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Beaver Falls rallies to win Class AA title
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press
STATE CHAMPS--Holy Cross' Connor Callejas (13) stumbles as he dribbles against Beaver Falls' Javon Turner in the first half of the PIAA Class AA boys basketball championship game, Saturday, March 23, in Hershey, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
by Genaro C. Armas
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — The Beaver Falls defense came in waves, and it didn't stop whether the team was down 12 or surging ahead in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers' pressure finally wore down Holy Cross late, especially with the Crusaders' 6-foot-6 center Josh Kosin in foul trouble.
The Tigers took advantage of Kosin's absence by attacking the basket, hitting 3-pointers and making clutch foul shots down the stretch to rally for a 69-63 victory Saturday to win the state Class AA title.
"We just ramped up the pressure a little bit to a level perhaps that they hadn't seen," Tigers coach Doug Biega said. "I'm just very proud of how our team closed the game."
Micoy Mason hit two late 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for the WPIAL champions, who lost in the finals last year to Imhotep Charter, this year's Class AAA champ. Four Tigers finished in double figures.
But the Tigers (28-3) pride themselves especially on defense. They limited the Scranton-area Crusaders (27-6) to 36 percent shooting in the second half after Holy Cross hit 60 percent before halftime.
Having Kosin (25 points, 11 rebounds) hampered with four fouls for much of the second half didn't help. Holy Cross led by eight at the half and 48-41 after three quarters thanks in large part to Kosin.
He understandably plays a huge part in stabilizing Holy Cross on the offensive end, and provides a defensive presence down low.
But the Crusaders seemed to lose aggressiveness as Kosin and frontcourt-mate Casey Gaughan (10 points) battled foul trouble. Gaughan also entered the fourth with four fouls and eventually fouled out.
"Anytime guys get in foul trouble, we have a problem. We get short in a hurry," Holy Cross coach Al Callejas said. "We had two guys in foul trouble and that kind of hurt us. It was a physical game."
Beaver Falls got its last seven points at the foul line, including a pair of big shots by Drew Cook with 10 seconds left.
Just seconds earlier Cook missed two foul shots with his team leading by three. The errant free throws breathed new life into Holy Cross' hopes for a miracle comeback. But Cook (15 points, six rebounds) dashed those hopes by sinking both shots.
Beaver Falls finished 8-of-21 shooting from the 3-point arc, including the three 3s in the final five minutes — two by Mason — and a handful of 3s in the first quarter that helped the Tigers hang in the game after Kosin dominated early.
"If we're hitting our 3s and executing our plays, we'll be in pretty good shape, and that's what happened," Mason said.
Beaver Falls' Dan Stratton scored 14 points before fouling out, while Elijah Cottrill added 12.
Holy Cross controlled the pace early, buoyed by a boisterous student section that showed up in white for a makeshift "whiteout" inside the Giant Center.
Kosin gave Holy Cross a 35-27 halftime lead by altering a couple of shot attempts on the defensive end and hitting a pair of foul shots after chasing down a loose ball.
"We threw everything but the kitchen sink at that kid to stop him, and we really didn't," Biega said. "He scored 25 points in 27 minutes."
What did stop limit Kosin was foul trouble.
Kosin picked up his fourth foul with 1:06 left in the third quarter. He and Gaughan were on the bench when the fourth quarter started, but the pair quickly re-entered as Callejas sought to slow down the Tigers' momentum.
It didn't really help. The Crusaders were outscored 28-15 in the final quarter.
"I'm so proud of our effort," Callejas said. "Give Beaver Falls credit ... They hustled all over the place. Eventually that's what cost us."
Callejas' son, Connor, finished with 12 points and six assists for the Crusaders.
Beaver Falls last won a state title in 2005.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 March 2013 20:08
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Pitt signs Dixon to extension through 2022-23
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press
STAYING AT PITT--Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon shouts to his team during a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament against Wichita State in Salt Lake City, March 21. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
by Will Graves
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jamie Dixon isn't going anywhere but back to work.
Last Updated on Saturday, 23 March 2013 19:17
Hits: 478
Baylor's Griner more than just girl who can dunk
Category: Sports Written by Stephan Broadus
SHOT BLOCKER--Baylor's Brittney Griner (42) celebrates after breaking the NCAA women's career record for blocks as Odyssey Sims (0) and Oklahoma's Aaryn Ellenberg (3) stand by during the second half of a college basketball game in Waco Texas. Baylor was announced Monday, March 18, to join Connecticut, Stanford and Notre Dame as a No. 1 seed in the women's tournament, marking the second straight season those four schools were the top seeds. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
by Stephen Hawkins
AP Basketball Writer
WACO, Texas (AP) — Brittney Griner arrived at Baylor known as the girl who could dunk.
