Fort Cherry seeks good start in second round
Mark Marietta/Observer-Reporter
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During its postseason run, the Fort Cherry High School boys basketball team has become known as a good come-from-behind team.
The Rangers have won each of their last two games – against Northgate in the WPIAL Class 2A third-place game and again Saturday against Karns City in the first round of the PIAA tournament – after trailing both at halftime and at the end of three quarters. The Rangers completed comebacks and won with sizzling fourth quarters on the opponent’s home court.
It’s good to win that way, but Fort Cherry head coach Eugene Briggs knows it’s also a tough act to keep going, especially in the postseason.
“I wish we would quit having to do that,” Briggs said. “If you fall behind early, it’s good to know you’re capable of coming back, so you’re not too concerned. It’s also not comfortable, either.”
The Rangers will try to play from ahead Wednesday in the second round of the state tournament when they face Serra Catholic (18-9) at Peters Township. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. It is the nightcap of a doubleheader that will have the WPIAL champion South Fayette girls (19-8) facing Oakland Catholic (25-2) in the 6 p.m. opener.
Briggs said it wasn’t surprising that the Rangers fell behind Karns City.
“It’s always difficult to travel that far, that early (1 p.m. start), and play in someone else’s gym,” he said.
Serra Catholic, the seventh-place team out of the WPIAL, defeated District 6 champion West Branch in the first round, 75-67. The Eagles play at a much faster pace than Karns City, which should be to the Rangers’ liking.
“Their style of play is more like the teams we’ve scrimmaged: Monessen, Rochester and Sto-Rox,” Briggs pointed out. “They have three guys who can really score.”
Those three are senior guards Isiah Petty and Pete Burk and junior guard Owen Dumbroski.
“Their point guard (Burk) is the guy who controls everything,” Briggs said. “They are athletic and like to push the ball.”
That sounds a lot like Fort Cherry. The Rangers rely on point guard Derek Errett, who scored 26 points against Karns City, to set the tempo. The Rangers have been able to get complimentary scoring from a variety of sources, including Shane Cornali, Blake Sweder and Alan Tarolli, among others. Sweder, only a sophomore, had 14 points against Karns City.
“He’s a guy who seems to have come into his own late in the season,” Briggs said of Sweder. “He’s a real good athlete and one of our better shooters. He’s aggressive and can take the ball to the basket.
“He’s averaging about nine points per game for the season, but in the latter part of the year he’s probably averaging 12 or 13.”
The Fort Cherry-Serra winner will play Saturday against either Jeannette or Greensburg Central Catholic.
The Peters Township girls (24-2) will get the second round started today when they play District 1 runner-up Spring Ford (22-5) at Bald Eagle Area High School in Bellefonte. Tipoff for the Class 6A game is 5:30 p.m.