Dream season: Girard, Iroquois advance to District 10 boys basketball championship games
EDINBORO — Ron Pacley didn’t remember specifics like the date (Jan. 5) and final score (41-36).
However, the first-year coach for the Iroquois boys basketball program has no trouble recalling Fairview as the team the Braves beat for their most significant victory during the regular season.
Before then, Iroquois thought it could win District 10’s Class 2A tournament.
Since then, the Braves knew they could.
It’s why Tuesday’s 54-41 semifinal victory over the Eisenhower Knights wasn’t as eye-opening to Pacely as it might have been to others who watched it from the stands of General McLane’s gymnasium.
“Yes, there was a new coach and a whole new approach about how to play basketball,” he said, “but the (district title) was our goal. The satisfaction is great, but we’re not done yet.”
Iroquois, despite its sixth-seeded status and a 13-11 overall record, advanced to a district final for the first time since 2008. The Braves will face Cambridge Springs for the 2A title on Friday at a time and site to be determined.
The second-seeded Knights (19-5) must beat Mercer in Friday’s third-place game to advance to PIAA tournament.
Sophomore Kellen Burroughs scored 18 points for Iroquois, which avenged a 55-50 loss to Eisenhower on Dec. 12. Freshman Roman Caporale complimented the forward’s output with another 15.
“This is the best I’ve ever felt playing basketball,” Burroughs said.
Austin Hanson’s 14 points led the Knights.
Girard sweeps Fairview
One of the big things Girard prides itself in this year is its depth. On Tuesday, that was a key to beating rival Fairview a third time.
With standout guard Kenny Godoy on the bench early with three fouls, Zach Kelley knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half and Nate Edwards had his usual dominant game at point guard as Girard beat Fairview 56-38 in the District 10 Class 3A boys basketball semifinals at the Hagerty Family Events Center.
“Everyone is ready, and at practice we grind and make sure everyone is prepared to step in and play,” Kelley said. “Coach prepared us well for this game.”
Girard (22-2) moves on to the D-10 3A championship against top-seeded Franklin on Friday, while Fairview (9-15) gets another chance at making the PIAA tournament with a third-place game against Mercyhurst Prep.
The YellowJackets put on the pressure from the start in front of a jam-packed crowd, including two student sections at the HFEC. Fairview tried to slow the pace on offense, but Girard kept getting turnovers and pushing the ball to take a 16-14 lead after the first quarter.
The ‘Jackets extended the lead to 31-20 at the half and scored three buckets right away to start the third to pull away for the win.
Edwards finished with 24 points, while Kelley had 12 on four 3-pointers and Godoy had 11 despite missing time with fouls. Anthony Laboda led Fairview with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.
Cathedral Prep advances in state tournament
Cathedral Prep struggled to hit 3-pointers early in the game Tuesday, but once the Ramblers heated up it was tough for DuBois to stay in the game.
Prep knocked down 11 3-pointers, including four by sophomore Nando Mirarchi, to beat DuBois 65-53 in a PIAA Class 5A boys basketball subregional at the Hagerty Family Events Center.
“I was a little concerned about the shot selection in the first quarter but we started sharing the ball more in the second, third and fourth quarters,” first-year Prep coach Jeremy Lynch said. “The good shots started to fall.”
Prep (14-10) moves on to another subregional Friday as the Ramblers host Obama Academy. Both teams move on to the PIAA first round next week, but the game is important as the winner will host the fifth seed from the WPIAL in the first round and the loser travels to the home court of the WPIAL champion.
The Ramblers led 32-16 at the half behind getting rebounds and loose balls. Derek Galla finished the game with 16 rebounds and the second-chance opportunities were big for Prep. Mirarchi scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, while Amaree Pickens had seven of his 17 in the third quarter. Cam Thompson led DuBois with 21 points and Tyson Kennis had 13.
Franklin routs Mercyhurst Prep
Franklin has found plenty of ways to win during its 12-game D-10 playoff winning streak.
Four days after pouring in 93 points against Seneca, the top-seeded Knights got physical in Tuesday’s 69-43 Class 3A semifinal triumph against No. 4 Mercyhurst Prep. Jalen Wood poured in a game-high 28 points for Franklin (20-4), but the game was won on the glass, where the Knights generated plenty of extra opportunities and limited those of the Lakers (16-8).
“It just shows that we can come play both sides of the ball,” said Wood, a senior guard. “If we’re not firing on offense, we can come in and play defense and still get the win.”
Three of Franklin’s dozen playoff wins have come against Mercyhurst, including a quarterfinal last year and a semifinal in 2022. A third quarter which saw Franklin outscore the Lakers 31-8 proved crucial in Tuesday’s rematch.
“It’s business casual now. It’s routine; it’s expected,” Franklin senior forward Damon Curry said of a fourth finals trip. “My first year as a freshman, to do it with the leaders we had was a great statement, but to do it over and over again, it seems business casual now.”
Curry scored 11 points for the Knights while Dreyden Payne added nine and Cole Buckley chipped in eight.
Will a fourth consecutive D-10 title game yield identical results for the Knights? Staying true to themselves will be crucial, Wood said, if that’s to happen.
“(We need to) play us,” Wood said. “Don’t let them force us into people that we aren’t. Just keep playing who we are, and we’ll roll.”
Cambridge Springs coach gets 100th win
MEADVILLE — Cambridge Springs gave coach Becky Leandro her 100th career win by knocking off defending District 10 Class 2A champion Mercer 66-54 in the D-10 semifinals on Tuesday at Meadville High School.
Cambridge Springs (18-6) takes on red-hot Iroquois for the D-10 title on Friday, while Mercer (20-4) looks to return to the PIAA tournament with a win over Eisenhower in the D-10 third-place game.
The Blue Devils raced out to a 24-13 lead after the first quarter and led 42-31 at halftime. A big key for Cambridge Springs was keeping standout Daemyin Mattocks scoreless in the first half.
The Blue Devils led 51-42 after three quarters before Mercer cut the lead to 56-52 with 4:39 left. Cambridge Springs ended the game on a 10-2 run to secure the upset.
Owen Riley led Cambridge Springs with 19 points, while Tristen Mazzadra had 16 and Parker Schmidt scored 15. Braden Balaski scored 20 points for Mercer and Bubba Paler added 11.
Dragons fire up late offense
Warren maintained a double-digit advantage against Grove City for a large portion of the teams’ District 10 Class 4A semifinal.
Despite that cushion, it was a 10-0 scoring run over the final 2 minutes, 23 seconds of regulation that assured the Dragons of a berth in Friday’s championship game.
The tournament’s third seeds, thanks to their 59-46 victory, will take a 19-5 record into Friday’s matchup against the fifth-seeded Hickory Hornets.
Brady Berdine, who scored four points during Warren’s closing run, finished with 28 overall. The senior forward said the Dragons might have become too comfortable with the size of their lead over the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
“I know I got down on myself because I made a couple of mental mistakes when (the Eagles rallied),” Berdine said. “I think we got a little tired, but we got those two timeouts (in the fourth) and we got that energy back. We made a couple great stops on defense and great buckets on offense.”
Nathan Greer scored 17 points for Grove City, which carries a 14-10 record into the 4A third-place game. The Eagles will face the rival Sharon Tigers for the district’s last berth for the PIAA’s 4A tournament.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Girard and Iroquois will play for D-10 basketball titles Friday
