No comeback this time for Wash High
Wash High’s Nate Swart drives toward the basket against Aliquippa Saturday at West Allegheny High School. Swart led the Prexies with 14 points.
Wash High’s Anthony Popeck is challenged near the basket by Aliquippa’s Kaezon Pugh during the second half a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal game Saturday at West Allegheny High School.
Wash High’s Nate Swart shoots over Aliquippa’s Chucky Humphries and Kaezon Pugh during the first half.
IMPERIAL – Aliquippa has the skill to knock down contested step-back jump shots and an overwhelming defense that quickly closes passing lanes.
Few teams in the WPIAL can match the combination of size and athleticism that can quickly recover to block an opponent’s layup on a fast break, or have the ability to thrive in both transition and half-court sets.
Washington tried to play Aliquippa’s game Saturday and it cost the Prexies a spot in the semifinals.
Moving too fast for its own good, Wash High committed six third-quarter turnovers and could not take advantage of Aliquippa’s struggles on offense, allowing the unbeaten Quips to hold on for a 49-36 win in a Class AA quarterfinal game at West Allegheny High School.
The eight-seeded Prexies (17-7), who will play section rival Seton-La Salle in a consolation round game Monday (8 p.m.) at Peters Township High School, trailed by just seven points with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, but they began rushing shots and shied away from the patient offense that served them well.
“I thought there were two or three times in the game, for a few minutes, where we got in our heads we were as athletic as they are,” Wash High head coach Ron Faust said. “When you make that mistake against them, you lose that battle. You have to run your stuff and not fall into the trap of trying to show them something different. They’re too good for that.”
Aliquippa senior small forward Chucky Humphries, a West Liberty recruit who scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, struggled during the final 16 minutes, when the Quips (23-0) shot just 7 of 23 from the field.
Their head coach, Nick Lackovich, became so frustrated with the top-seeded Quips forcing shots, he had them drain the final five minutes of regulation with passes back-and-forth after Aliquippa grabbed a 12-point lead.
Senior guard Jassir Jordan was the only double-digit scorer with 12 points and senior forward Kaezon Pugh, a Pitt football recruit, was held to five points.
“Defensively, it was a winning effort; offensively, not so much,” Lackovich said. “We forced too many shots. We made this game way too hard. We didn’t make the best decisions. They are a quality team, and we aren’t going to apologize for the win.”
When Aliquippa’s offense began to sputter in the third quarter, Wash High’s patience began to pay off. After trailing by 12 points at halftime, the Prexies slowly fought back with Matt and Anthony Popeck leading a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to seven points.
But then the Prexies began forcing shots from the perimeter, despite frustrating the Quips with drives to the basket during the first 20 minutes, and had three consecutive turnovers as Aliquippa ended the third quarter with six points by Jordan to take a 41-28 lead.
Aliquippa, which held Wash High senior guard Markel Pulliam to just two points, used the size of Humphries (6-6) and Pugh (6-3) to swallow passing lanes and prevent the Prexies’ guards from driving to the basket. It also limited Matt Popeck to 10 points.
“That’s an outstanding basketball team as far as talent is concerned, and we just don’t match up with them at all,” Faust said. “I don’t know any team that does. What’s really interesting is there were times you drive to the basket and it looks like there’s an open lane, but the next thing you know it’s being swatted up into the stands.”
Playing too fast in the first quarter led to a 10-1 run for Aliquippa, but the Quips led just 12-9 after eight minutes and it was the Swart brothers who kept the Prexies close.
While Humphries scored 12 second-quarter points, including a putback dunk to shift momentum back to Aliquippa moments before halftime, Wash High senior forward Nate Swart scored six of his team-high 14 points and sophomore guard Jordan Swart’s three-pointer had the Prexies trailing by just four points with two minutes left until the break.
Wash High reverted back to an impatient style that relied on individual skill, leading to three consecutive turnovers and Aliquippa’s 8-0 run to close out the half.
It was enough to cost the Prexies their shot at upsetting the Quips, who will face fourth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic in the semifinals. This time, there was no remarkable comeback for the Prexies on the West Allegheny court, where they rallied from a 24-point deficit to win in a first-round game.
“We thought if we could get it down to six points or five going into the fourth quarter, the magic of this place from the other night might continue, but we couldn’t put it over the edge,” Faust said.