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By Brad Rosemas
For the Mirror
JOHNSTOWN -- The Bishop Carroll boys basketball dynasty in District 6 has officially been extended.
The No. 5 seeded Huskies rode a 36-point performance from Luke Repko and stellar pressure defense to upset No. 1 seed Conemaugh Valley 89-75 in the Class 1A semifinals on Friday night.
Bishop Carroll has now advanced to the title tilt in 14 of the last 17 seasons, and will now face third-seeded Williamsburg in the championship game on Wednesday at Mount Aloysius College.
"Playing tough teams really helps us a lot," Repko said. "These bigger teams and bigger schools (in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference) really prepare us for games like this. (Conemaugh Valley) played a good game, and that's what we expected coming in. We just knew if we got locked in, we could win."
Williamsburg earned its way into the title game with a 53-51 victory over Bishop McCort, coming back after trailing by 16 at halftime.
During the Huskies' most recent string of championships from 2020-22, all three victories came over Williamsburg. Bishop Carroll has claimed eight total district titles since 2008.
"This just means I have a great staff and great players," Bishop Carroll coach Cosie Aliquo said. "All of the guys stepped up today. I'm very proud of the effort. The guys know their roles and fill them very well."
Bishop Carroll (14-10) pushed through the pressure of playing in its biggest game of the year, but the Huskies also had to deal with the tension of four of its five starters going nearly the entire second half in foul trouble.
Repko, point guard Jace Casses and forward Max Oravec all picked up their fourth fouls in the last 2:23 of the third quarter. Parker Alexander also went into the final frame with three fouls.
Nonetheless, the Huskies maintained their full-court pressure defense and turned just a two-point late third quarter lead into going ahead by as many as 12 in the heat of the fourth.
"We still wanted to be aggressive, but we couldn't be stupid with fouls," Repko said. "We didn't reach and just did our best to box out and not get called. We did a great job of playing smart in the second half."
The Huskies led by 11 through three quarters after closing the frame on an 11-2 run. Conemaugh Valley used a 13-4 spurt to cut the deficit to 56-54 prior to Bishop Carroll's scoring stretch.
"They know I trust them," Aliquo said of the foul trouble. "There are times where they have three fouls in the first half. It's all about trust. If you don't trust them, they're just going to sit on the bench. We need them out there doing their jobs."
Bishop Carroll outscored Conemaugh Valley 22-19 in the fourth to seal the win. The Blue Jays (19-5) came within seven points on multiple occasions in the frame but could not get any closer.
The first quarter consisted of seven lead changes, as the Huskies held a 20-19 advantage after one.
Bishop Carroll then used an 11-2 run to go ahead 37-27 before Casses knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:16 to go in the half to give the Huskies their biggest lead at 14 points. Conemaugh Valley recorded 10 giveaways in the first half compared to just one for Bishop Carroll.
Casses finished with 15 points, while Alexander and Will Tremel each tallied 14.
Bishop Carroll (89): Oravec 3 0-0 6, Tremel 5 2-2 14, Casses 6 2-2 15, Sekerak 2 0-0 4, Repko 13 9-11 36, Alexander 3 6-8 14, Becquet 0 0-0 0. Totals-- 32 19-23 89.
Conemaugh Valley (75): Henry 5 0-0 15, Yackulich 3 4-4 10, Miller 0 0-0 0, Percinsky 6 4-4 17, Dietz 6 10-11 22, Masser 3 3-5 9, Korhut 1 0-0 2. Totals-- 24 21-24 75.
Score by Quarters
Bishop Carroll 20 23 24 22 -- 89
Conemaugh Valley 19 16 21 19 -- 75
3-point field goals: Bishop Carroll 6 (Tremel 2, Alexander 2, Repko, Casses); Conemaugh Valley 6 (Henry 5, Percinsky).
Records: Bishop Carroll 14-10; Conemaugh Valley 19-5.