JEFFERSON TWP — No WPIAL championship hangover here. It just looked that way.

For a while.

WPIAL 4A boys basketball champion Knoch had a four-point lead over Girard at halftime of their first-round PIAA tournament game Friday night on the Knights’ home floor. Knoch used a 26-7 run in the second half to walk away with a 46-30 victory.

The gym was sold out for the contest.

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The Knights (23-4) will play North Catholic — a 64-52 winner over Sharon — in the second round Tuesday night at a site and time to be determined. It will be the fourth meeting between the section rivals this season.

When Tyler Niewierowski drained a trey with less than a minute to play in the first quarter, the Yellowjackets (18-9) — No. 5 seed out of District 10 — trailed by just a 9-7 count. But Girard’s only lead of the night was at 4-2 early in the opening period.

“You hear a lot about the WPIAL hangover thing, but I don’t think that was the case tonight,” Knoch coach Joe Lafko said. “Our guys came out and played hard from the tip. Girard pays tough, physical defense and was holding us down early.

“Our defense played well, too. We were able to force some turnovers, score in transition off some of them and open up the score a bit in the second half.”

Girard coach Mark Schrier said his team’s plan was “to come out and play physical, pressure the ball, make them uncomfortable.

“That worked for a while, but that (Knoch) team is so talented, big and athletic. Once they got up on us, we couldn’t get back in it.”

Knoch senior Teegan Finucan was presented a commemorative basketball by the school before the game, in honor of him becoming the Knights’ all-time scoring leader late this season. He was limited to five points in the first half.

He struck for 13 points in the second half, adding six rebounds and three assists to his game-high 18 points.

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“They played aggressive defense on us and we knew they would,” Finucan said. “Still, it took us a while to adapt to that. We were eventually able to attack the basket.”

The Knights sank 18 of 32 shots from the field, compared to Girard’s 12 of 41. The Yellowjackets attempted only two free throws the entire night while being held to a season-low 30 points.

“We hadn’t played in eight days and I think that contributed to our slow start,” Knoch senior Derek Lang said. “We scrimmaged, of course, but you can’t simulate playing a game with this kind of crowd.”

“The community has been showing up for us all year. It’s been so much fun,” Finucan said.

Knoch built a 46-24 lead and was on a 10-0 run when Lafko emptied his bench with 1:27 remaining.

Vince DeFelice had 12 pints and six rebounds for the Knights. Lang had 10 points and four rebounds, Liam Avon five rebounds and four assists, Roman DeFelice four assists.

The Knights enjoyed a 30-17 rebound advantage.

“We controlled the boards and I thought that was key tonight,” Lafko said.

Senior guard Kenny Godoy led Girard with 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals. He was the lone Yellowjacket in double figures.

Related Article: Teegan Finucan breaks Knoch boys basketball’s all-time scoring record vs North Catholic in WPIAL semifinal

“Knoch reminds me a lot of Cathedral Prep in terms of their size and skill level,” Schrier said. “I could see that being the western final. Both of those teams can get there.”

For now, the Knights have their attention set on North Catholic. Knoch has won two of the previous three meetings with the Trojans.

“We know each other. We know what the matchups will be,” Lang said.

“People thought when we won the WPIAL, that was it,” Finucan said. “We never felt that way. We want the state even more and we’re confident we can make a run.”

GIRARD 30

Josiah Speed 0-3 0-0 0, Kenny Godoy 7-26 1-1 16, Tyler Niewierowski 3-5 0-0 8, Ryan St. Julien 1-3 0-0 3, Tyler Super 0-1 0-0 0, Gavin Hale 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 12-41 1-2 30.

KNOCH 46

Derek Lang 4-4 2-2 10, Roman DeFelice 1-4 0-0 2, Teegan Finucan 6-15 5-7 18, Liam Avon 2-2 0-0 4, Vince DeFelice 5-6 2-5 12, Jackson McCool 0-1 0-0 0, Owen Gillis 0-0 0-0 0, Evan Fink 0-0 0-0 0, Colt Sprankle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-32 9-15 46.

Girard 7 7 5 11 — 30

Knoch 10 8 12 16 — 46

3-point goals: Girard Godoy, Niewierowski 2, St. Julien, Hale), Knoch 1 (Finucan)

Tuesday: PIAA 4A Tournament-Knoch vs. North Catholic, site and time TBD