Casses

Bishop Carroll Catholic senior Jace Casses was named to the boys basketball Pa. Sportswriters All-State first team on Thursday, marking the third year in a row he was recognized but the first time he made the first team.

“I am really happy for him. After all the work he’s put in, it’s very well deserved,” Bishop Carroll coach Cosie Aliquo said. “It comes from his work ethic and his competitive will.”

Casses was a third-team selection as a sophomore and a second team as a junior.

“It feels like all the hard work I put in is finally coming together and after three years of just coming up short, it feels like it was worth it,” Casses said. “I wouldn’t change my journey for the world. And a lot of my success goes to Coach Cosie and him keeping me on a good path and continuing to show up.”

Casses averaged 26.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per game and was named the Altoona Mirror’s Player of the Year earlier in April.

“His freshman year was rough,” Aliquo said “But playing with players like Luke (Repko) his sophomore year helped him develop a work ethic that is off the chart. He was always working to improve and did every year.”

Casses joins Tristan McDannell (2020) and Brandon Martinazzi (2015) as players who earned first-team recognition for Bishop Carroll under Aliquo. McDannell and Martinazzi were also honored twice before they reached first-team status.

In addition to Casses, Glendale junior Rhylan Hoopsick-Bell made the second team in 1A.

“Rhylan’s second team all-state honor reflects the same excellence he brings every day as a National Honor Society student,” Glendale coach Greg Mazenko said. “He is an outstanding young man who is hardworking, easy to coach, and kind to everyone around him. We are proud of all he has accomplished and excited for his future especially considering he only started playing basketball a little more than three years ago.”

Claysburg-Kimmel senior Brayden Haney was selected to the Class 2A second team. Haney helped Claysburg-Kimmel win a school-history-best 20 games this past season.

“Brayden has worked real hard to get where he is today,” Bulldogs coach Mike Harris said. “He’s the all-time leading scorer for C-K. We wouldn’t be where we were this season without him.”

In Class 3A, Penn Cambria’s Caden Gibbons and Bishop Guilfoyle Academy’s Taurean Consiglio each made the third team.

“Caden had one of the most dynamic boys hoops seasons since I have been part of PC hoops as a player and a coach,” Penn Cambria coach Jim Ronan said. “He could dribble, shoot, finish at the rim, guard multiple types of players and jump out of the gym. Caden really put us on his back this year on a regular basis.”

Consiglio helped BG make the PIAA Class 3A semifinals and win a District 6 title.

“A well deserved recognition for Taurean,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Ryan Lestochi said. “An amazing accomplishment, especially after the two surgeries. He did it on both sides of the court as well as anyone. Taurean will go down as one of the most decorated athletes BG has ever had — he’s been all-state now in both football and basketball.”

In addition to the local players, Altoona native Mike Iuzzolino was voted the Pa. Sportswriters Class 2A co-Coach of the Year for helping Sewickley Academy win the state championship along with 2A Player of the Year Mamadou Kane.

“You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with and this honor is really shared with my staff and players,” Iuzzolino said. “I am very blessed to be at a great school and this selection is the result of the hard work everyone at Sewickley Academy has put into the boys basketball program.”