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The Altoona boys basketball program has had many great moments over the years. Friday night's District 6 Class 6A championship game was not one of them. In fact, it probably falls on the other end of the spectrum.
State College (23-1) blitzed the Mountain Lions from the outset and never let up, racing to a 94-54 win at the Penn State Altoona Adler Arena for its fourth straight district crown.
"They're a very good team. We knew it coming in," Altoona coach Doug West said. "They're on a mission. They won the Mid-Penn last week and district (Friday), but I think they're goal is a state championship."
The Little Lions jumped out to an early 16-4 lead and had a 28-9 lead after one quarter. The Friberg brothers, Drew and Tommy, and the rest of the team sizzled from the field, making 11-of-12 shots from the field in the opening stanza.
The Fribergs scored 21 of the team's first-quarter points, with Tommy putting in 12 and Drew netting nine.
"Once we put a little pressure on the defensive end, it opened up the game a little," SC coach Joe Walker said. "We found our shooters in transition and got easy layups. That's what we wanted to do."
The Little Lions missed very little in the first half, making 19-of-25 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line for a 49-30 lead at the break.
Jayvion Queen scored all nine of Altoona's first-quarter points. Queen went to the bench with two fouls early in the second quarter, but Max Crownover and Kurt VonColln combined to hit five 3-pointers, keeping the Little Lions within sight.
State College put the game away with a big third quarter, going on a 15-3 run to start the second half. The Little Lions outscored Altoona 29-13 in the quarter to open up a 78-43 lead.
"We started the second half in a 1-3-1. Brandon (Clark) at the top is so long. He alters passes. We got in passing lanes and started transition again. Got a couple dunks. They feed off that energy-wise," Walker said.
After Tommy Friberg hit a 3 to open the third quarter, Clark scored on a slam dunk off an Altoona turnover, and on the ensuing possession, Tommy Friberg put up a pass from the wing that Ryan McNulty slammed home on the alley-oop.
"I love flying through the air and bringing it down like that," McNulty said. "It gets the bench excited, the crowd excited. Just like you see on TV in college and the NBA."
State College went up by 42 on McNulty's 3 in the fourth quarter to put the running clock into effect and finish out the win.
"They're that good, but when I look up and we're down 40, it's frustrating," West said. "Start the game out in zone. They're knocking down 3s. Go man. They beat us off the dribble. Points off turnover from their press. They did whatever they wanted to do."
Drew Friberg finished with a game-high 23 points. Tommy Friberg and McNulty scored 20 each.
Queen led Altoona with 14 points, Nate Cherry scored 12 points, and Crownover added nine.
Altoona (7-15) gets one more chance to keep its season alive. The Mountain Lions take on District 8-10 champ Allderdice in a PIAA play-in game Friday at a site to determined with the winner advancing to the state playoffs.
"We going to take two days off, and go from there. It's been a hard season, but we'll keep battling," West said. "We play another very good team. Hopefully, we'll find a way to get something done."
As district champs, State College automatically qualified for the 6A state playoffs, which start Saturday March 10.
"We're confident. Our goal is to win a state championship," McNulty said. "However, we've got to focus on one game at a time. We can't be looking two or three games into the future. It's a new season every game."
ALTOONA (54): Crownover 3 0-0 9, Burchfield 1 0-0 3, Barry 0 0-0 0, Petucci 0 0-0 0, Queen 6 2-5 14, VonColln 2 0-0 6, Charles 1 2-2 4, Cherry 5 2-2 14, Foose 1 0-0 3, Robinson 1 0-0 3, Futrell 0 0-0 0, Crockett 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 20 6-9 54.
STATE COLLEGE (94): Ellis 1 1-2 3, McNulty 7 5-6 20, T. Friberg 8 1-1 20, D. Friberg 9 2-2 23, Clark 4 0-0 8, Benner 3 0-0 6, Villarouel 0 0-0 0, J. Friberg 0 0-0 0, Shaffer 1 1-2 4, Mobley 2 0-1 4, Lusk 1 0-0 2, Kile 0 2-2 2, Moore 0 2-2 2, C. Friberg 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 36 14-18 94.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Altoona 9 21 13 11 -- 54
State College 28 21 29 16 -- 94
3-point goals: Altoona 8 (Crownover 3, Burchfield, VonColln 2, Foose, Robinson); State College 8 (McNulty, T. Friberg 3, D. Friberg 3, Shaffer).
Records: Altoona (7-15); State College (23-1).