CLARION, Pa. – District 9 Class 1A boys’ basketball teams went 2-2 Friday night with Elk County Catholic and Johnsonburg winning and Otto-Eldred and North Clarion losing.
(Cover photo of ECC’s Ryan Newton. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
Here are brief recaps of those games.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 52, EDEN CHRISTIAN 41
CLARION, Pa. – Going into the PIAA playoffs, the talk among some Elk County Catholic faithful was if the Crusaders could find a way to upset Kennedy Catholic in the quarterfinals.
For three quarters Friday night at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym, it didn’t look like the unbeaten District 9 champions would even be able to knock off Eden Christian, the fifth-place finisher out of the WPIAL.
Following a third-quarter-ending 6-0 run, the Warriors (12-11) were on upset alert with a 39-36 lead.
But ECC (27-0) turned it into high gear in the fourth quarter blitzing Eden Christian 16-2 in the quarter to gain a 52-41 victory. The Crusaders hit 5 of 8 fourth-quarter shots after going 12 of 36 from the field through the first three quarters. ECC finished the game 17 of 44 (38.6 percent) from the floor
Ryan Newton, who had a big game with 17 points and 10 rebounds, led the way for the Crusaders in the fourth scoring seven points in the first 3:39 of the quarter to turn the three-point deficit into a six-point lead, 45-39, with 4:21 to play.
His two free throws following an offensive rebound with 6:48 left got the Crusaders within a point, 39-38, and then, following a Nate DaCanal steal and basket that put ECC in the lead for good with 6:33 to go, Newton nailed a 3-pointer, one of three he hit in the game,t to push the advantage to four, 43-39, with 5:10 left in regulation.
Following Newton’s basket at the 4:21 mark, he stole the ball and went in for a layup that he missed, but Jared Braun was there to clean the glass. Braun’s putback pushed the lead to 47-39.
Eden Christian’s last gasp came following a Seth Delposen basket with 3:27 to go that make it 47-41, but Braun followed with a basket at 3:07, and ECC didn’t allow another point the rest of the way.
The Warriors started strong and led 14-6 after a pair of free throws by Drew Aiken with 1:44 to go in the first quarter.
But ECC answered with a 5-0 run to end the quarter with Newton getting a putback that he turned into an old-school 3-point play late in the quarter to close the gap to 14-11.
The Crusaders then took their first lead since 6-5 when Newton drilled a 3-pointer 2:23 into the second quarter to make it 18-16, and the lead grew to six, 29-23, after Gabe Kraus, who added 15 points while hitting four 3-pointers, hit a pair of threes and Newton hit one.
But Eden Christian finished the half strong including a 3-pointer by Chase Haring who released the ball just after he crossed center court and just before the horn to bring the Warriors within one, 29-28, at halftime.
ECC pushed the lead to five, 33-28, with some free throws in the third quarter and led 36-33 following a Kraus three with 3:23 left in the third before Eden scored the final six points of the quarter to retake the lead.
Aiken led Eden Christian, who shot 16 of 45 (35.6 percent), with 12 points and six rebounds while Haring chipping in 10 points and four board. Mickey Clary had four points and seven boards.
ECC will take on District 6 runner-up Williamsburg in the second round Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Williamsburg, located east of Hollidaysburg between Hollidaysburg and Huntingdon, beat Southern Fulton, 55-54.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 52, EDEN CHRISTIAN 41
Score by Quarters
Eden Christian 14 14 11 2 – 41
Elk Co. Catholic 11 18 7 16 – 52
EDEN CHRISTIAN – 41
Chase Haring 4 1-2 10, Drew Aiken 4 2-2 12, Mickey Clary 2 0-1 4, Seth Delposen 3 0-1 6, Dylan Kingman 1 2-2 4, Gideon Manges 1 0-0 2, Tanner Gross 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 5-8 41.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC – 52
Frank Singer 0 0-0 0, Logan Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Brad Dippold 1 0-0 3, Dan Stauffer 1 0-1 2, Gabe Kraus 4 3-4 15, Jared Braun 3 2-2 8, Ryan Newton 5 4-5 17, Nate DaCanal 3 1-3 7. Totals 17 10-15 52.
Three-pointers: Eden Christian 4 (Aiken 2, Haring, Gross). ECC 8 (Kraus 4, Newton 3, Dippold).
JOHNSONBURG 49, JAMESTOWN 39
CLARION, Pa. – It might not have been a pretty win but it was a win for the District 9 runner-up Johnsonburg Rams who knocked off District 10 runner-up Jamestown, 49-39, at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
Johnsonburg (13-13) shot 33.9 percent (18 of 53), went nearly a quarter without a field goal and turned the ball over 20 times but still never trailed against the Muskies (8-17) and led from the 4:13 mark of the first quarter on.
That was due in large part by Jamestown shooting 35 percent (14 of 40) and turning the ball over 23 times, but also because Johnsonburg was able to mitigate its poor shooting by grabbing 17 offensive rebounds to the Muskies seven and out rebounding Jamestown 38-31. The Rams also got to the free-throw line 26 times compared to 11, although they were 13 of 26 from the line with Jamestown going 7 of 11.
Ryan Kilhoffer led a balanced Johnsonburg attack with 12 points while adding seven rebounds. Isaac Scholder chipped in 10 points, Kacey Raubenstrauch nine and Tyler Singer seven points and seven rebounds. Drew Akers didn’t score but collected eight boards.
Singers’ hoop with 4:13 to go in the first quarter put Johnsonburg ahead for good, 8-6, and the Rams led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter.
That lead grew to as many as 10, 24-14, in the second quarter before Johnsonburg went into the locker room up eight, 27-19, following three points in the final 46.6 seconds from Scholder.
