YOUNGSTOWN Turnovers hurt Irish in loss to St. Thomas

The Knights outscored Ursuline 28-12 in the fourth quarter.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- For three quarters Friday, the Ursuline High basketball team managed to hold its own with Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas.
But the Irish made 13 costly mistakes in the fourth quarter and lost 67-52 to the Knights.
"Our speed in the fourth quarter was the difference," St. Thomas' coach Dave Waseity said. "We are 11 deep and can play anybody at multiple spots at any time."
The Irish (0-1), behind by a point at halftime, started the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 34-31 lead and they were ahead 40-39 going into the final eight minutes.
"I thought we did some nice things for three quarters," Ursuline coach Steve Leslie said. "We played better tonight, but need to work on two big things. We'll have to work on cutting down on our turnovers (27) and on rebounding."
The Irish fell behind seven points in the first quarter, but kept picking away until they got within one (40-39) after two periods.
Taking control
The Knights (1-0) took control in the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to go ahead 50-42.
"We switch from our full court pressure to a different kind of matchup and that caused them to make errors and we took advantage of that," Waseity said.
"It's our plan to play defense and get turnovers, but when you can get someone to pop 3s, that means a lot to your offense," Waseity said.
Steve Balcarcel, 6-0 junior guard, and Sean Schott, 6-1 guard, combined for eight 3-pointers.
Balcarcel connected on five in the first half as the Knights. Schott connected on a 3-pointer in the second period and added two more in the fourth, when the Knights put the game away with a 28-12 surge.
"I thought we would be really good at making threes, but they came in streaks for us tonight," Waseity said.
Leslie said, "After a couple of possessions in the final quarter, we lost our poise and made some errors."
Three turnovers resulted in three baskets as the Irish fell behind 45-42 and they couldn't recover as the Knights went on a 18-4 run (59-44).
Leaders
Balcarcel paced the Knights with 10 points. Dennis Underwood added 15 and 10 rebounds.
Schott, held scoreless in the first and third quarters, finished with 11 points.
Stefan Thompson sparked the Irish with 13 points. He also had six rebounds and three assists.
Brad Bowman chipped in with nine points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Isaiah Poindexter and Brett Neely added eight points apiece. Poindexter had seven rebounds and five assists.