A lot to like so far: Marauders impress first-year coach Lestochi in win
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MARTINSBURG -- First-year Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School boys basketball coach Ryan Lestochi has inherited a talented team that has the ability to torch the opposition with its outside shooting, wear down an opponent with a fast-break running game, benefit from a balanced scoring attack, and hold its own in the paint.
And, oh yes, the Marauders also play a scrappy, disruptive, in-your-face brand of defense.
BG showed off all aspects of its game Thursday night, starting strong and finishing equally as strong, en route to a 56-33 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over Central at the Central High School gymnasium.
The victory improved the unbeaten Marauders' overall and conference record to 6-0, and so far, Lestochi definitely likes what he is seeing from his squad.
"We knew that this was going to be a tough environment for us to play in here tonight,'' Lestochi said. "We thought that this would be a real test for us, and I'd say that our boys passed the test in front of a tough crowd and against a really tough team.
"Our boys have played a lot of basketball together, including travel ball in the offseason, but you never know about how a team will do in high school competition, because that's a little bit of a different animal,'' Lestochi added. "They certainly came to play today.''
BG set the tone for the game in front of a packed gymnasium on the road by roaring to a 24-9 second-quarter lead.
Sophomore guard Jake Kissell came off the bench to hit a pair of 3-pointers during the opening surge, while 6-foot-8 junior Trevor Rehm scored three field goals, both junior Jude Haigh and sophomore Tyson Lestochi chipped in a 3-pointer and a regular field goal, and sophomore Taurean Consiglio scored a pair of field goals.
"Our motto is always to start hard, start fast, and play the game together,'' Ryan Lestochi said. "Defensively, we always want to put pressure on the other team. Offensively, we ran a little bit, we were able to get some layups and open looks, and I was also proud of how our players handled themselves in the open court.''
BG came up with 12 steals in the game, several of which the Marauders converted into fast-break layups.
"We've been averaging 12 to 14 steals per game,'' Ryan Lestochi said. "We're aggressive, we like to trap, and we are able to force some steals and create some extra opportunities for ourselves on offense.''
That was the case Thursday, and Central (6-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference) turned the ball over 23 times in the game.
"They're a hard team to score on,'' Central coach Paul Frederick said of the Marauders. "They have some length in their lineup, and their guards keep the ball out of the paint. For the most part, we weren't able to get any penetration against their defense tonight.
"We came out and defended really well ourselves, and forced a couple of turnovers, but every time we forced a turnover, we'd wind up turning the ball over right away ourselves,'' Frederick added. "(BG) deserves some of the credit for that because of the way they played defense, but we've got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. And as the head coach, that falls on me.''
BG led 30-17 at intermission, before Central clawed back and whittled the deficit to 30-22 early in the third quarter on a 3-point shot by junior forward Eli Muthler.
BG responded by reeling off the next seven points, however, with Tyson Lestochi accounting for all seven.
Tyson Lestochi, who scored a game-high 19 points, drove for a layup, was fouled, and converted the free throw for a 3-point play to start the rally. He then came up with a steal, drew another foul, and hit two free throws to stake BG to a 35-22 advantage. He finished the spurt by turning another steal into a layup to give BG the 37-22 cushion.
"I really wanted to win badly tonight, and I just played hard,'' said Tyson Lestochi, who is the son of the head coach. "I wanted to keep our team's energy up and keep us rolling.''
After Central scored the last six points of the third quarter to draw to within 37-28 after three stops, BG salted the game away by reeling off the first seven points of the final quarter for a 44-28 lead.
Haigh hit four of four free throws and freshman Troy Ruggery came off the bench to hit a 3-point shot from the left corner, as the Marauders - who carried the fourth quarter, 19-5 — kept Central at arm's length.
Jake Kissell scored 11 points in the game for BG, while Smith led Central with 13 points and Muthler added 12.
Central had a 31-20 overall rebounding edge, with Smith grabbing nine, but Rehm - who Ryan Lestochi called "a monster" on the boards — led all rebounders with 11.
BG converted 20 of 46 floor shots for a 43.5 percent clip, while Central made just 11 of 40 floor shots for 27.5 percent.
Both teams have a Christmas break before resuming play next week. Central will participate in the Hollidaysburg Golden Tiger Classic next Thursday, while BG is in a tournament next Thursday and Saturday at North Allegheny High School in suburban Pittsburgh, facing Butler on Thursday and Gateway on Saturday.
"We're going to be facing two of the top teams in the Pittsburgh area in Butler and Gateway,'' Ryan Lestochi said. "We're going to really have to be ready.''
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (56): Haigh 2 4-4 9, Tr. Rehm 3 0-0 6, Consiglio 4 0-0 8, Gates 0 0-0 0, Lestochi 6 6-9 19, J. Kissell 4 0-0 11, Foor 0 0-0 0, T. Ruggery 1 0-0 3, C. Kissell 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 20 10-19 56.
CENTRAL (33): Muthler 4 2-4 12, H. Smith 5 2-2 13, Albright 1 0-0 2, Garver 1 1-4 4, Long-Yarrison 0 0-0 0, Bettwy 0 0-0 0, Byler 0 2-2 2, Sparks 0 0-0 0, Klotz 0 0-0 0, D. Smith 0 0-0 0, Bassler 0 0-0 0, Lingenfelter 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 11 7-11 33.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Guilfoyle 12 18 7 19--56
Central 4 13 11 5--33
3-point goals: Bishop Guilfoyle 6 (J. Kissell 3, T. Ruggery, Haigh, Lestochi); Central 4 (Muthler 2, Smith, Garver):
Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (6-0 overall and in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Central (6-2, 4-1).
Officials: Skip Dry, Bill Pfeffer, Mike Andrews.
JV: Bishop Guilfoyle, 60-31. High scorers--Parker White, BG, 22; Mason Byler, C, 7.