St. Joseph’s eliminates California
ALVERTON – Second-seeded St. Joseph got 27-points from all-time leading scorer Josh Robinson, as the Spartans eliminated California from the WPIAL Class A playoffs with a 77-56 first-round victory Wednesday night at Southmoreland High School. “The game was decided in the first quarter,” Trojans head coach Phil Pergola said. “They put a lot of points on the board, while we missed a lot of points. I think we missed six lay-ups in that quarter. Our seniors had an off night, which hurt us. I think St. Joseph’s is a good team, well coached and they shoot the ball well.”
The Spartans continued to control the game in the second period, outscoring California 15-12 to open up a 38-25 lead at the half.
In the second quarter, Robinson had seven points, including his second three-pointer of the half. Stewart hit for five points for the Trojans.
For the night, Chris Marsili with 21 points and Chris Conroy with 15 followed Robinson in the scoring column.
California (14-16) placed three players in double figures. Sophomore Chris McVicker led the way with 20, Woody Stewart chipped in with 14 and Mike Hrivnak hit for 10.
The Spartans (19-5) took control early with a 23-point burst in the first period to hold a 23-13 lead after one. Robinson hurt the Trojans with 11-points in the quarter, most coming off missed shots on the offensive board. McVicker kept Cal close, tossing in two treys in the period.
“We had a long layoff, but I’m pleased with the overall play of my team tonight,” St. Joseph’s coach Kelly Robinson said. “Robinson did a good job of picking up some junk around the basket to get his points. He’s been like that all year. I’ve got a couple of other kids that can do the same thing. I’ve got five kids on the floor that can score. That makes it difficult for teams to focus on stopping one player.”
In the third quarter, Robinson was sidelined with a bloody nose after a scrap on the floor for a loose ball. Marsili picked up the slack, scoring 11-points in the quarter, as St. Joseph’s outscored California 18-10 in the quarter to open up a 56-35 lead after three.
McVicker scored six for the Trojans in the period.
“Our kids were pretty focused tonight because we knew Cal was capable of knocking us off after they beat Duquense in the first round last year,” Robinson said. “That first playoff game is scary. Two years ago we lost in the first round to Union, and they went to the state finals. We don’t take anybody lightly because anything can happen”.
The Spartans received a boost in the fourth quarter with the return of Robinson who was engaged in a little shootout with Cal senior Woody Stewart and McVicker, as all hit for eight points in the quarter.
It was not enough for the Trojans, as the Spartans were able to maintain their lead for the win and move on to the next round.
“We had four sophomores on the floor when we were running well at times tonight,” Pergola said. “When Geibel beat us in our first section game, we decided to play up tempo all the way. I feel this game is a stepping-stone towards next year. We’ll be back.”