MONTOURSVILLE - Giving up a 10-point quarter in a high school boys basketball playoff game is usually a solid defensive effort.
Friday it turned out to be a fatal blow to Bishop Guilfoyle in a 40-24 loss to Sullivan County in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs at Montoursville Area High School.
The Marauders, who trailed 14-13 at halftime, were outscored 10-3 in the third quarter, and never got back into the game.
"Our defense was outstanding," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Josh Baker said. "In the second half, we got a little frustrated and sped up a little bit. That's not our tendency, and Sullivan County played a great 16 minutes of basketball."
The first two quarters featured both teams holding the ball for more than a minute per possession. That played right into Bishop Guilfoyle's game plan, as the Marauders won both their District 6 playoff games with scores in the 30s.
Sullivan County, however, is also familiar with the slow-down technique, winning the District 4 title, 34-30.
"We didn't want it to be 14-13 at halftime," Sullivan County coach Glenn Vaughan said. "However, we have a team that can win in a variety of ways. We don't have to score in the 50s or 60s to win basketball games. We have a lot of guys who make smart decisions."
Making most of those decisions Friday were Zach Meyer and Sharif Welton. Welton led all scorers with 16 points, and Meyer chipped in with 14, including three 3-pointers that all came in the second half.
The Marauders made five 3-pointers of their own but just nine field goals total.
Bishop Guilfoyle had problems inside against the much taller Sullivan County. Meyer stands at 6-foot-5, Welton at 6-6 and center Derek Wilkins is 6-5. Sullivan County outrebounded BG, 30-16, after having just a 10-9 advantage on the boards at the half.
"They moved a lot better defensively than I thought they would," Baker said. "Our guys remained patient until the very end. We took quality shots for the most part but struggled to score."
Damon Rickens led BG in scoring with just six points. Rickens and Pat Irwin (five points) were the only two Marauders that made more than one field goal.
"Our guys did a good job the past couple days preparing for this team," Vaughan said. "We knew we were going to have to run through a lot of screens, and I thought we did a solid job on the defensive end."
Though Bishop Guilfoyle turned the ball over just 10 times, the turnovers were costly.
"They capitalized on all our mistakes with points at the other end," Baker said.
Bishop Guilfoyle actually jumped ahead, 8-3, before allowing a 10-0 run. The Marauders never led again.
The Griffins used another 10-0 run in the third quarter to put the game away.
The game was Bishop Guilfoyle's first interdistrict playoff game since 2008.
The Marauders will lose seniors Tai Irwin, Colin Sullivan and Sam Dunning.
"The footprint our three seniors left on this program is immeasurable," Baker said. "Their attitude and work ethic has really carried us to where our program is at.
"They've worked every single day and made a mark on the young guys. They now know the Marauder way, and I think those guys will work to get better for the future."
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (24): P. Irwin 2 0-0 5, Sullivan 0 0-0 0, T. Irwin 1 0-0 2, Drenning 1 0-0 3, Patterson 1 1-1 3, Snyder 1 0-0 2, Nardelli 0 0-0 0, Fulare 1 0-0 3, Rickens 2 0-2 6, McCloskey 0 0-0 0, Dunning 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 1-3 24.
SULLIVAN COUNTY (40): Meyer 5 1-2 14, Welton 6 4-5 16, Mullen 0 2-2 2, Molyneux 2 0-1 4, Wilkins 0 2-2 2, Hatton 0 0-0 0, Co. Wylie 1 0-0 2, Ca. Wylie 0 0-0 0, Polcrack 0 0-1 0, Trallo 0 0-1 0, Beinlich 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-14 40.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Guilfoyle 8 5 3 8 - 24
Sullivan County 7 7 10 16 - 40
3-pointers: Bishop Guilfoyle 5 (Rickens 2, P. Irwin, Drenning, Fulare). Sullivan County 3 (Meyer 3)
Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (14-12); Sullivan County (22-3)
Officials: Marty Maurer, Craig West, Jim Turner
