Trojan boys oust Prexies
MOON TWP — Don't look now, but the team that entered the WPIAL basketball playoffs with a .500 record is one victory away from reaching the 3A championship game.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic had little trouble dispatching Washington, 47-34, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at Moon High School Thursday night.
The Trojans (13-11) are the two-time defending district champions.
“We are pretty confident we can make another run,” said senior Mike Drambel. “Our schedule this season included a lot of really good teams (including ones in higher classes) and a lot of our losses came against them.”
Both Washington and CWNC got off to slow starts Thursday, scoring seven points in the opening period.
It was CWNC's 18-6 run during the second quarter that was the difference in the game. The Prexies (18-6) struggled against the Trojans' zone defense.
“You see it (defense) on tape and you come up with a plan to attack it, but then you actually face it in a game,” said CWNC coach Dave Long. “It becomes its own animal.”
The Trojans don't blow out many teams and their final tally against Washington won't break any records, but the team's formula is working at the most important time of the season.
“We embrace it,” Long said of low-scoring games. “We're not a bad offensive team, but we play at a slower pace.”
To learn more about this big win, read Friday's Butler Eagle.
