PENNSYLVANIA Kennedy Catholic snares District 10 Class A crown
The Golden Eagles beat Commodore Perry to gain the state playoffs.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Three down and four to go.
That is the scenario facing the Kennedy Catholic High boys basketball team if it's to reach the PIAA state championship game.
After disposing of Villa Maria and Jamestown in the first two rounds, the Eagles defeated Commodore Perry 61-41 Friday to capture the District 10 Class A championship at Morrow Field House.
"We have four left and they will be tough ones," said Kennedy coach Tim Loomis about entering the state playoffs next weekend.
"There are four good teams in the Pittsburgh area and we will play three of the four right from the start," he added. "It always seems as though we have the toughest bracket, but that is all right. We are probably going to play Sacred Heart in the first round."
Panthers regroup
Although Kennedy (23-4) methodically built an 11-2 advantage from the opening tip, the Panthers (13-14) didn't run and hide. Instead, they battled back to trail by only three until a 10-foot jumper by Shamus Reimold gave the Golden Eagles a 22-17 lead at halftime.
"We had two freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors on the floor because of our foul problems," said Loomis. "We played the whole second period without most of our front-line players, but actually I was pretty happy with the job they [the younger kids] did.
"We came out strong and real business-like just as I wanted, but the foul trouble really hurt us."
Defense delivers
Holding the five-point lead, the Golden Eagles used an in-your-face defense to generate offense, and once again it worked as they steadily pulled away.
"The kids really got after it in the second half," said Loomis. "We are not a good offensive team so our defense has to give us some opportunities.
"We said for the past three days that we were going to start picking up the intensity on defense a little. It has been good, but it hasn't been as good as it was earlier in the season," he added. "Our main focus tonight was to pick up the defense and create more opportunities for us by getting on the offensive glass."
Leading the Golden Eagles in scoring were Brandon Mirizio with 19 points and David Jackson with 17, while Reimold chipped in with another 10.
For Commodore Perry, freshman Clay Sindlinger led the way with 16 points.
West Middlesex 65, Jamestown 44
In the preliminary game, West Middlesex (14-12) earned a berth in the state playoffs as the Big Reds downed Jamestown (16-11).
The Muskies held a 36-32 lead in the third period, but the Big Reds scored 25 unanswered points to tear the game wide open.
Leading the Reds to their win was Bobby Michaels with a game-high 25 points. Joining Michaels in doubles for WMSX were Paul Fair with 18 and Josh Holzworth with 12.
For Jamestown, Joe Hermann finished with 17 points.