Ramsey scores 34 but California falls to Shenango
PITTSBURGH – The California Trojans saw their WPIAL Class AA playoff run, and season, come to an end Saturday with a 71-51 first round loss to Shenango Saturday at North Hills High School.
Malik Ramsey, one of the top scorers in the WPIAL, led the way for California (12-10) with 34 points, but Shenango (18-5) showed why it is a dangerous team.
“That is a really talented team and we could tell that they were disciplined right out of the gate,” said California coach Aaron Balla. “There were a couple of possessions where the ball never hit the floor and they move the ball well.”
After Ramsey scored the first five points of the game, Shenango settled in and the Wildcats put full-court pressure on the Trojans.
“We had issues with ball control early and had 11 turnovers in the first quarter,” Balla said. “We had mental errors, and at this level it comes back to hurt you.”
California trailed 17-10 after one quarter.
Ramsey scored 10 points of California’s 12 points in the second, but Shenango extended its lead to 33-22 at the half and the Trojans would get no closer than eight points the rest of the game.
At times in the second half, Shenango turned the game into a layup drill, whether scoring off of turnovers, off fast breaks or against California’s half-court defense.
Colin McQuiston led Shenango with 26 points, Jason Kraner added 15 and Reis Watkins also hit double figures with 12.
Balla spoke highly of Ramsey, who made a 30-foot three-pointer on his last high school shot, and talked about the season.
“We don’t have players like Malik play at Cal often and he is a quality person,” he said. “As far as the team, there were a lot of ups and downs this season, but this team deserved to make the playoffs. I am proud of the team for making it.”