After advancing to the PIAA Class 3A state basketball quarterfinals last March, the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders are one of the top teams in that state classification again this year, and they’re a legitimate candidate to win the gold medal at Hershey.

The Marauders ride an inside-outside offensive attack that is truly formidable, combining a coast-to-coast running game, dead-eye 3-point shooting, physical length and athleticism, and the ability to get paint touches and score from the low blocks as well.

BG put it all on display Friday night at the Pleasant Valley gymnasium, placing four players in double figures and 10 in the scoring column overall, en route to a 79-53 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference rout of Bedford.

“I thought that we played very good team defense early in the game, and offensively, we were very patient,” said BG coach Chris Drenning, whose team improved to 16-2 overall and 13-1 in the conference.

“We have a number of kids who can shoot the ball, and as we got going tonight, we got better shots,” Drenning added. “When you get better shots, they have a greater chance of going in, and when we get quality shots, we can be really tough to guard.”

Senior forward Patrick Haigh led BG with 20 points, while three sophomores — Haigh’s brother, Jude (14 points), guard Nick Foor (10), and forward Trevor Rehm (10) — also scored in double figures.

The 6-foot-7 Rehm was also a beast on the boards, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds as the Marauders carved out a 33-20 rebounding edge.

“We had only one practice after our last game (at Richland Wednesday), but we played really good defense, and we scored on offense,” Rehm said. “We have a really balanced team, we can move the ball, and anybody on our team can make a big play for us.”

Bedford opened an early 5-0 lead on a 3-point shot by senior guard Kevin Ressler, who scored a game-high 23 points, and an inside bucket by sophomore Dalton Hylton.

Then BG flexed its offensive muscles, reeling off the next 19 points, with Patrick Haigh scoring eight on a pair of 3-pointers and a field goal, Rehm scoring two inside field goals, Jude Haigh chipping in a trey, and Foor and sophomore Chase Kissell both contributing a bucket.

“They’re a real tough matchup,” Bedford coach Pete Bordi said of the Marauders. “Offensively, they come at you from the outside and inside, and it’s tough to take away both aspects of their game.

“And if the Haigh brothers are both scoring well, it makes defending against the whole team that much harder,” Bordi added.

A 3-pointer by senior Matt Edwards pulled Bedford to within 27-19 in the second quarter, but BG responded by reeling off the next nine points — including a 3-pointer and a field goal from Jude Haigh — to take a 36-22 lead at halftime.

Drenning was able to substitute liberally throughout the game, and the Marauders pushed their advantage to 54-36 after three stops.

Resssler had a game-high 11 rebounds for Bedford (7-11, 6-10), which also got 11 points from senior guard John Black.

“Kevin gives us an offensive spark,” Bordi said of Ressler. “He had a nice game with 23 points. There just wasn’t enough (overall offense) to go around for us tonight.”

BG did not have that problem.

“We had very good balanced scoring, which any coach likes to see,” Drenning said. “A number of kids played for us tonight, and they all contributed.”

Game notes: Bedford converted 20 of 52 floor shots for a 38.5 percent clip, while BG made 35 of 61 for a sizzling 57.4 percent … Bedford rifled in 11 3-pointers, with Ressler torching the basket from beyond the arc five times … Bishop Guilfoyle is back in action Wednesday night, when the Marauders play a conference road game at Bishop Carroll.

BEDFORD (53): Ressler 9 0-2 23, Hylton 1 0-0 2, Black 4 2-3 11, Edwards 2 0-0 6, Wilson 2 0-0 6, Swaim 0 0-0 0, Ruffley 1 0-0 3, Tedrow 1 0-0 2, Koontz 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0. Totals – 20 2-5 53.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (79): P. Haigh 9 0-0 20, J. Haigh 5 2-2 14, Woolridge 0 0-0 0, Trev. Rehm 5 0-0 10, Foor 4 0-1 10, Kiesewetter 1 0-0 2, J. Kissell 3 0-0 7, C. Kissell 3 0-0 6, Consiglio 1 0-1 2, Ruggery 2 0-0 4, Robertson 2 0-0 4, Ty. Rehm 0 0-0 0, Yanoshak 0 0-0 0. Totals – 35 2-4 79.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bedford 5 17 14 17–53

Bishop Guilfoyle 17 19 18 25–79

3-point goals: Bedford 11 (Ressler 5, Edwards 2, Wilson 2, Black, Ruffley): Bishop Guilfoyle 7 (P. Haigh 2, J. Haigh 2, Foor 2, J. Kissell):

Records: Bedford (7-11 overall, 6-10 in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Bishop Guilfoyle (16-2, 13-1).

Officials: Skip Dry, Mike Andrews, Todd Parker.

JV: Bishop Guilfoyle, 69-60. High scorers–Cole Taylor, BED, 13; Chase Kissell and Braden Reilly, BG, 17 apiece.