YCS streaks into big rematch

By JOHN KOVACH

kovach@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

Will the Youngstown Christian High basketball team be able to break through McDonald’s unrelenting defensive pressure to score points?

And will McDonald be able to deal with Youngstown Christian’s height advantage and versatility that enable the Eagles to score from anywhere on the court?

Stay tuned for the long awaited rematch between the two small-school powers, when the Eagles and Blue Devils collide for the Division IV district championship Friday night at the Struthers Fieldhouse.

Youngstown Christian set up the rematch by overcoming Lowellville’s 12 3-point goals and pouring on the offense down the stretch to streak away to a 70-46 victory Tuesday night in a district semifinal.

Last March, Youngstown Christian ousted the Blue Devils in the district showdown, and the two teams haven’t played since.

Friday’s winner will qualify for next week’s regional at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.

“It will be a war, pure and simple,” said Youngstown Christian (21-1) coach Dolph Carroll of the McDonald rematch. “They have a great defense. They are going to try to not let us bring the ball down the court. They will bring a lot of pressure defense against us.”

So, “We are going to have to break their press.”

The Eagles were able to overcome Lowellville’s defensive tactics and get the ball inside to big men Casey Carroll, the coach’s son, and Anthony Walker, while John Pecchia and Louis Fatimus provided firepower from all over the court, as they broke open a close game and peeled away from the Rockets in the closing minutes.

Pecchia scored 18 points, Carroll 16, Fatimus 15 and Walker 11 to lead the Eagles’ well-balanced attack.

Lowellville (17-6) managed to make a game of it throughout and into the fourth quarter behind the long-range shooting of Pat Minnie and Mauro Amendola.

Minnie had a game-high 20 points with six 3-point goals, five of them in the first half, while Amendola added 14 points including three treys. Anthony Alfano contributed nine points.

The Rockets outscored the Eagles by 10-4 early in the fourth quarter to surge within 54-46.

But then Lowellville went cold and began turning over the ball, while Youngstown Christian regained its scoring touch, and sparked by Fatimus, Walker and Carroll closed the game with a 14-0 scoring run to turn a close battle into a romp.

“[Lowellville] got the 3s and turnovers and that’s what kept them in the game,” said Carroll.

But he said that the Eagles’ versatile scoring overcame Lowellville when the latter started missing shots.

‘“That’s what we are blessed with. Our kids can play and score both inside and outside. That’s what gives us a tremendous amount of versatility,” said Carroll. “The players are unselfish and they don’t care who scores.”