Last Updated on Thursday, 21 March 2013 09:06
Hits: 319
Pittsburgh has another breakdown in NCAAs
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press
ONE AND DONE--Wichita State Chadrack Lufile, left, fights for the ball with Pittsburgh's Steven Adams during a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City, Thursday, March 21. (AP Photo/George Frey)
by Lynn BeBruin
AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — This was supposed to be a comeback season for Pittsburgh after failing to make the NCAA tournament last year.
But a quarterfinal loss to Syracuse in the Big East tourney and a 73-55 thumping at the hands of Wichita State on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA tournament had coach Jamie Dixon feeling bad for his players.
"I'm sorry for our seniors to go out this way. They had great careers, and won a lot of games for us," Dixon said of Dante Taylor and Tray Woodall, who wept during postgame interviews.
Dixon, the subject of speculation surrounding the head coaching job at Southern California, said "Well, yes," when asked whether he expected to be back at Pitt (24-9).
"I just had my point guard break down here," he added quickly. "That's the farthest thing from my mind."
Woodall was leading No. 8 seed Pitt in scoring entering Thursday's second-round game. He finished with two points on 1-of-12 shooting, including 0 of 5 from 3-point range, with five turnovers.
"They played great and seemed to be far more aggressive," Dixon said of the ninth-seeded Shockers. "Extremely disappointed in the loss. I know we're a better team that what we played today."
The Panthers will go forward with 7-footer Steven Adams, forward Lamar Patterson and freshman Durand Johnson.
Adams led Pitt (24-9) with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his first NCAA action, hardly overwhelmed at the big stage, something that could be a springboard for next year.
"Well, it has to be," Dixon said. "That's what I told our returning guys ... it's something we've got to learn from and for Steve, he kept battling and kept going and was active around the glass."
Malcolm Armstead led Wichita State with 22 points and Cleanthony Early added 21. Carl Hall added 11 points for the Shockers (27-8), who face the winner of the No. 1-ranked Gonzaga-Southern game.
The Shockers forced Pitt into 15 turnovers and held the Panthers to 35 percent shooting, including 1 of 17 from 3-point range.
Woodall missed his first four shots and it didn't get much better from there.
Plenty of credit went to Tekele Cotton, who had the task of guarding Woodall.
"Tray missed three layups there in a row at one point," Dixon said. "It's just one of those days for us. We talked about him being their best defender. ... Our balance has been our key, but when you don't have anybody shoot it well and you go 1 of 17 from the 3, there are not a lot of things you can point to."
The Shockers scored 21 points off turnovers and took advantage at the free throw line, making 33 of 41 attempts.
Wichita State led 26-21 at the break but nearly doubled its offensive output in the second half.
Early's layup and two free throws by Armstead pushed Wichita State's lead to 30-21 early in the second half. Johnson's 3-pointer cut it to 30-26, and the Panthers were within 35-31 following a three-point play by James Robinson. Cotton answered with a 3-pointer to bump the Shockers' lead to 38-31 with 12:44 remaining.
Hall's three-point play with under 12 minutes left gave the Shockers a 10-point lead, 41-31. Pitt pulled within six after four free throws but the Shockers went on a 6-0 run, fueled by a pair of steals, a dunk by Cotton and two more free throws by Early for a 47-35 advantage with 10:13 left.
The Panthers wouldn't get any closer than eight the rest of the way.
The game was expected to be a defensive struggle, with Pitt allowing just 55.4 points and the Shockers known for dominating the glass with 38 rebounds a game.
As expected, it was physical.
When Adams went in strong for a dunk in the first half, he was fouled hard by Early.
"We weren't surprised at all," Woodall said. "Coming into this game, coach emphasized to us that they were real physical. These guys were real tough."
Last Updated on Saturday, 23 March 2013 18:37
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Camo, neon aren't college basketball fan favorites
Category: Sports Written by Associated Press
FASHION STATEMENT?--This photo illustration released by Adidas shows the uniforms for NCAA basketball teams, from left, University of Cincinnati, University of Kansas, University of Notre Dame, Baylor University, UCLA and the University of Louisville. (AP Photo/Adidas)
by Samantha Critchell
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — It seems an unpopular position in college basketball is fashion forward.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 17:45
Hits: 583
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