Reading squeezes out New Castle
Tight defense quashes Hurricanes, ends quest for state championship
ALTOONA, Pa. — For years, the bones of New Castle boys basketball team has been its smothering defense.
It’s not been quite as prevalent this year, but typically, the Hurricanes would turn opponents over, get out and run, wear down their foes and win going away.
On Saturday afternoon at the Altoona Area High School Field House, Reading gave New Castle a dose of that on steroids.
The once-beaten District 3 champions used takeaways and runouts to jump out by double figures in the first quarter and never really let up, sidelining the Hurricanes two wins short of a return to the PIAA finals, 72-48, in Class 6A playoff action.
“You’ve just got to give them their props for going out there and completing their game plan,” said Hurricanes point guard Jon Anderson, his voice breaking in the middle of his thought. “There’s a level of patience we should have kept. We let them rush us up a little bit, force some shots and got out of our comfort zone, which we don’t do at New Castle.
“This is sort of heartbreaking for us.”
Anderson was one of four seniors in the Hurricanes’ starting lineup for the state quarterfinal, along with Da’Jaun Young, Isaiah Boice and Nick Wallace.
With the Red Knights geared to make things especially tough for Anderson initiating the offense, Young and Boice led New Castle with 18 and 13 points, respectively.
“They’re a really good team, a solid team. Me and my guys did everything we could,” Young said after scoring 14 points in the second half. “We could have done better in some areas, but they’re a really good basketball team.”
It was never a single-digit difference after Reading went on a 10-0 run to begin the second quarter. The Knights forced seven New Castle turnovers in the first period and used an 11-0 spurt after Boice’s bucket gave the Hurricanes their last lead of the contest at 5-4.
Making matters tougher for Hurricanes coach Ralph Blundo was that Wallace was whistled for his third foul at the 1:23 mark of the opening frame. New Castle has seldom gone to the bench this season with the outcome in doubt.
New Castle ended the year 24-4.
“We can’t play the style we like to play because of the lack of depth,” Blundo said. “We had to handle pressure. We had to take care of the basketball. They make that so hard. I’ve had teams that could do that. When you get a team that’s that athletic, that skilled, that plays that hard and is that well coached, you win state championships.”
When Knights guard Ruben Rodriguez made his second 3-pointer of the third quarter, he had 23 points to New Castle’s 22. Rodriguez finishedwith 27.
“They run everything through him. It was all about making it hard for him,”
Ruben Rodriguez said. “We dida very good job of that.”
Reading (30-1) will play Spring-Ford on Tuesday in the semifinals.
“They’re extremely disciplined, championship-caliber. We couldn’t get caught up in all their sets,” Reading coach Rick Perez said. “We were able to extend their offense. It sounds cliche, but fast starts are vital.”
For Anderson, the success of the season was small consolation.
“We have the same expectations every year, and that’s to go all the way. Go all the way in the WPIAL. Go all the way in states,” Anderson said. “Coming up short of that is a disappointment to us.”