Mar 16, 2017 4 min read

AMBRIDGE – Maybe the best place for this game film is the fireplace.

The rematch between McGuffey and New Castle from the WPIAL quarterfinals turned into a nightmare for the Highlanders, full of turnovers that led to easy New Castle scores.

It was a recipe for a loss against the Red Hurricane.

McGuffey turned the ball over on its first four possessions, didn’t score until four minutes in and managed just three points in the second quarter.

It all added up to a 62-36 victory for New Castle in a PIAA Class 4A second-round game Thursday at Ambridge High School that was not as close as the score indicated.

It was a frustrating way to end such a marvelous season for a Highlanders’ team that produced just six wins last season.

“We did not play well in any aspect of the game,” said McGuffey head coach Mike Fatigante. “The guys in the locker room are crushed. They are frustrated with their performance and that the season is over.

“But this does not take away what these guys accomplished this year. I’m proud to have coached them. It’s been a heck of a ride and I’m proud of what we accomplished this season.”

McGuffey came into the game with a 19-6 record, one shy of breaking the school record set in 2002. The Highlanders’ season included a visit to the WPIAL playoffs – the third in school history – their first venture into the PIAA state playoffs and the program’s first PIAA playoff victory, a thrilling 48-46 victory over Clearfield sealed by Colin Chapman’s traditional three-point play with three seconds to go.

There would be no such heroics in this game.

McGuffey trailed New Castle 16-4 after one quarter, 36-12 at halftime and, after New Castle went on an 11-0 run, 55-15 after three quarters. The Highlanders committed 23 turnovers before the final buzzer.

“Not only are they extremely athletic but they are extremely talented,” said Fatigante. “It’s very hard to replicate that in practice.”

The Highlanders, who hung with New Castle for a half in the first meeting before losing 73-40, couldn’t handle the Red Hurricane’s full-court press. Time and again, the Highlanders struggled to get the ball past midcourt.

New Castle, meanwhile, used its lightning-quick guards and the deadly shooting of Gino DeMonaco, who scored 15 points all on open three-pointers from the corner.

“There was a certain degree of uncertainty coming into this game,” said New Castle head coach Ralph Blundo. “I thought if we could get out of the gate early, defend well, knock down a couple shots, we’d be OK. We play well together. We talk about making sure the ball ends up in the right hands. That’s important to us.”

Marcus Hooker, whose brother, Malik, is expected to be a first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft at safety, provided the slashing drives that collapsed McGuffey’s defense, then dished to either DeMonaco in the corner or Gino Stone outside for wide open shots.

Stone finished with 19 points and had five three-point baskets. Hooker, the only junior in New Castle’s senior-heavy starting lineup, scored 14 points.

Junior Trent Belleville led the Highlanders with a double-double, 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“He has a high basketball IQ,” Fatigante said. “We don’t necessarily run plays for him but he makes things happen.”

New Castle, ranked as high as No. 2 in the state, moves on with a 25-2 record.

Fatigante was especially proud of his senior players, who won just two games in their freshman season.

“This senior group put McGuffey on the map,” Fatigante said. “We plan to stay there.”