Defense puts Huskies into round 2
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By Calem Illig
sports@altoonamirror.com
EBENSBURG -- A dominant defensive showcase propelled the Bishop Carroll Catholic boys basketball team into the second round of the state playoffs Tuesday night.
Hosting fourth-seeded North Clarion of District 9, the Huskies used their defense as a backbone and held their opponent to single digits in each quarter of the PIAA Class A First Round. Fueled by a strong start and three double-digit scorers, Bishop Carroll easily dispatched of North Clarion, 57-19, to keep its season alive.
"That was a fun game," said Bishop Carroll senior Evan Amigh, who netted 10 in the victory. "Our defense put pressure on them all night, and they've never really had to play a school that presses like we do. We really put pressure on them, and that's where all of our energy came from."
Bishop Carroll (16-9) executed its gameplan to near perfection, using its defense as a stepping stone for its offense.
The Wolves were forced into numerous mistakes throughout the night against BC's full-court press, and there was one sequence where the Huskies netted six points in just eight seconds.
"Our press played a big part tonight," Bishop Carroll junior Spencer Myers said. "We watched some film on them, and they haven't really been pressed by any other team. That was our main gameplan, and it worked out."
Despite six early points from North Clarion off 3s by Aiden Hartle and Collin Schmader, the Huskies used contributions from throughout the lineup to take an early advantage.
Evan Amigh netted 10 points in the first half, and with the Wolves unable to get anything going offensively, they were held to just 10 points themselves in the entire first half.
The North Clarion (16-10) offense was especially stagnant in the second quarter, with its only bucket coming by way of a trey from Josh Daum with 2:06 remaining.
"We want to force turnovers and take them out of their offense," Bishop Carroll coach Cosie Aliquo said. "Their strong point is shooting 3s, and we really wanted to take them out of it."
Bishop Carroll took a 24-point lead into halftime, and it was evident from there that the game would only continue to swing in its favor.
The Huskies opened with an 8-2 run to open the third and achieved running clock with a fadeaway shot from Luke Repko with about two minutes left.
The Wolves were held to just two points in the third.
"Bishop Carroll is a good team, and this is a tough environment to play in," North Clarion coach Ewing Moussa said. "We had a long trip and have a lot of guys without any experience at this level, but Bishop Carroll was just the better team."
Myers scored 12 points in the victory, and Bishop Carroll's Luke Repko led all scorers with 13.
North Clarion was led by Schmader, who posted eight points in the season-ending loss.
With the victory, Bishop Carroll advances to the second round to face Union, which is the No. 2 seed out of District 7.
Union defeated Southern Fulton Tuesday night, 57-25.
The Huskies continue their state playoff tour Friday at a time and place to be determined.
NORTH CLARION (19): Schmader 2 3-3 8, Daum 1 1-2 4, Hartle 1 0-0 3, Carll 1 0-0 2, Irwin 1 0-0 2, Shaftic 0 0-0 0, Watterson 0 0-0 0, Howarth 0 0-0 0, Bilunka 0 0-0 0, Rusiewicz 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 4-7 19.
BISHOP CARROLL (57): Repko 5 2-2 13, Myers 4 4-6 12, Amigh 4 1-2 10, Heinrich 3 0-0 6, Dumm 1 4-4 6, T. Golden 1 2-2 4, Voyda 1 0-0 2, Tremel 1 0-0 2, Farabaugh 0 2-2 2, Oravec 0 0-0 0, J. Golden 0 0-0 0, Smorto 0 0-0 0, Herald 0 0-0 0, Alexander 0 0-0 0, Sekerak 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-18 57.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
North Clarion 6 4 2 9 -- 19
Bishop Carroll 22 12 15 8 -- 57
3-point goals: North Clarion 3 (Daum, Hartle, Schmader); Bishop Carroll 2 (Amigh, Repko).
Records: North Clarion (16-10), Bishop Carroll (16-9)