Mar 13, 2015 3 min read

MOON – If nothing else, Friday night’s PIAA Class A quarterfinal round game between Monessen and Kennedy Catholic answered the nagging question of whether it’s better for a basketball team to have size or great quickness.

The answer, at least on this night, was size.

Kennedy Catholic used its long reach to overwhelm Monessen, 81-63, in a game played at Moon High School. Kennedy Catholic moves on to the semifinals, where it meets rival Farrell. Monessen’s season came to an end with a 22-7 record and a WPIAL title.

The Golden Eagles did not have a starter under 6-0 and boasted Sagaba Konate, a 6-8 junior center who already was offered by Pitt.

Kennedy Catholic’s size did not necessarily help it win the rebounding battle. Monessen did quite well there. But for the final 4:19 of the second quarter and 2:11 of the third, the Greyhounds did not score. And no one had to tell Monessen head coach Joe Salvino how damaging that was to possibly winning this game.

“It turned the game,” he said. “We just couldn’t score against them. When we couldn’t score, it’s hard to win a basketball game.”

The Golden Eagles’ length gave Monessen problems moving the ball and finding good shots. That’s what turned a relatively close 23-17 Kennedy Catholic lead into a 38-19 bulge at halftime.

Konate had eight of his points in the run. He finished with 12 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a ferocious dunk in the Golden Eagles’ 9-0 run that finished the half.

“Our size made a big difference,” said Kennedy Catholic head coach Rick Mancino. “We were able to put pressure on their guards and get the ball in the middle of the court. They killed us on the boards. I don’t know what the numbers were but we’ll be working on that.”

Monessen outrebounded Kennedy Catholic, 25-23, but the edge was larger throughout the first half. The problem for the Greyhounds was they couldn’t convert those chances into baskets.

“We’ve played teams with size before,” Salvino said. “We’ve played teams with a 6-11 center. Quad-A teams. That didn’t bother us. We just couldn’t score.”

Kennedy Catholic had two runs, one in the first quarter and the one before halftime, that secured the win. With Monessen leading 10-9, the Golden Eagles went on a 15-2 spurt and lead 23-16 after one. The 19-point halftime lead was the result of the second run.

Kennedy Catholic’s largest lead of the game was 26 points, 59-43, with 47 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Monessen scored 26 points in the final quarter.

Nick Tantuo, a 6-2 senior forward, finished with 18 points and four rebounds. Mohammed Konate, Sagaba’s brother, also had 18 points and five rebounds. He is a 6-4 sophomore guard. Andrew Magestro, a 6-2 sophomore guard, had 15 points and four rebounds.

Monessen’s Lavalle Rush, a 5-9 junior guard, led all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Justice Rice, a 6-2 sophomore guard, finished with 11 points, three rebounds and a block.

“I’m proud of what these guys accomplished,” said Salvino. “We only have two seniors on this team. They worked hard to get this far.”