Second half run carries Crusaders past Falcons
Holly Tonini
Brownsville’s Travis Bevard (3) drives the ball around Bishop Canevin’s Julian Bonds (15) during Thursday’s WPIAL Class AA first round playoff game at Trinity High School.
Holly Tonini
Brownsville’s James Holcomb (20) hits a 3-pointer over the defense of Bishop Canevin’s Walter Bonds (2) during Thursday’s WPIAL Class AA first round playoff game at Trinity High School.
Brownsville's James Holcomb (20) makes a pass around Bishop Canevin's Mitchell King (5) during Thursday's WPIAL Class AA first round playoff game at Trinity High School.
WASHINGTON — The Brownsville boys basketball team trimmed the deficit to single digits just before halftime, but a 19-2 run by Bishop Canevin to start the third quarter was too much for the Falcons to overcome as they fell, 87-49, in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs Thursday night at Trinity High School.
In a battle of section champions, sixth-seeded Bishop Canevin was able to sustain its offense, while limiting the Falcons (18-5) to just one shot on several possessions.
The Crusaders (18-5) also slowed down Brownsville with their press and forced key turnovers, while being a constant threat shooting from beyond the arc.
“Bishop Canevin is a very good basketball team,” Brownsville coach Brian Brashear said. “They are very disciplined and they have a lot of balance on offense. They made a lot of outside shots early and we just couldn’t rally back. I thought they controlled tempo and the boards in the second half.”
Bishop Canevin advances to the quarterfinals on Saturday and will play No. 3-seed Quaker Valley at a site and time to be determined.
Offensively, the Crusaders were led by five players in double figures. Walter Bonds poured in 21 points, while Mitchell King scored 20. Both John Weldon and Dom Palmosina tallied 14 apiece, and Justin Dix finished with 10.
James Holcomb scored 24 points for the Falcons, while Noah Brown ended his stellar career with Brownsville with 11.
“James had a really good game,” Brashear said. “He shot the ball very well from the outside and was not timid at all out there. He is a junior and I thought he got better as the season went on. He was a factor for us late in the stretch run and he kept us in the game.”
Brownsville started the contest with the first five points, but Bishop Canevin countered with 17 unanswered points before a Shandon Marshall bucket ended the drought for the Falcons. Brownsville trailed 17-7 at the end of one.
In the second stanza, the squads exchanged points before a trey by Holcomb cut the deficit to 24-16 midway through the period.
After back-to-back threes by the Crusaders, the Falcons ended the first half on a 9-4 rally and Holcomb connected on another shot from beyond the arc just before the buzzer sounded for a 34-25 halftime deficit.
Bonds started the third quarter for Bishop Canevin with six straight points in less than a minute, and after an inside hoop by Travis Bevard, the Crusaders scored 13 unanswered points.
“We ended the second quarter on a good run and I thought we had momentum,” Brashear said. “But, it was a different story to start the third quarter. I thought they were more aggressive on the boards and got some of their points on second chance points.”
Brownsville ended the period on an 8-5 run, but trailed 58-35 going into the fourth.
Once again the teams traded points to start the fourth quarter, but Bishop Canevin ended the game emphatically with a 21-2 run to keep its season alive.
The Falcons will lose several seniors from the squad, but Brashear will look to reload and win the fourth straight section crown in 2016-17.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Brashear said. “They fought for everything and they gave me all they got from the start of November. We are disappointed in the loss, but it was an awesome season for us. We won 18 games and went undefeated in our section. We tried to bring that energy into here tonight, but Bishop Canevin was clicking on all cylinders.”