-Edition
Font Resize
COATESVILLE -- At this point in the season, most of the boys' basketball teams still alive in the state playoffs are there for a reason.
They probably have one or two really talented players. They're probably well-balanced. And they probably deal well with adversity.
St. Joseph's Prep presented all of those characteristics against York High on Wednesday night in a second-round PIAA Class AAAA game at Coatesville High School in Chester County. And it led to a commanding 72-55 win over the Bearcats.
St. Joseph's Prep (23-5) had two outstanding players in 6-foot, 4-inch senior guard Miles Overton, a Wake Forest recruit, and 6-foot-5 senior guard Steve Vasturia, a Notre Dame recruit. And both had good games Wednesday,
But St. Joseph's balance also proved to be a big difference. York High (27-4) had no answer for 6-foot-2 junior guard Kyle Thompson, who hit five shots, including three 3-pointers, and went 6-for-7 at the line to finish with a game-high 19 points.
Two other St. Joseph's players also finished in double figures.
On top of that, St. Joseph's seemed to cut off any momentum that York High could muster throughout the course of the game. The most telling instance came at the end of the third quarter, when the Bearcats went on a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 12 points with 18 seconds left in the period. But Thompson hit a three just before the buzzer to give St. Joseph's a 46-31 lead going into the final quarter.
"That was a big momentum (shifter)," York High senior guard Tavon Parker said. "We missed a lot of free throws, but for that kid to come down and hit a three, that just sort of gave them the momentum back going into the fourth quarter."
York High's run in the third quarter was one of the few highlights the Bearcats had in a game in which they trailed by double digits from the start of the second quarter through the final horn.
St. Joseph's did a nice job keeping
For the game, York High shot 44.9 percent from the floor (22-of-49), made just 2-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc (18.2 percent) and went 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) at the line. St. Joseph's didn't do much better from the floor, shooting 48.7 percent (19-for-39), but was the 8-of-21 from 3-point land (38 percent) and 26-of-30 (86.7 percent) from the line.
Accomplished: York High coach Troy Sowers will have to say goodbye to seven seniors on the varsity roster, including Parker.
"I tried to console Tavon and say 'Tavon, you're 78-14 in your career. Who wouldn't want that? It hurts really bad tonight. But you got to play for two district titles, three county championships, you got to play in state games every year,'" Sowers said. "So I don't know how much better of a career Tavon Parker could have."
York High will have a lot to live up to next season. Sowers said the Bearcats' 27 wins this year were third-most in program history. They also won another York-Adams League Division I title and nabbed the league tournament title for the third time in five years before getting a silver medal at the District 3-AAAA Tournament.
"We don't ever think the season is over," Sowers said. "The coaching staff and I, it's on to the next season. We're going to Messiah College to play May 11 with our new guys."
OTHER BOYS' BASKETBALL
CONSTITUTION 63, DELONE CATHOLIC 55: At Gov. Mifflin, the Squires' season came to an end with a loss in a PIAA Class AA state second-round contest.
Delone, the District 3-AA champion, finished at 18-10. Constitution, the third-place team from District 12, improved to 18-9. Constitution won the Class A state title a season ago.
The Squires trailed throughout the game and pulled within three points with 4:29 left, but that was as close as it would get.
Delone was outrebounded by the much-taller Constitution team, 29-17. The Squires were also hurt by a 12-for-22 effort (54.5 percent) at the foul line.
Sophomore Devon Moore led Delone with 20 points, while Andrew Austin added 11.
-- Reach John Walk at jwalk@yorkdispatch.com.
