Kennedy Catholic comes out on top in Pa.
HERSHEY, Pa. — While the PIAA may have adjusted a few things and added several classifications to its basketball championships, that didn’t stop an experienced Kennedy Catholic squad from authoring a repeat.
Flashing all sorts of balance and popping four players into double figures, Kennedy Catholic defeated Girard College of Philadelphia 73-56 in the PIAA Class 1A boys’ championship Thursday at Giant Center.
The state championship was the second in a row for Rick Mancino’s Golden Eagles (26-2) — Kennedy claimed the Class A title in 2016 — and the eighth overall for the school that sits near the Pennsylvania-Ohio boundary.
Marcin Wiszomirsky cranked out a double-double (19 points/13 rebounds), Maceo Austin collected 16 points, Drew Magestro finished with 15 points and Mohamed Konate banked 11 for the District 10 champions.
Austin, a 6-5 sophomore who is receiving NCAA Division I interest, also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists. Magestro, a 6-3 senior headed for Pitt-Johnstown, also doled out a half-dozen assists for Mancino’s Eagles.
An 8-0 spurt at the close of the first fueled by a pair of Austin treys had Kennedy up 16-9 after eight minutes. A 10-4 burst to open the second quarter really opened it up.
Although Girard College was able to draw within six points several times in the third quarter, a Cavaliers group (24-9) without a single senior on its 10-man roster could not climb any closer against Mancino’s experienced club.
Daiquan Copeland poured in 26 and snared eight rebounds for Girard College (24-9), the District 1 champions. Clyde Jones’ outfit also picked up 16 points from Mikael Jones.
Lincoln Park falls
HERSHEY, Pa. — Another season.
Another state championship.
Yet for a Neumann-Goretti basketball-playing side that’s already won plenty, Carl Arrigale’s Saints accomplished something Thursday night at Hershey’s Giant Center that the Philadelphia-based hammer had not done before.
And that’s rattle off a fourth straight championship.
Neumann-Goretti also gathered its seventh state title in eight seasons.
Popping four players into double figures, Arrigale’s powerfully balanced Saints turned a separation-creating outburst early in the second quarter into a convincing 89-58 victory over Lincoln Park Charter in the PIAA’s Class 3A championship.
Kentucky recruit Quade Green topped the Saints (24-7) with 22 points, while Villanova-bound Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree finished with 15 points and 13 boards for a Neumann-Goretti side that bolted to a 42-19 lead at the halftime break.
Also reaching double figures for Arrigale’s bunch was sophomore Christian Ings (13 points) and East Stroudsburg recruit Mike Millsip (11 points).
Another factor in Neumann-Goretti’s decisive win was the rebounding edge, which swung 48-32 to the Saints. The Saints also shot nearly 51 percent (28-for-55).
Nelly Cummings poured in 37 points for Lincoln Park (25-6). Bound for the NCAA Division I level, Cummings finished his career with 2,411 points, the fifth-highest total in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League’s sparkling history.
Evan Brown also reached double figures for the Leopards, scoring 13 points.
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Neumann-Goretti 89, Lincoln Park 58
Lincoln Park (25-6) 58
Nelly Cummings 12 6-6 37; Keeno Holmes 1 2-2 4; Evan Brown 6 0-0 13; Nick Antonucci 1 0-0 2; Casey Oliver 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 8-8 58.
3-point goals: Cummings 7, Brown.
Did not score: Thomas Melonja, Tyler Mohrbacher, Gabe Kanyongo, James Maxwell, Tanner Mathos, Sean Tanner, Jamar Cleveland, Gibbs Kanyongo.
Neumann-Goretti (24-7) 89
Quade Green 6 7-9 22; Noah Warren 3 0-0 9; Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 6 3-6 15; Mike Millsip 4 2-4 11; Marcus Littles 2 1-2 5; Christian Ings 3 6-7 13; Emil Moody 2 3-5 7; Dante Vannicola 1 0-0 2; Dymir Montague 1 0-0 3; Ja’cor Smith 0 2-5 2. Totals: 29 24-38 89.
3-point goals: Green 3, Warren 3, Millsip, Ings, Montague.
Did not score: Hakim Byrd, Ahmad Fair, Jalen Parker.
Score by quarters
Lincoln Park: 9-10-16-23 — 58
Neumann-Goretti: 17-25-25-22 — 89
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.