Mar 25, 2007 6 min read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Schenley, rebounding from a haunting loss in the 2006 title game, defeated Chester 78-71 to win this season’s Class AAAA championship on Saturday night. Deandre Kane had 21 points and DeJuan Blair dominated the middle with 18 points to lead the Spartans, considered one of the best high school teams in the country.

Schenley (29-3) led the entire way in an athletic game that featured lots of transition buckets and physical play. Chester (27-6) managed to narrow the deficit to 77-71 with 8.9 seconds left, but couldn’t get closer.

It didn’t take long for the 6-foot-8 Blair to start celebrating after the final buzzer. As his teammates shook hands and raised their arms in victory, Blair pulled on a shirt that read “Big Fella” on the back.

He was a handful to handle, racking up 11 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.

Chester’s vocal supporters thought their team had a shot to win midway through the third quarter, when Karon Burton nailed 3s on consecutive possessions to pull the Clippers within 45-39.

That’s when Schenley pulled away again. Raymar McClain sank a 12-footer, then nailed a 3-pointer during a 9-4 run that stretched the lead to 11 at the end of the third quarter.

Boys Class AA Prep Charter 68, Aliquippa 66

STATE COLLEGE – Talk about pressure.

Seconds after Marcus Morris missed a free throw that could have helped Philadelphia’s Prep Charter take the lead in the PIAA championship, he was back at the line for another chance.

He didn’t miss this time. His two free throws with 6 seconds left lifted the Huskies to a win over Aliquippa , giving Prep Charter its second straight Class AA title.

“Back to back! Back to back!” their fans yelled after the team raced back from a 15-point deficit with five-plus minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Huskies (27-4) had answered runs by Aliquippa (30-3) with several of their own all game, but kept falling short.

Prep Charter finally broke through in the fourth quarter with a 24-10 run capped by Morris’ free throws.

He made it very interesting. Morris was fouled with 11.3 seconds left but missed the first of two foul shots. He hit the second to tie the game at 66.

Aliquippa’s Antonio Reddic raced upcourt but had the ball poked away. It ended up in Morris’ hands on the floor and he was fouled again, sending him to the line for his game-winning free throws.

It was Prep Charter’s first lead since early in the first quarter.

Morris finished with 11 points and 11 boards, while his twin brother Markieff Morris had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Both players are headed to Memphis to play basketball, where coach John Calipari will undoubtedly enjoy their considerable talents.

“We got two! We got two!” their excited fans yelled as the Huskies lifted the winners’ trophy in the air.

Reddic led the Quips with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonathan Baldwin had 15 points and 10 boards.

Girls Class AAA Hopewell 37, Villa Maria 36

STATE COLLEGE – Now the Novacek twins have two state titles.

Joyce Novacek scored 12 points, her sister Becky had six and Jordan Zuppe added 13 as Hopewell of Aliquippa defeated Villa Maria to claim the school’s second straight PIAA Class AAA championship.

The Vikings (31-2) couldn’t breathe easy until the final buzzer, after Villa Maria of Malvern guard Lindsay Corcoran’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim after an inbounds play with 2.2 seconds left. Just seconds earlier, Ellen Cannon’s layup attempt was poked away by Joyce Novacek.

Six-foot-2 Joyce Novacek and her 6-foot-1 sister were active forces on the front line for the Vikings, and got the best of an intriguing matchup against Villa Maria’s standout forward, 6-foot-2 Julia Trogele.

Trogele, who had a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds, did her best to outdo them and took advantage of missed Hopewell free throws down the stretch.

Hopewell struggled early, held without a field goal until 7:50 of the second quarter when Becky Novacek beat a triple-team down low with a basket that put the Vikings back on track.

Girls Class A Bishop Guilfoyle 43, North Catholic 38

STATE COLLEGE – Mary Forr hit a short jumper from the baseline with 56 seconds left and Courtney Carroll sank two late foul shots as Bishop Guilfoyle defeated North Catholic to claim the PIAA Class A title.

Forr’s 8-footer gave the Lady Marauders the lead for good in a close game that included tense moments after Bishop Guilfoyle missed several late free throws. But the team also hustled for loose balls and benefited from some lucky bounces.

Ashley Helsel and Forr had opportunities to seal the win earlier, but each missed foul shots with less than a minute left. After Forr missed her free throw with 13 seconds left, Dani Williams scrambled for the rebound, then threw a pass to the backcourt to Carroll, who was fouled.

Carroll stepped to the line, and roars of approval erupted from the purple-and-gold cheering section after the senior hit both of her free throws. The Lady Marauders won their first state title since 1994.

With gold medals around their necks, team members celebrated by posing for pictures in front of their fans.

It wasn’t easy though, as an already tense game got even tighter down the stretch.

Bishop Guilfoyle often couldn’t contain North Catholic guard April Austin on penetration. When she wasn’t getting to the bucket, Austin was creating openings for teammates like Lauren Savulchak, whose inside basket gave North Catholic a 38-37 lead with about 2 minutes left.

The teams traded empty possessions before Forr’s key bucket. The three-year starter made a quick move in the post before turning for her game-winning hook shot.

Alli Williams led Bishop Guilfoyle with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while Forr finished with nine points and seven boards. Ashley Bellovich led North Catholic with 14 points, and Austin had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Both teams got off to sluggish starts, and North Catholic finally broke the scoreless duel on Amy Longo’s 3-pointer four-plus minutes into the game. The Marauders couldn’t get their offense on track early against the North Catholic zone, but found traction after getting the ball upcourt quicker.