02/27/26 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle's Tyson Lestochi is mugged by Forest Hills' Xander Richardson.

CRESSON — In more than one way, turnabout was sweet and fair play for the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders in their 74-54 District 6 Class 3A boys basketball championship victory over Forest Hills Friday night before a packed house at the Mount Aloysius College Athletic and Convention Complex.

Beaten by Forest Hills in both last season’s district championship game as well as in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title game two weeks ago in which the Rangers dominated the second half of the contest, BG turned the tables Friday by doubling up Forest Hills, 42-21 over the final 16 minutes to wipe out a 33-32 halftime deficit.

It was the first District 6 Class 3A basketball championship won by this group of Marauders seniors, which includes starters Taurean Consiglio, Jake Kissell and Tyson Lestochi, and that was just one more thing that made Friday night especially gratifying for BG.

“Before tonight, we had never won (a district championship) with this group that are now seniors, and plenty of people let us know about it,” quipped BG coach Ryan Lestochi, whose team improved its season record to 23-4 and will open PIAA state tournament competition with a first-round home game against WPIAL seventh-place finisher Ligonier Valley next Saturday.

“Reaching that goal to get it with this group of seniors makes it extra special,” Lestochi said.

02/27/26 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle head coach Ryan Lestochi congregates with pulled starters Tyson Lestochi, Jake Kissell and Taurean Consiglio near the end of the game.

Consiglio, who scored 19 points for BG, felt that the Marauders snapped out of a bit of a district funk.

“We’ve always been cursed,” Consiglio said. “In my four years playing basketball here, we’ve come very close to winning districts, but I feel like we broke the curse tonight. It’s a great feeling.”

Sharp-shooting senior Tyson Lestochi, the coach’s son, chipped in 18 points for BG, which came out of the locker room storming in the second half, carrying the third quarter, 21-14, to take a 53-47 lead after three stops, and dominating the fourth quarter, 21-7, to win going away.

“I think it was amazing,” Tyson Lestochi said of the Marauders’ second-half blitzkrieg. “You only get one start in the second half of a game, and we executed very well on offense.”

Consiglio scored 10 points in the third quarter on four field goals, including a 3-pointer, and also completed a traditional 3-point play with a layup after driving through an open lane, getting fouled, and making the free throw to give BG a 10-point, 53-43 lead in the final minute of the period.

Consiglio’s 3-ball to start the third quarter put BG ahead, 35-33, and his layup moments later gave the Marauders a 37-35 lead in a game that went back and forth for the first two quarters and a half.

With the score tied, 37-37, BG put together a 16-8 run to go up by the 53-47 margin entering the fourth quarter. Ahead by just two points, 45-43, the Marauders reeled off the last eight points of the period, with sophomore Alex Krimmel — who led BG with 20 points — hitting his third 3-pointer of the night, then adding another field goal off a floating move near the key before Consiglio registered his 3-point play.

BG benefited from outstanding 3-point shooting in the game — the Marauders converted 12 of 19 from beyond the arc, with Krimmel hitting four and Tyson Lestochi and Consiglio canning three apiece.

“The 3-point shot was very important for us tonight,” said Krimmel, who is the son of former long-time Saint Francis University men’s basketball coach Rob Krimmel. “The first time that we played them this year, it was really rough, but the 3-pointers helped us get the win tonight.”

The Marauders converted several steals into fast-break layups in a fourth quarter in which they put the game out of reach.

After Xander Richardson’s 3-pointer shaved BG’s lead to nine points, 63-54, the Marauders scored the game’s last 11 points to win going away.

Forest Hills (23-4), was led by senior star forward Dylan Stohon’s game-high 27 points, but Stohon was the only player in double figures for the Rangers, who will host the WPIAL fourth-place finisher in the opening round of the state tournament next Saturday.

“We had a nice little run at the end of the second quarter to take the lead, but they started the third quarter the way that they started the game,” Forest Hills coach Dominic Vescovi said of the Marauders, who converted 26 of 37 floor shots in the game. “They were hot shooting tonight, and they moved the ball well.

“BG is going to make some noise in the state playoffs, and hopefully, we can see them again in the state tournament.”

Game notes: Forest Hills made 22 of 36 floor shots … A moment of recognition was held before the game for long-time PIAA official and evaluator Ted Beam, a Bishop Guilfoyle graduate, who passed away last September after a battle with heart disease.

FOREST HILLS (54): McGough 3 0-0 8, Gramling 0 0-0 0, Richardson 2 0-0 6, Stohon 11 5-8 27, B. Gregovich 2 0-0 4, C. Tokarsky 1 0-0 2, Myers 0 0-0 0, Gabany 3 1-2 7, Edmondson 0 0-0 0, Gay 0 0-0 0, D. Gregovich 0 0-0 0, L. Tokarsky 0 0-0 0, Henderson 0 0-0 0, Walker 0 0-0 0. Totals – 22 6-10 54.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (74): Consiglio 7 2-3 19, Ruggery 1 2-3 4, Krimmel 8 0-0 20, Kissell 2 1-2 6, G. Okonak 2 0-0 4, Lestochi 5 5-7 18, C. Okonak 1 0-0 3, Lightner 0 0-0 0, Shellenberger 0 0-0 0, Misiura 0 0-0 0, Baker 0 0-0 0. Totals – 26 10-15 74.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Forest Hills 13 20 14 7–54

Bishop Guilfoyle 19 13 21 21–74

3-point goals: Forest Hills 4 (McGough 2, Richardson 2); Bishop Guilfoyle 12 (Krimmel 4, Consiglio 3, Lestochi 3, C. Okonak, Kissell).

Records: Forest Hills (23-4); Bishop Guilfoyle (23-4).

Officials: Dan Amrhein, Cliff Kitner, Jason Moschgat.