Basketball

BG pulls out OT victory in league final

By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Wednesday night's Blair Regional YMCA high school boys basketball league championship game between Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic and Tyrone was only a summer league matchup, but, especially in its final stages, it featured all the energy of many March high school playoff battles.

Trailing 21-9 after one quarter, BG battled back to eventually tie the game, 51-51, on incoming junior Jake Kissell's buzzer-beating bucket in regulation that forced overtime.

Incoming senior Jude Haigh, who scored a game-high 27 points, then cashed in a field goal and two free throws during the extra four-minute session, which BG carried, 5-1, to grind out a 56-52 win.

"We had to push it in the second half, and we kept our composure tonight,'' Haigh said. "We just grinded it out as a team, and we had the effort and the attitude to get the job done.''

After incoming senior forward Drew Escala's turnaround jumper with five seconds left in regulation had given Tyrone a 51-49 lead, BG called a timeout and set up a play for Haigh to take the final shot.

When that didn't materialize, incoming junior Tyson Lestochi found Kissell open on the low block and Kissell registered the game-tying field goal to beat the buzzer, knotting the score at 51-51 and forcing overtime.

"We were running a play for (Haigh), but we set a screen, I slipped inside and Tyson found me open on the low block,'' Kissell said. "It was a great team win, and I'm excited for (the) next (PIAA) basketball season with the team that we have.''

BG won despite the absence of incoming senior big man Trevor Rehm, who was competing in a travel basketball league in Virginia.

"It's important for us as a team to learn how to play without key players, because that can happen during the regular high school basketball season, and you have to adjust,'' BG coach Ryan Lestochi said. "This was a great environment for everybody here and a good, competitive game.''

Tyrone led after every quarter, rolling out to the 21-9 lead after one stop behind its top three scorers. Incoming senior guard Sam Crilly, who led Tyrone with 17 points in the game, scored eight points in the first quarter, while Escala, who chipped in 16 points in the game, scored seven in the first 10 minutes and junior guard Eli Woomer scored six of his 11 points in the opening period.

BG trailed, 34-23, at halftime and 40-34 after three quarters before rallying for a 17-11 advantage in the fourth quarter behind Haigh's four field goals and a free throw.

"I thought our kids played really hard, and competed really hard,'' Tyrone coach Luke Rhoades said. "We moved the ball very well in the first quarter, and we played good defense all night long except for that last-second shot they made in regulation.

"This gives us something to build on,'' Rhoades added.

BG, which will drop from Class 3A to Class 1A this upcoming year, appears to be a strong contender for a state basketball championship next March. Tests like the one that Tyrone presented Wednesday will help the Marauders prepare for the long run.

"Both teams played with a lot of passion tonight, and both teams wanted to win this game,'' Ryan Lestochi said. "This was a good test for us.''

Game notes: Johnstown High School's Raheem Braswell, who will be a junior this fall, earned the league's Sportsmanship Award ... The Keystone Barber School of Altoona provided shorts that were worn by the players and officials in the championship game.

TYRONE (52): Escala 7 1-2 16, Woomer 4 0-0 11, Crilly 5 5-6 17, Lehner 1 0-0 2, M. Emigh 0 0-0 0, A. Emigh 1 0-0 2, Adams 1 2-2 4. Totals - 19 8-10 52.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE CATHOLIC (56): Haigh 10 6-6 27, Lestochi 4 1-3 9, Consiglio 3 0-1 6, J. Kissell 2 0-0 4, Ruggery 0 1-2 1, C. Kissell 1 0-0 2, G. Okonak 2 0-0 4, C. Okonak 1 0-0 3. Totals - 23 8-12 56.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tyrone 21 13 6 11 1--52

Bishop Guilfoyle 9 14 11 17 5--56

3-point goals: Tyrone 6 (Woomer 3, Crilly 2, Escala); Bishop Guilfoyle 2 (Haigh, C. Okonak).

Officials: Wally Reimer, Dave Heim, Kevin Laird.