chipping in with eight points.
Lambert Palmer scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for Williamsburg and scored all but four of his points after halftime.
Zach Kagarise added 18 points for the Blue Pirates, including eight in the fourth quarter.
Williamsburg will meet WPIAL fourth-place finisher Imani Christian, a 79-70 winner over District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley, in the second round Friday at a time and place to be announced.
BISHOP CANEVIN 73, JOHNSONBURG 40
PITTSBURGH – WPIAL champion Bishop Canevin proved to be too much for District 9 fifth-place finishers Johnsonburg rolling past the visiting Rams, 73-40, in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A boys’ tournament.
The Crusaders (21-4) led 37-11 at the end of the first quarter with Kai Spears scoring nine points in the opening eight minutes and Kevaughn Price, Jaden Gales, and RJ Sledge each adding six points.
It was 54-21 by halftime meaning the entire second half was played with a running clock under the PIAA Mercy Rule.
Spears led Bishop Canevin with 14 points, all in the first half, with Sledge, Gales, and Price all adding eight. Amari Evans chipped in nine points, and Mark Ingold also scored eight points, all in the second half.
Jefferson Freeburg led Johnsonburg (13-14) with 14 points with Aaron Myers scoring 10 and Luke Zimmerman eight. The Rams were without Isaiah Jackson for the game.
Bishop Canevein will take on District 9 runner-up DuBois Central Catholic, a 70-50 winner over District 6 third-place finishers Conemaugh Valley, in the second round Friday at a time and place to be announced.
BISHOP CARROLL 57, NORTH CLARION 19
EBENSBURG, Pa. – Holding District 9 fourth-place finisher North Clarion to a season-low 19 points, District 6 champion Bishop Carroll picked up an easy 57-19 win over the visiting Wolves in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A boys playoffs.
The Huskies led 22-6 at the end of a quarter and 34-10 at halftime.
Luke Repko led Bishop Carroll (17-9), who lost at Clarion in the opening round of last year’s champions-only PIAA Tournament, with 13 points. Spencer Myers added 12 and Evan Amigh 10.
Collin Schmader paced North Clarion (16-11) with eight points with Josh Daum adding four and Aiden Hartle there, on a first-quarter 3-pointer.
Bishop Carroll will face WPIAL runner-up Union (New Castle) in the second round Friday at a time and place to be announced. Union (New Castle) beat District 5 runner-up Southern Fulton, 57-25.
