×

Huskies improve to 21-0

HOLLIDAYSBURG – Every team has a list of goals before the start of the season. An undefeated regular season was not on Bishop Carroll’s list, but the Huskies can put it among their accomplishments for the 2013-14 season nonetheless.

The team finished up a 21-0 regular season with a 64-48 win over Hollidaysburg Friday. Brandon Martinazzi scored a game-high 22 points, and Marcus Lee added 12 to lead Bishop Carroll. Lee also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

“No. Not with our schedule,” BC coach Cosie Aliquo said when asked whether he thought the team would go undefeated. “It just shows the amount of work these guys have put in.”

The team has little time to celebrate its achievement, though. The Huskies play Bishop McCort at 8 p.m. tonight in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game at Richland High School.

“We played McCort in December, but they’re a totally different team now,” Aliquo said. “We need to be ready. If we’re not, that comes down on me. They’re coming for us. They’re one of the hottest teams in the area right now.”

Hollidaysburg gave the Huskies all they could handle for most of the first half. The Golden Tigers led 23-20 with about 3 minutes left in the second quarter before Bishop Carroll went on a 12-0 run in the final 2:42 to take control of the game.

“They had more energy than we did at the start,” Aliquo said. “We got two or three steals out of our press and scored some quick points. That’s what we needed to get us going.”

Nine of those points came in 1:20. After Martinazzi converted two free throws, Mitchell Madonna scored back-to-back buckets in the paint, and Martinazzi followed with a 3-pointer. The junior guard knocked down another 3 in the final minute of the half that put the Huskies up 32-23 at the break.

“We did a lot of good things, but our biggest fear was going against their press. Our guards didn’t handle it well,” Hollidaysburg coach Mick Pentoney said. “They do a really good job of keeping pressure on you and waiting for a mistake. We did a good job accommodating them. That’s part of the process when you’ve got a young team.”

Halftime did nothing to slow down Carroll’s momentum. The Huskies outscored Hollidaysburg 24-13 in the third quarter to open up a 20-point lead.

Martinazzi scored eight points in the quarter on a 3-pointer, a 3-point play when he was fouled making a shot in the lane and a jump shot from the free throw line.

David Swatsworth bucket late in the quarter put Bishop Carroll ahead 54-34.

“Cosie does a good job teaching his kids to play angles and pick balls off,” Pentoney said. “We’ve tried to play like that this year. It’s proven more difficult than I thought. I hate to use this word, but we’re rebuilding. We have a lot of good players coming, but right now, we’re playing juniors, sophomores and freshman.”

Hollidaysburg (6-13) led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter, and opened up a four-point lead to start the second on a Nick Consiglio driving layup along the baseline. Consiglio finished with a team-high 14 points, and Ryan Adams scored 13 points.

Following a Lee bucket, Nik Suckinos drained back-to-back 3-pointers to put BC up 18-14. Hollidaysburg answered with nine of the next 11 points. Adams sank a floater in the lane, DeAndre Mason converted a 3-point play, and Jesse Ottaway added a pair of free throws.

Hollidaysburg then broke the Carroll press, leading to a Mason layup. It was the last points of the first half for the Golden Tigers.

“We have good players. They’ve won in the past,” Pentoney said. “We just haven’t been able to put four quarters together. Sooner or later it’s going to turn around.”

BISHOP CARROLL (64): Madonna 3 0-0 6, Maruca 0 2-2 2, Lucas 2 0-0 4, Lee 6 0-2 12, Martinazzi 8 3-3 22, Woo 0 0-0 0, Swatsworth 1 2-2 4, Suckinos 4 0-0 10, Burk 1 0-2 2, Watt 0 0-0 0, Weinzierl 1 0-0 2, Ratchford 0 0-0 0, Dunchack 0 0-0 0, Wyland 0 0-0 0. Totals – 26 7-9 64.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (48): Sheetz 3 0-0 8, Adams 5 2-2 13, Consiglio 6 1-2 14, Snyder 0 0-0 0, Ottaway 0 2-2 2, Storm 0 0-4 0, Holsopple 1 1-1 3, Mason 2 1-1 5, Viduya 1 1-2 3, Gates 0 0-0 0, Finnochio 0 0-0 0, Gildea 0 0-0 0. Totals – 18 8-14 48.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Carroll10 22 24 8 – 64

Hollidaysburg12 11 13 12 – 48

3-point goals: Bishop Carroll 5 (Martinazzi 3, Suckinos 2); Hollidaysburg 4 (Sheetz 2, Adams, Consiglio).

Records: Bishop Carroll (21-0); Hollidaysburg (6-13).

JV: Hollidaysburg, 51-49. High scorers-Weinzierl, BC, 17; Gates, H, 13.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today