ST. MARYS, Pa. – Daunte Allegretto scored 12 of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter, as Ridgway used free throws to end Elk County Catholic’s three-year reign atop the AML with a 48-37 win over the Crusaders in the AML Boys’ Title Game Saturday night at St. Marys High School.
Ridgway (24-0) led by just four, 25-21, going to the fourth quarter but outscored ECC 23-16 in the fourth with 13 of the Elkers points coming from the free-throw line where they went 13 of 14 in the quarter and 18 of 22 in the game.
Allegretto was 6 of 7 from the line in the fourth quarter by himself.
While the fourth quarter belonged to Allegretto, the game may have been decided by Johnny Mitchell in the second quarter.
With the Elkers down a point, 10-9, after a quarter, Mitchell, the senior who left the team at midseason last year only to return this campaign, scored the first seven points of the second quarter for Ridgway helping the Elkers forge a 16-12 lead midway through the quarter.
Ridgway lead was six, 20-14, by halftime with Mitchell scoring eight of his 12 points in the second quarter and all 12 of his tallies before halftime.
ECC (19-5) tried to stay in the game in the third quarter combating the methodical Ridgway offense with some strong free-throw shooting by Alec Wehler, who was 3 of 3 from the line in the third quarter while scoring five of his team-best 10 points in the frame.
But Ridgway kept the lead despite scoring just one basket – from Neil MacDonald – and five points in the eight minutes and led 25-21 going to the fourth.
ECC was still just down five, 28-23, a minute into the fourth quarter before a 7-2 Ridgway run put the game out of reach.
MacDonald chipped in nine points and Andy Breier eight in the victory.
Ryan Newton and Brady Schneider each added seven tallies for ECC.
Both teams move into the District 9 playoffs with Ridgway getting a bye in the Class 2A bracket into the semifinals as the No. 1 seed, and ECC taking on Oswayo Valley as the No. 2 seed in the Class 1A bracket.
NOTES: ECC had beaten Ridgway in three straight AML Title Games winning 59-44 last year, 43-41 in 2016 and 47-46 in 2015 … Johnsonburg was the last team other than ECC before this year to win the AML Title beating ECC in 2014, 59-41 … Ridgway won its only other AML Championship Game in 2012 when it beat Johnsonburg, 49-46, in overtime … This was Ridgway’s third win over ECC this year … ECC has lost three of its past four games, which hadn’t happened since the 2011-12 season.
RIDGWAY 48, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 37
Score by Quarters
Elk CC 10 4 7 16 – 37
Ridgway 9 11 5 23 – 48
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC – 37
Carter Lindemuth 0 0-0 0, Alec Wehler 3 3-3 10, Logan Hoffman 3 0-0 6, Brennen Klawuhn 1 0-0 2, Leo Gregory 0 0-0 0, Ryan Newton 2 2-3 7, Brady Schneider 1 4-4 7, Alex Breindel 2 1-1 5. Totals 12 10-11 37.
RIDGWAY – 48
Matt Dush 1 0-0 2, CJ Wickett 0 0-0 0, Aaron Hinton 0 0-0 0, Jake Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Josh Thorwart 0 2 2-2, Neil MacDonald 1 7-8 9, Daunte Allegretto 4 6-7 15, Andy Breier 3 2-3 8, Willy Thompson 0 0-0 0, Johnny Mitchell 5 1-2 12. Totals 14 18-22 48.
Three-pointers: ECC 3 (Wehler, Newton, Schneider). Ridgway 2 (Mitchell, Allegretto).
Fall Sports
Rocky Grove and Lakeview Team Up for Mason
