Unbeaten New Castle eyes state title
New Castle basketball coach Ralph Blundo talks with his team during practice on Monday. The undefeated Red Hurricanes are headed to the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinal today against Abington at Chambersburg High School.
Unbeaten New Castle eyes PIAA AAAA state championship
By Greg Gulas
On the day that the New Castle Red Hurricanes added Hampton High School to its “quad-squad” of victims, they also punched a second straight ticket to this year’s PIAA AAAA state tournament which opens play today in Chambersburg, Pa.
By virtue of Saturday’s 57-55 win over the Talbots in Bethel Park, WPIAL champion New Castle earned the right to meet the Abington Galloping Ghosts, who prevailed Saturday by a 56-52 count over Philadelphia Martin Luther King.
Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
At 29-0 and ranked 34th nationally in the most recent USA Today poll, New Castle head coach Ralph Blundo knows he has something very special in the western part of the state, yet takes nothing for granted.
“This team is special because the culture is deeply rooted. You cannot win this many games without good players,” Blundo said. “They play extremely hard, night in and night out and play a style not many opponents are accustomed to seeing, let alone play against.”
The team’s mantra is “Guard every board of the floor; 94 feet, 32 minutes.” It has produced 49 straight wins over WPIAL opponents a 105-10 record over the past four years.
Blundo is 131-12 as a head coach, including one year at George Junior.
His teaching technique is simple. While some might call it a clich , the entire roster understands there is no “I” in team.
“We play like we practice. These guys all have the intangibles to be great because they are extraordinarily tough and care deeply for their teammates,” Blundo said. “That means you will do more for each other so when you combine that with talent and ability, you then have a recipe for success.”
The ‘Canes head to the final four with an 85-2 mark in their last 87 games and three consecutive district titles. New Castle was denied a shot in last year’s title when it lost to eventual champion Lower Merion. It fell in the Great Eight two years ago to the Montour Spartans, which finished second to Neumann-Goretti High School.
Ranked first in the WPIAL Class AAAA according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and second in the state by the Harrisburg Patriot-News, the only thing missing is that elusive state crown for a fan base that Blundo and team call second to none.
“Our fan base is fantastic. We have 800 season ticket holders and conservatively we’ll sell between 1,500-2,000 tickets for a playoff game,” he said. “Fans line up around the school for tickets and it’s really hard to find venues that can accommodate them when they travel to see us play. With so many jobs lost in our area due to industry, we give our fans hope and something to hold on to.”
The ‘Canes have scored 2,107 points this season and are outscoring opponents by a 72.7-47.3 clip.
Yet the team looks more like an aggregation of football players as opposed to hardwood royalty as four starters have earned football scholarships.
Malik Hooker, a strong safety in football who signed to play at Ohio State, leads the team in both scoring (23 points per game) and rebounding (nine).
Guard Anthony Richards, who will play basketball at West Virginia Wesleyan College next year, averages 13 points while making more than 100 3-pointers this season and more than 300 for his career.
Twins Drew and Stew Allen will go their separate ways upon graduation. Drew, a point guard who averages 10 points and six assists per game, will play football at Robert Morris and Stew (11 points, six rebounds), the team’s center, will play football at Duquesne.
Jake McPhatter, who averages nine points per contest, will head to Ball State on a football scholarship. Senior center Levar Ware, is one the teams’ top rebounders and shot blockers and guard Robert Natale, the only junior, a deadly game-changer from 3-point range.
“While for some basketball is their life, football is their career and both sports have taught them discipline both on the court and field, as well as in the classroom,” Blundo said. “Our seniors, all of whom are four-year letterwinners, have a chip on their shoulders as they have tasted district gold the last three years. We’re just trying to get this done one practice [and] one game at a time.”
A win today would send New Castle into Saturday’s final against the winner of Chester High School and La Salle College.
The Vikings advanced to the Final Four with a 66-36 win over the Rustin Golden Knights while the Explorers punched their ticket with a 71-48 defeat of defending state champion Lower Merion.
Game time at Hershey’s GIANT Center is set for 8 p.m.