PITTSBURGH — Isaac DeGregorio didn't think the North Catholic boys basketball team's offensive machine was broken down.

The 5-foot-11 Trojans senior guard wanted the Trojans to stay the course. The only thing that needed to change for North Catholic Thursday night at Petersen Events Center was the ball going into the basket.

The Trojans ripped off a 13-0 run at the end of the third quarter and rode the momentum to a 65-56 win over Lincoln Park in the WPIAL Class 3A title game.

“We got into their legs so much and they were tired,” said DeGregorio, who scored a game-high 19 points. “That's what we work on all year, our defense. You could tell we weren't shooting well in the first half. We still play the way we do. We got into their legs and just kept going and going. We ran them out of the gym to be honest, it was good.”

A pull-away win didn't seem likely during the first half.

North Catholic, which averages 78 points per game, shot 10 percent (1-of-10) from the 3-point line and trailed the defending champion Leopards 29-23 at halftime. Andre Wilder led Lincoln Park with 16 points, while Tanner Mathos has 12.

The Trojans (24-2) weren't going to make major changes.

“Absolutely nothing,” Trojans coach Dave DeGregorio said. “You are going to go through stretches where you don't make shots. You are a confident shooter whether you are 1 of 10 or 9 of 10 you can't think about it. If we guard the way we did tonight and against South Allegheny we can survive a drought and not shooting well.”

Signs of recovery started early in the second half. Ryan Feczko, Isaiah Jackson and Isaac DeGregorio all connected on 3-pointers, giving North Catholic some confidence.

The Trojans' major push would come after Dakari Bradford made a layup to put Lincoln Park (21-5) ahead 40-36 late in the third quarter.

North Catholic, which captured its fourth WPIAL title and first since 2016, scored the next 13 points. Jackson Paschall, who finished with 14 points, gave the Trojans their first lead since the first quarter and put the Trojans ahead for good, 42-40, by making a layup just before the third-quarter buzzer.

“We put a lot of energy into what we were doing,” Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski said. “I'll give them credit for the run they went on. We had three guys who were experiencing cramping so we tried to pull guys in and out, but we were in foul trouble and limited in what we could do.”

North Catholic would stretch its lead to nine before Bradford stopped the run with a basket early in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans then made their free throws down the stretch to salt away the win.

North Catholic was proud to have turned things around in this game and from last season. The Trojans were limited to 50 points in a loss to the Leopards in the title game last year.

“I watched the game from last year today,” said Ryan Feczko, who finished with seven points. “I thought about how much I wanted to get back on the court and flip it around and change it. We knew what it was like out there, we were here last year. We wanted to make it better and change it.”

NORTH CATHOLIC 65

Jackson Paschall 6 2-2 14, Isaiah Jackson 2 0-0 5, Ryan Feczko 2 2-4 7, Jake Tomer 2 5-6 11, Isaac DeGregorio 3 12-12 19, Anthony Serventi 0 0-0 0, Hans Rottmann 3 0-0 6, Andrew Ammerman 2 1-2 3. Totals: 20 22-26 65.

LINCOLN PARK 56

Johnnie Bryant 1 2-2 4, L.A. Pratt 1 0-0 3, Isaiah Smith 3 0-0 8, Andre Wilder 5 0-0 12, Dakari Bradford 3 0-0 7, Montae Reddix 2 2-3 6.. Totals: 19 4-6 56.

North Catholic 12 11 19 23 — 65

Lincoln Park14 15 11 16 — 56

3-point goals: North Catholic 5 (Tomer 2, Jackson, Feczko, DeGregorio); Lincoln Park 8 (Wilder 4, Smith 2, Pratt, Bradford).

Next: PIAA Class 3A playoffs, TBD