How State College boys won in thriller, SJCA girls lost in PIAA Basketball Championships
Centre County entered Saturday with two local teams in the PIAA Basketball Championships — and, after one unforgettable triple-overtime victory, one team is moving on.
The State College boys stunned Mount Lebanon 65-58 in triple OT in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A Boys Basketball Championships, while the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy girls watched their Cinderella season come to an end, 57-35, against similarly-named St. Joseph in the opening round of the Class A girls tournament.
The Little Lions (13-12) hosted their game Saturday, and it was one to remember. At several points, it seemed as if State College’s season might be over — but coach Brian Scholly helped keep his team level-headed against Mount Lebanon (20-6).
“I just kept telling the guys to have fun with it,” Scholly said in a phone interview. “Our league is one of the best in the state and really has prepared us for battling in a playoff run. So we drew on all the experience to get to this point, and I tried to keep it fun and in the moment because those are the games you dream about, growing up in State College.”
The Little Lions proved to be resilient. Trailing by three points with 7.2 seconds left in the first overtime, State College’s Reed Melvin sank a trey to force a second OT as the crowd erupted. That was maybe the game’s most dramatic shot, as there was no scoring in the final 2:47 of regulation and the last 1:15 of the second overtime. (State College held for the final shot in both of those instances but missed deep attempts.)
“He’s a shooter we trust to make shots when he shoots it with confidence,” Schollie added about Melvin’s critical 3.
For the three overtime periods, no team led by more than one possession until State College opened it up in the third and final OT. The Little Lions began the period with a layup, and Mount Lebanon responded with two missed free throws and — 20 seconds later — State College boosted their lead to four points with a field goal in the paint. It took off from there.
Reed and Nate Price finished with a team-high 15 points apiece, while Ty Salazer added 13 points and Xion Nichols chipped in 11.
State College will next face Upper St. Clair (21-5) on Wednesday in the PIAA second round at a neutral venue to be determined.
SJCA’s girls didn’t come away with a celebration like State College’s boys, as their season ended with a loss Saturday. But this campaign was still a memorable one for the Wolfpack.
St. Joseph’s finished a winless 0-17 last year — yes, really — and, after establishing the program, ended this season at 23-3.
“The girls took a beating last year but always came back and fought,” SJCA coach Bethany Irwin said. “So this year they set the goal of winning the league and beating the teams that beat us, and they did that.
“We learned a lot about ourselves from the losses we took.”
Naomi Crispin paced St. Joseph’s with 18 points Saturday, while Aubrey Yartz netted 11. Kelsey Prospero didn’t light up the stat sheet, but Irwin said she was thankful for the season-long work of her lone senior.
SJCA’s opponent, St. Joseph, will face Berlin on Wednesday in the PIAA second round.
