Varsity 365 - 2008 PIAA State Championship Recaps

State Recaps Day 1
by Marcus Wright (3/14/08)

AA Girls: (34-1) York Catholic 52 (29-2) Northern Cambria 40

After a fast paced 1st quarter that resembled the inner workings of a pinball machine, the game slowed down and York Catholic slowly took control. Doing much of their scoring in the interior, the Irish took a 23-18 lead into halftime and never looked back. The three key players for the Irish were senior Ashton Bankos, freshman Kady Schrann, and junior Genevieve McGann. Bankos (11 points) helped to set the interior tone early with fearless drives to the basket despite only being 5'5". Schrann did a terrific job of handling the ball, setting up her teammates, and making key baskets (she led all scorers with 12 points). And Genevieve McGann picked up the scoring when needed, adding 10 points and going 3-4 from the floor.

Northern Cambria was never truly out of this game, but York always seemed to be a step ahead and a step quicker. The Colt's sophomore guard Janae Dunchack (11 points total) tried to carry her team in the second half, scoring 9 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the team's 33% shooting for the game (16-48).

This is York Catholic's third consecutive state title, and some are already saying that they have the tools to make it four. One big reason for this is Schrann, who is very sound on the court and has three whole years to get even better. But next year is just that, so the Irish should take some time to enjoy accomplishing such an impressive task.

A Boys: (30-2) Serra Catholic 67 (20-7) Friere Charter 66

A game that was in Friere Charter's hands for three quarters turned into a thriller, as Serra Catholic came back from as many as 12 points down to win the state title. Friere Charter seemed to have it easy against the Eagles in the first half (going into halftime leading 35-26) by capitalizing on Serra's 10 first half turnovers with fast break points (20 in the first half). This barrage of fast breaks for the Dragons may have been a factor in their downfall, as they seemed to slow down and wear out just as Serra started to come alive. While the Dragons outscored the Eagles in both the first and second quarters, both teams scored the same amount in the 3rd (14), leading to a 49-40 Friere lead headed into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, we witnessed the eruption of Serra's 6'8" senior center Pat Grubbs. He scored 23 points in the second half (31 total), and repeatedly scored within the box to slowly bring the Eagles back into the game. Friere seemed to unravel, and they becames the ones who turned the ball over too much (17 in the second half). Serra senior Anthony Epolito hit a three pointer from the left wing to tie the game at 63 late in the quarter, and Serra would finally take the lead (and for good) when Grubbs went 1 of 2 from the free throw line to make it 64-63.

Grubbs was very emotional after the game and seemed to be in disbelief. Friere Charter was very disappointed after the game, but should hold their heads up high as they did an amazing job this year. But on this day, Grubbs and the rest of the Eagles just refused to go away, and proved the old cliche right - it ain't over, 'til it's over.

AAAA Girls: (28-7) Central Dauphin 56 (28-4) Mount Lebanon 49

We witnessed another come from behind effort, this time from the Lady Rams of Central Dauphin, as they overcame a subpar first half to pull out the 7 point victory. The Rams actually started the game with a 7-2 lead, but then Mount Lebanon went on a 15-6 run that was fueled by their aggressive pursuit of the basket. Senior guard Jaclyn Babe was especially key during this stretch and the entire 1st half, dropping 14 points before halftime (19 total) and giving the Central Dauphin defense fits. Another key to the Blue Devils' success through the first half was their ability to contain Central Dauphin's star 6" sophomore guard Alyssa Thomas. They held her to 2-14 shooting in the first half, and took a 29-21 lead into the break.

The lead got up to 10 for the Blue Devils at 33-23 with 5:48 left in the third, and Central Dauphin subsequently took a time out. After this timeout, Central Dauphin broke out of their shell and went on a 19-6 run to take their first lead at 42-39. That lead came due to a three pointer from junior guard Gabby Singer, who led the Rams with 19 points. Thomas found her mark, shooting 5-8 in the second half and finishing with 18 points. The Blue Devils went completely cold, shooting 25% (9-35) in the second half while the Rams lit the basket up at a 50% clip (8-16). Once the Rams got the lead, they kept it, with Singer putting the game on ice with 8 fourth quarter free throws.

With three sophomore starters (including Thomas) becoming juniors next year, and Singer going into her senior year, Central Dauphin may be an early favorite for a repeat. We will see if the execution is there next year for this team; we already know that the talent will be.

AAA Boys: (28-6) Steelton Highspire 65 (32-3) Susquehanna Township 52

We were at the Bryce Jordan Center, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions, but on this particular night, it was Steel-High's house. The Rollers set the tone physically and raced to the 13 point win in impressive fashion in front of hometown support that rocked the stadium. 6'-7" senior forward Josh Proctor led the charge, scoring 20 points off of 9-18 shooting. He also had 4 blocks - all in the first half. His great play inside was complimented by great guard play from Ryan Hill (15 points) and Jordan Smith (10 points).

Susquehanna Township played well in the first quarter, ending it only down by 4 (14-10). But from that point on, the game was pretty much all Steel High, and so was the emotional balance. The Rollers were energized all game - a couple of times maybe too energetic, as things got mildly physical between the two teams at several points. While we had just seen two teams (Friere Charter and Mount Lebanon) who may have drained themselves too much to hang on in the end, Steel-high maintained their energy and motivation throughout the course of the game. When a spark was needed, 6-2 junior center Lloyd Hill, a crowd favorite, came in and pumped up the team (he finished with 7 points).

After the game, the team celebrated with their jubilant fans. These fans have been treated well - just 3 months ago the Steel-High football team won the state championship. This time it was the basketball team who had the chance to raise the state trophy, and from the tip-off to the closing buzzer, they didn't want to have things any other way.

MW's (now extended) analysis: What a great day of basketball at the Bryce Jordan Center. From the first quarter frenzy of York Catholic vs. Northern Cambria, to the phenomenal comeback by Serra Catholic, to the great all around game between Central Dauphin and Mount Lebanon, to the amazing energy of the Steel-High victory, this was truly a memorable day in PIAA basketball lore.

*Added* Well now that I actually have some time to type some more analysis, let me first say this: GRUBBS! Man that guy took over in the second half and was unstoppable in the fourth quarter. At one point, when the guard didn't pass him the ball and it went out of bounds (I think it was T.J Heatherington), I believe I saw Grubbs yell at him (not in a bad way) to next time give him the ball. Talk about in the zone! Great comeback win for them, but I can't help but feel sorry for Friere Charter.

Kady Schrann of York Catholic. Remember the name, because she's going to be a STAR. She played so well in the game against Northern Cambria and just looks like she knows what she's doing all the time. And she's only a fresman. Scary.

This was my first time seeing Central Dauphin star Alyssa Thomas. Mount Lebanon did a great job defensively on her in the first half. She just kept on shooting, though. You can always tell who the good players are because they will keep shooting, even if the ball isn't falling in the hoop (ask many experts and they'll say the key to get over a bad offensive effort is to keep plugging away offensively). She and Gabby Singer were very impressive in leading Central Dauphin's comeback. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the state finals again next year.

Steelton Highspire was a LOT of fun to watch. Their on court display was cool, but what was more fun was the amount of energy they sustained for the entire game! I asked my media peers at halftime if Steel-High could sustain the energy and they said yes without any hesitation. And they sure did.