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WPIAL semifinals

By Rob Burchianti 5 min read

Union downs California BRIDGEVILLE – California ran into a sizzling Union team and saw its chance for a WPIAL championship go up in smoke on Tuesday night.

The Scotties hit 10 3-pointers and three key free throws down the stretch to defeat the Trojans, 58-55, in their Class A boys basketball semifinal game at Chartiers Valley High School.

Damian Cassano hit a free throw with 47.8 seconds left to give the Scotties the lead, and Jeff Nero hit both ends of a one-and-one with 14 seconds left as coach Mark Stanley’s squad advanced to the final where it will play Clairton.

California’s Rick Cope and Dan DeMoss each missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the game’s closing seconds.

The Trojans are still alive in the postseason as they will participate in the PIAA tournament beginning next Friday.

“This is disappointing though, because we thought we had a chance to win it,” California coach Steve Luko said. “But they’re a hot team right now.”

Craig Hannon led the Scotties (15-10) with a game-high 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Nero drained four treys in scoring 18 points, and Bob Bondi tossed in three more 3-pointers on his way to 10 points.

DeMoss paced the Trojans’ attack with 19 points. Cope tallied 13, followed by Shane Tonkavitch with 10 and Ryan Robinson with eight. Thom Russell chipped in with five points before fouling out.

The score was tied going into the fourth period when Cope was fouled while scoring on a spinning move to the hoop. He made the free throw, but Hannon and Bondi hit back-to-back treys to put Union up by one, 49-48.

Tonkavitch gave the Trojans the lead back with his second 3-pointer of the game, and then hit a lay-up off a steal by Robinson to make it 53-49.

California would get only one more basket the rest of the way, however.

Baskets by Mike Mukaabya and Hannon pulled the Scotties even, then Mukaabya hit two free throws with 1:42 remaining to put Union up by two.

DeMoss scored inside to tie it one last time, 55-55 with 1:30 left.

Union then pulled the ball out to wait for the last shot, which Luko was content to let it do. Cassano drew a foul near midcourt with 47.8 seconds left, though, and made the front end of a one-and-one.

“I wanted them to dribble it down and take the last shot,” Luko said. “I knew a foul put them at the line. I didn’t think they were hurting anything dribbling there near halfcourt, so I wanted to let them take it down. But then we committed the foul.”

The Trojans called time out and Robinson missed a driving bank shot with Mukaabya grabbing the rebound. The Trojans got one last chance when Rob Galis tied Mukaabya up for a jump ball with the arrow favoring California. Union had a foul to give and used it on Tonkavitch with 4.4 seconds left. Cope and DeMoss missed their final shots after California inbounded.

“We panicked there at the end,” Luko said.

“We tried to run a double screen to get Shane open for a 3-pointer, and they didn’t execute that right either.

“I called some other plays and the kids didn’t do what they were supposed to do. We played hard, but we didn’t execute well the whole game. We turned the ball over way too much. You can’t make turnovers like that against good teams in the playoffs.”

Union started out on fire from the outside in a first half filled with runs by both teams.

Nero hit consecutive 3-pointers and then hit a jumper as the Scotties took an 8-2 lead.

California bounced back with six straight points, including four by DeMoss to pull even, but Hannon answered with two straight treys to spark a 9-2 burst.

The Trojans regrouped late in the quarter and reeled off the last seven points on a 3-pointer by Tonkavitch and two baskets inside by DeMoss, with the second one coming after a rebound of his own miss with two seconds left to tie the game at 17-17.

California continued to dominate early in the second period, scoring 12 of the first 14 points to complete a 19-2 run that gave the Trojans a 10-point lead, 29-19.

Once again Union heated up from the outside and roared back into the lead. Hannon and Nero each hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 15-2 spurt to put the Scotties up 34-31.

“We probably got caught up in their running game and shouldn’t have done that,” Luko said. “We didn’t play our game as far as slowing down the tempo and running our offense. We tried to punch it inside because we had some mismatches there with DeMoss and Cope, but the kids weren’t running it right.”

California had one final mini-run left in it before the second period ended, though.

Cope hit a jumper with 29 seconds left, then DeMoss came up with a steal in the lane, dribbled to halfcourt and let fly with a 3-pointer that banked in to give the Trojans a stunning 36-34 halftime lead, to the delight of the many California fans on hand.

The momentum continued to flow back and forth in the third period. Russell hit a 3-pointer to give California a 39-34 advantage, then Mukaabya ignited a seven-point run by Union to put the Scotties up 41-39.

Cope and DeMoss scored to give the Trojans a two-point lead before Nero’s basket made it 43-43 after three periods.

There were eight lead changes and eight ties in the game.

“That team was just on fire from the outside and they hustled,” Luko said of the Scotties.

“At least it was a good game for the fans to watch.”

In other WPIAL boy’s playoff action, Clairton beat Duquesne, 57-43; Hopewell beat Hampton, 64-60, and Blackhawk beat Moon, 67-57.

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