Cardinal rules
PITTSBURGH — Sewickley Academy put a lot of thought into its execution on offense Friday night.
It played right into Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's strategy.
The Panthers, whose running style yielded an average of 70 points per game during the season, were forced to slow things down and struggled hitting their stride. The result was a 50-36 Trojans' victory in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball title game at the University of Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center.
“Kudos to (assistant) Coach Frank Halloran,” said CWNC coach Dave Long. “He always comes out with a defense. We ran a 1-1-3 zone tonight. With Kenny (Fukon) and Tristan (Newcamp) out in front, they are able to keep things in front of them.”
Sewickley was held to no more than 10 points in any quarter.
“Our motto is, 'Think on defense. Don't think on offense,'” said Panthers' coach Win Palmer. “We play best when we are playing offense on instinct. We wanted to run, but it was like a case of paralysis and we froze at times. North Catholic played a great game.”
A key stretch for the Trojans began early in the second quarter. The Panthers had taken a 16-11 lead, forcing Long to call a timeout with 6:48 left.
“We were being too impatient and rushed a few drives,” Long said. “It rattled us.”
CWNC responded with a 12-0 run to close the first half, handing the Trojans a 23-16 lead. The spurt included a 3-pointer from Zach Offi and a layup from Fukon with two seconds left.
The Panthers (23-3), while not able to retake the lead, kept the score close and trailed just 29-26 entering the final period.
That's when Trojan senior forward Eric Taylor re-entered the game after spending much of the third quarter on the bench with foul trouble.
Within seconds, his presence was felt when he swatted a shot by Sewickley's Dan Salter-Volz into the stands. It was the beginning of a dominating quarter on defense for Taylor. While he did not score a point in the period, he did control six defensive rebounds to go with the one emphatic block.“I knew my teammates would hold things down while I was out,” said Taylor. “One player doesn't make a team.”“I know the block looked pretty, but I thought it was going to be his fourth foul,” said Long.Taylor ended the game with eight points — all in the first half — and 12 rebounds.“He's a tremendous rebounder,” Palmer said of Taylor. “He just goes up and brings it down. He was a big factor tonight.”Offi, Newcamp, Fukon and Isaiah Wilson all had a hand in North Catholic's 13 points from the foul line in the fourth quarter.Sewickley's hopes of a WPIAL title also took a hit with a 20 percent (4-of-20) effort from the field in the final eight minutes.Friday's win proved what the Trojans believed entering the game.“We thought we were the best Single-A team in the WPIAL,” said Fukon, who led North Catholic with 13 points, “but we still had to come out and play.”Offi added 12 points in the win, including three treys in the first half.Junior guard Chris Groetsch was the lone Panther to score in double figures with 13.Sewickley had defeated the Trojans 55-42 in late January.“North Catholic used a similar zone in that game, but the difference was our defense,” said Palmer. “Tonight, we gave up some easy layups and our defense didn't rotate well. That wasn't the case in the first game.”The Trojans will next face the fourth-place team from District 9, either Union or Ridgway, in the first round of the state playoffs next Friday.SEWICKLEY ACADEMY 36Scott Brown 1 0-0 2, Chris Groetsch 5 1-2 13, Justin Pryor 2 2-4 6, Nate Ridgeway 3 0-0 6, Dan Salter-Volz 1 2-2 4, Declan Hickton 2 1-1 5, Dave Groetsch 0 0-0 0, Matt Rooney 0 0-0 0, Ryder MacDougall 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 6-9 36.CW NORTH CATHOLIC 50Zach Offi 4 1-2 12, Tristan Newcamp 2 2-2 6, Austin Sieminski 3 0-0 6, Kenny Fukon 3 7-9 13, Eric Taylor 2 4-6 8, Isaiah Wilson 1 3-4 5, Dom Serventi 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 17-23 50.Sewickley Acad. 9 7 10 10 — 36CWNC11 12 6 21 — 503-point goals: Sewickley Academy 2 (C. Groetsch 2); CWNC 3 (Offi 3).Friday: CW North Catholic vs. Union/Ridgway loser, PIAA Class A first-round playoff, site and time TBD
