New Castle softens up to gain final
Red Hurricanes utilized different defensive strategies
New Castle going soft? Oh, what a knee slapper. What’s next, giraffes flying?
But, as odd as it sounds, New Castle did go soft in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Wednesday night. The team that has been known for years as a tough, pressing defensive team, changed its identity and backed off defensively. The strategy worked, as host New Castle stifled Laurel Highlands for three quarters en route to a 69-60 victory against the defending WPIAL champ. New Castle led by as many as 21 points in the second and fourth quarters.
The win puts New Castle (20-2) into Saturday’s championship game and gives coach Ralph Blundo a chance to become only the fourth coach in WPIAL history to win seven titles.
But the Red Hurricanes used a different style to get to the final. They played a soft man-to-man defense and even played a 1-2-2 zone New Castle calls “12 soft.” Laurel Highlands had only 33 points through three quarters.
The reason for the defensive philosophical change was Laurel Highlands standout sophomore point guard Rodney Gallagher and Laurel Highlands’ other guards. Gallagher made the Post-Gazette Fabulous Five last year as a freshman and was averaging 19 points a game.
“Unless [ former NBA player] Mookie Blaylock shows up, you’re not taking the ball off Rodney Gallagher,” Blundo said. “We’re not going to waste our time and energy trying to accomplish that. We have a culture and a certain way we play. But I like to think we’re smart enough to know there’s a right way to play Rodney Gallagher.
“Gallagher is an uncommon player, so we had to do something a little uncommon to beat them tonight.”
Gallagher finished with 26 points but was scoreless until hitting a 3-pointer with 4:47 to go in the first half. New Castle led by 20 (29-9) before Gallagher’s first basket.
New Castle made 4 of 9 3pointers in the first quarter and shot 60% (15 of 25) in the first half. Laurel Highlands (14-4), which was 0 for 8 from the field in the first quarter, scored the first six points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 35-27, but New Castle scored the next eight, and the outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.
“There comes a time where you have to have discipline to settle down, set up and run an offense. We didn’t do that enough,” Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said. “When we did, there were breakdowns.”
Senior guard Sheldon Cox had 23 points for New Castle, and junior guard Mike Wells added 20, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Sophomore guard Isaiah Boice scored 15. Wells, Cox and Boice combined to shoot 63% (24 of 38) and 44% (8 of 18) from 3-point range.
Other 5A game
Mars scored the first 13 points of the game, but then the Colts of Chartiers Valley went galloping past the visiting Planets for a 63-55 win.
The win means Chartiers Valley (22-3) and New Castle will play for the third time this season in the title game Saturday night at North Allegheny.
After Mars’ 13-0 run to start the game, Chartiers Valley went on a 25-1 run to take a 25-14 lead. Chartiers Valley led, 46-36, after three quarters. Mars (16-4) came back to cut the lead to 59-55 with 50 seconds left in the game but didn’t score again.
Senior guard Brayden Reynolds led Chartiers Valley with 26 points. Zach Schlegel had 14 to lead Mars.