Jamestown scored the first five points of the second half including a 3-pointer by Dawon Urbansky, who had seven points and seven rebounds, to get within three 27-24, before Johnsonburg closed the third quarter with a 12-4 run that saw the Rams score their first basket of the second half and their first since there was 30 seconds left in the first half, on a Trevor Lobaugh hoop with 1:34 to go in the third.
The run put Johnsonburg up 11, 39-28, going to the fourth quarter.
The lead grew to 13 19 seconds into the fourth quarter on a basket by Scholder, and it reached 15, 46-31, with 3:47 to play after Kilhoffer hit a pair of free throws.
Johnsonburg will face District 6 champion Saltsburg, a 63-57 winner over Vincentian Academy, in the second round Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
JOHNSONBURG 49, JAMESTOWN 39
Score by Quarters
Jamestown 9 10 9 11 – 39
Johnsonburg 15 12 12 10 – 49
JAMESTOWN – 39
Eli Rhoades 0 0-0 0, Jarron Michoci 0 0-0 0, Dawson Ubransku 2 2-4 7, Jacob Rhoades 6 1-2 15, Nick College 1 0-0 2, Elliot Steadman 0 0-0 0, Austin Smith 3 3-3 9, Cameron Stacy 1 0-0 3, Richard Graham 1 1-2 3, Darian Keyser 0 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 7-11 39.
JOHNSONBURG – 49
Ryan Kilhoffer 3 6-9 12, Jacob Sheldon 1 0-0 2, Isaac Scholder 4 2-4 10, Kacey Raubenstrauch 3 3-4 9, Trevor Lobaugh 2 1-3 5, Drew Akers 0 0-2 0, Tyler Singer 3 1-4 7, Ben Freeburg 2 0-0 4, Nick Bliss 0 0-0 0, Austin Green 0 0-0 0, Logan Notarianni 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 13-26 49.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC 87, OTTO-ELDRED 35
SHARON, Pa. – Drew Magestro, Maceo Austin and Mohamed Konate combined to score 53 points, as District 10 champion Kennedy Catholic started its defense of its 2016 PIAA Class 1A crown with an 87-35 win over District 9 third-place finisher Otto-Eldred.
The Terrors (15-11) actually led 6-2 early, but after that it was all Kennedy Catholic (22-2), which led 21-8 by the end of the first quarter and 52-15 at halftime.
Magestro paced the Golden Eagles with 21 points, Austin added 19 and Konate 13.
Trey Dalton had 11 points to lead Otto-Eldred who also got six points from Dylan Close.
Kennedy Catholic will take on District 6 third-place finisher Juniata Valley, who upsert WPIAL runner-up Imani Christian, 79-76, in the second quarter Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC 87, OTTO-ELDRED 35
Score by Quarters
Otto-Eldred 8 7 10 10 – 35
Kennedy Cath. 21 31 20 15 – 87
OTTO-ELDRED – 35
Sawyer Drummond 1 0-0 2, Dylan Close 2 0-0 6, Damen Palmer 1 0-0 3, Bosco Alonso Ramiro 1 0-0 3, Jordan Sherwood 2 0-0 4, Seth Drummond 0 0-0 0, Trey Dalton 5 1-1 11, Keegan Bisker 0 0-0 0, Mark Miller 2 0-0 4, Andrew Sheeler 0 0-0 0, Nick York 1 0-0 2, Cameron Grigsby 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 1-1 35.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC – 87
Norman 1 0-0 2, O’Dell 3 0-0 6, Herster 4 0-0 9, Konate 6 1-1 13, Austin 9 1-1 19, Magestro 8 3-3 21, Phillips 2 0-0 4, Hartwick 2 0-0 5, Wiszormirsky 4 0-0 8, Mancino 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Amos 0 0-0 0, Eilam 0 0-0 0, N. Taylor 0 0-0 0. Totals 39 5-5 87.
Three-pointers: Otto-Eldred 4 (Close 2, Palmer, Ramiro). Kennedy Catholic 4 (Magestro 2, Herster, Hartwick)
MONESSEN 94, NORTH CLARION 28
McMURRAY, Pa. – Jaden Altmore exploded for 38 points, as Monessen ran right past North Clarion, 94-28, at Peters Township High School.
The WPIAL champion Greyhounds (19-7), who also got 25 points from Justice Rice, led 28-7 after a quarter and 60-14 at halftime.
Nathan Banner led North Clarion (14-12), who finished fourth in District 9 and lost its final three games, with nine points. Chase Schmader added six.
MONESSEN 94, NORTH CLARION 28
Score by Quarters
North Clarion 7 7 6 8 – 28
Monessen 28 32 10 24 – 94
NORTH CLARION – 28
Chase Schmader 2 1-4 6, Nathan Banner 4 1-3 9, Keeven Weaver 0 0-2 0, Zander Hargenrader 0 0-0 0, Sam Minich 2 1-1 5, Jesse Schmader 0 0-2 0, Logan Minich 0 0-1 0, Noah Meyers 0 0-0 0, Matson Higgins 1 0-0 2, Kyle Mills 1 0-0 2, Tyler McCord-Wolbert 2 0-0 4, Korey Mills 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 3-13 28.
MONESSEN – 94
Youngblood 1 3-4 5, Altmore 16 4-4 38, Henderson 4 2-4 10, Fleming 2 0-0 5, Rice 11 2-2 25, Taylor 1 0-0 2, Gibson 1 0-0 2, Allumus 2 0-0 5, Howell 1 0-0 2, Francowic 0 0-0 0. Totals 39 11-14 94.
Three-pointers: North Clarion 1 (C. Schmader), Monessen 5 (Altmore 2, Fleming, Rice, Allumus).
