Cal’s stingy defense looks to shut down Bears’ offense
Something will give tonight. It has to. Clairton’s high-flying offense faces California’s shut-down defense in the WPIAL Class A semifinals, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. at Steel Valley High School.
The defending-champion Bears, at 70.3 points per game, rank second offensively in Class A, behind only Serra Catholic, which faces Leechburg tonight in the other semifinal.
Scoring has been down in two playoff victories, but the Bears are still winning. Led by former Brownsville coach Pete Logan, the Bears are 7-1 in the postseason over the past two seasons.
“In playoffs, we’ve been playing a lot better defense and controlling the tempo,” Logan said. “We’ve been trying to work on the defensive end. I’m pretty pleased with the performance we had. We held a very talented Sewickley team to 19 first-half points. We’re getting better.”
Logan is seeking his third WPIAL title in seven years. Logan won a Class AAA title at Brownsville in 2001.
California, led by coach Phil Pergola, leads Class A in scoring defense, allowing just 43.8 points per game.
In late January, Bentworth coach Bob Kennedy had the unenviable task of facing California, Clairton and Serra Catholic in succession over a span of eight days.
“They’re explosive,” Kennedy said, referring to Clairton. “They can score a lot of points in a hurry.”
Kennedy knows Clairton and Serra Catholic well, with all three competing in Section 3-A. After one time through section play, Bentworth took a brief break and faced California in a non-section game, losing 76-70.
The 70 points were the second-highest total allowed by California this season, five fewer than in a 75-71 loss to Monessen.
Even so, Kennedy was impressed.
“They’re very, very good defensively,” Kennedy said. “And they can score as well. They have a couple of shooters who are tough inside, and they have a couple of guys who can shoot from the outside.”
Three nights after facing California, Kennedy’s charges dropped a 20-point decision at Clairton, before falling by 35 points at home four days later to Serra.
So, having played both California and Clairton, which style of play has the advantage, Bob?
“It’s a little tougher to go against teams that play stellar defense,” Kennedy said. “If you’re playing an offensive-minded team that gets up and down the court, they might not be as tough defensively and it’s a matter of whether or not you can outscore them.
“But if you’re playing a tough defensive team, then you are forced to create offense and you have to make tough shots against them in order to win.”
The following is a capsule look at tonight’s game.
Clairton Bears
vs. California Trojans
Coaches: Pete Logan is in his fourth year at Clairton, while Phil Pergola has been the head man at California for three years.
Site and time: Steel Valley High School, 8 p.m.
Last week: Clairton (15-3) jumped out to a 14-point halftime lead, and held on against Sewickley Academy for a 54-51 victory. Emmanuel Cottrell scored 16 points to lead the Bears, with Kenny Chapman adding 11. With Clairton leading 53-51 with 1.2 seconds to play, Chapman made the second of two free throws to push the margin to three points. The Bears then stole the inbounds pass to seal the win. … California never trailed against Avella in advancing to the semifinals with a 60-41 win. The Trojans forced 27 Eagle turnovers. John McVicker paced California with 15 points, while Travis VanOlst added 14. Chris McVicker, the Trojans’ leading scorer, had 10 points, as did Ben Carson. Carson came off the bench.
Coach Speak, Phil Pergola: “Clairton has all the ingredients … size, quickness, athleticism. We’re hoping they’re not shooting as well as some of the teams we’ve faced.”
Coach Speak, Pete Logan: “I’ve always said to win championships and to move on, you have to get lucky in the draws and be lucky somewhere down the line. And you have to make one or two good shots and hope somebody steps up who hasn’t really produced the big numbers.”
Tip-offs: Pergola has 494 career victories. He has coach at Mon Valley Catholic, Charleroi, Ringgold and California. … Pergola’s Ringgold squad won the PIAA Quad-A title in 1995, defeating Williamsport, 71-66. … In seven seasons, Logan’s squads are 13-4 in the postseason. … Clairton averages 70.3 points per game, and allows an average of 54.7. California averages 62.9 ppg, and allows just 43.8.
What the game will come down to: California has played great defense all year long, and Clairton has clamped down on the opposition so far in two playoff games. California may have an advantage when it comes to match-ups, with the inside presence of 6-foot-7 Mike Hrivnak and 6-5 Travis VanOlst, and the outside shooting of Chris and John McVicker. Trojans point-guard Donte Valentino is very active on defense. … Clairton has two scorers close to 1,300 career points, guards Leroy George and Kenny Chapman.
Starting Lineups
California
Donte Valentino 5-8 G
Chris McVicker 6-1 G
John McVicker 6-1 G
Travis VanOlst 6-5 F
Mike Hrivnak 6-7 F
Clairton
Emmanuel Cottrell 6-1 G/F
Demetrius Rochelle 5-11 G
Leroy George 6-1 G
Kenny Chapman 5-9 G
Marcel Washington 6-4 C