CLARION — One of the most decorated senior classes in recent memory saw their time together come to an end on Saturday night at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
The Elk Catholic Crusaders’ (28-1) perfect season was snuffed out by the reigning state champions from Kennedy Catholic (24-2), as the Golden Eagles recovered from a slow start to cruise to a 61-40 victory in the boys Class A quarterfinals.
Despite trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, Kennedy Catholic’s superior size and athleticism won out in the end. Maceo Austin, Drew Magestro and Marcin Wiszomirsky all finished with 14 points for the Golden Eagles, while Nate DaCanal scored a game-high 15 for ECC.
“It’s a tough way to lose,” Elk Catholic coach Aaron Straub said. “I thought the game came down to their length. They got their hands on a lot of balls.”
Kennedy’s size immediately stood out, particularly Wiszomirsky, as the 6’7” senior from Poland gave the Crusaders trouble in the paint early on.
But despite this noticeable size disadvantage, ECC came out playing inspired defense, limiting KC’s opportunities to get easy baskets.
Brad Dippold made an especially nice defensive play with just under two minutes to go in the first. With Kennedy’s Magestro looking for an easy layup, Dippold came up with the steal and subsequently drew a foul at the other end.
Elk also displayed a willingness to do the dirty jobs, drawing several charging calls in the first period that got the arena rocking.
But the Golden Eagles showed the composure of a defending state champion. Thanks to the 3-point shooting of Mohamed Konate — who scored all 11 of his points in the first half — Kennedy started the second quarter on a 12-2 run.
“After the first quarter I thought that they stepped up their intensity,” Straub said. “I thought we were well-prepared. I thought we battled for the entire game.”
ECC’s 3-point shooting helped keep it close in the first half, with Kraus able to hit two of his three deep balls in the second frame. But the Crusaders were also missing some makeable shots that would prove to be costly.
A layup by Austin with six seconds to go gave Kennedy at 30-21 halftime lead.
The third quarter saw more of the same: Kennedy took what was given to them offensively and continued to positively stifle ECC on defense. Elk was having a lot of trouble getting the ball inside, instead being forced to waste precious time moving it around the perimeter.
After taking a 43-31 lead into the final quarter, the Golden Eagles ‘D’ refused to let up, with their overwhelming length having a bigger effect as the game wore on. In fact, the Crusaders’ only real offense in the fourth quarter came from the free-throw line; KC simply wasn’t giving Elk any good looks from the field.
With the last few seconds ticking away, the ECC supporters gave their team a well-deserved standing ovation.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort that we got from that group,” Straub said. “They’re winners and they handled themselves with a lot of pride and a lot of poise.”
Straub was visibly emotional after his final game with the group of seniors who went 56-2 over the past two seasons, many of whom have played together for the better part of a decade.
When speaking of the senior group that included DaCanal, Kraus, Dippold, Dan Stauffer, Frank Singer and Jared Braun, Straub had nothing but praise.
“The biggest thing they meant to the program is how they represented the program,” he said. “They represented us really well.”
At CLARION
Kennedy Catholic (61)
Mohamed Konate 3 3-5 11, Maceo Austin 5 4-4 14, Drew Magestro 4 4-5 14, Phillips 3 2-2 8, Marcin Wiszomirsky 6 2-4 14, Totals 21 15-20 61.
Elk Catholic (40)
Dippold 0 2-2 2, Stauffer 1 3-5 6, Gabe Kraus 3 3-4 12, Newton 1 1-2 3, Nate DaCanal 5 4-7 15, Breindel 1 0-0 2, Totals 11 13-20 40.
Kennedy Catholic 10 30 43 61
Elk Catholic 14 21 31 40
Three-point goals: Kennedy Catholic 4 (Konate 2, Magestro 2), Elk Catholic 5 (Stauffer, Kraus 3, DaCanal)
Total fouls: Kennedy Catholic 20, Elk Catholic 19. Fouled out: Elk Catholic (Kraus).
Technical fouls: Kennedy Catholic (Phillips)
