ROSS TWP — The Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic defense was not impenetrable. It just appeared to be for much of the game.

Using a 2-3 zone, the Trojans held Burrell to just four points in the first quarter and five in the third in earning a 51-41 WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball first-round playoff win Saturday at North Hills Junior High.

The key to the defensive success was the top of the zone — guard Isaiah Wilson and guard/forward Kenny Fukon.

“That's our strength on defense,” admitted CWNC coach Dave Long. “Once you get past them, our front line is a little suspect.”

The Bucs (8-15) figured they would encounter the zone, but got off just seven field goal attempts in the first quarter while turning the ball over five times.

“You can watch it on film, but until you see it in person, there's just certain things you don't anticipate,” said Burrell coach Shawn Bennis. “Fukon's length and Wilson's quickness, they can often cover three or four guys just between the two of them. It makes it tough.”

The Trojans (18-5) will face Riverside, a 65-42 winner over Burgettstown, Thursday in the quarterfinals at a time and site to be determined.

Burrell never led during the game, but did manage a late surge to make things interesting. Its 18-8 run culminated with Nick Kotecki's trey with 2:19 remaining that pulled the Bucs to within 45-37. But the Trojans iced the game from the free throw line. Ten of the team's 14 points in the quarter came on free throws.

After CWNC won an error-filled first period 6-4, the Trojans pushed their lead to 13-5 before the Bucs finally began to find some success on the offensive end.

Donovan Russell, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, came off the bench and scored all four of Burrell's field goals in the second quarter, helping the Bucs slice CWNC's edge to 15-12.

Russell finished the game with a team-high 12 points and added nine rebounds. Burrell out-rebounded the Trojans 26-19 in the game.

“Burrell's size killed us inside,” said Long. “They did a nice job of finding (scoring) opportunities. We need to rebound better or we're going to be in trouble.”

The Bucs appeared to have momentum heading into halftime, but Trojan senior guard Vinnie DiNicola went on a personal 8-2 run in the final 68 seconds of the half. His 3-pointer beat the buzzer and handed CWNC a 23-14 advantage.

“Vinnie started to feel it a bit,” Long said. “We've been calling on his number a lot lately.”

DiNicola had a limited role on last year's WPIAL Class A championship team, but has been a starter all season this year.

“We're not as physically gifted as some of the teams we play,” he said. “We have to hustle more and play with more heart, especially when it comes to rebounding.”

The Trojans made Burrell's uphill climb even more daunting by out-scoring the Bucs 14-5 in the third period, good for a 37-19 lead entering the final quarter.

Fukon paced CWNC with 19 points and Wilson added 10.

BURRELL 41

Max Garda 2 2-4 7, Nick Kotecki 3 1-1 9, Dom Zottola 0 1-2 1, Logan Bitar 4 1-2 10, Donovan Russell 6 0-1 12, Jake Okopal 1 0-0 2, Ryan Bargerstock 0 0-0 0, Zach Gimbel 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 5-10 41.

CW NORTH CATHOLIC 51

Zach Offi 0 1-2 1, John Fukon 2 0-1 4, Isaiah Wilson 2 6-9 10, Vinnie DiNicola 5 2-2 15, Kenny Fukon 6 6-8 19, Mike Drambel 1 0-0 2, Jack Carmody 0 0-1 0, Danny Nyman 0 0-1 0, Dom Serventi 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 15-24 51.

Burrell 4 10 5 22 — 41

CWNC6 17 14 14 — 51

3-point goals: Burrell 4 (Kotecki 2, Bitar, Garda); CWNC 4 (DiNicola 3, K. Fukon).

Thursday: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic vs. Riverside, time and site TBD