By ANDY CLOSE
Era Sports Reporter
While the Cameron County and Elk County Catholic boys fell short of their goal of a District 9 Class A title, they both still have plenty to play for.
The Class A state tournament begins today, with both teams looking to extend their seasons — Cameron County against the third-place team from District 6, Saltsburg, while ECC gets D-6 champion Bishop Carroll.
Both Cameron County coach Jon Songer and Elk County Catholic head man Aaron Straub noted the difficulties of practicing this week with school cancellations and early dismissal, but both feel their teams will be ready to go.
Here’s a closer look at each game.
9-2 Cameron County (23-3) vs. 6-3 Saltsburg (13-11)
Where: Clarion University, 6 p.m.
Winner Gets (10-1) Kennedy Catholic/(7-4) Eden Christian winner Tuesday
Cameron County’s bid for the district title was thwarted by Clarion-Limestone on Saturday, but this is a team that has aspirations of making a serious run in the state tournament and they are more than capable of doing so.
Nate Sestina had a monster effort against C-L, going for 27 points and 19 boards. It’s easy to become spoiled, but this is something Sestina has been doing with regularity the entire season. To be honest, his play has gone to another level, starting with the two weeks leading up to the playoffs.
This could present a major issue for Saltsburg, as they don’t have any regulars over 6-1, so look for increased help on the 6-9 Sestina, as has been the case for much of the season.
“They play a lot of zone,” Songer said. “We expect some zone, we expect some junk defenses. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”
It will be incumbent for Cameron County’s guards to make shots, most notably Keith Spehalski and Trae Smith. The duo went just 4-of-13 and 4-of-12, respectively, against Clarion-Limestone, whose guards shot 15-of-31 in that game.
If Cameron’s guards can make shots on a consistent basis — something they have done with regularity most of the season — they have a legitimate chance to make a run in the West.
Look for James Guisto to be more proactive as well, as he ran into foul trouble against C-L, with Mike Slusarick and Dominic Nellis doing much of the dirty work for the Red Raiders.
For Saltsburg, they are perhaps a bit ahead of schedule in getting to the state playoffs.
Their top four scorers are all sophomores, led by guards Jordan Booth and Frankie Plowman, who average 10.2 and 10.1 ppg., respectively, while Nick Porter runs the point and leads the team in scoring at 16.1 ppg.
“They’re young, they’re talented and they really compete,” Songer said. “They play extremely hard. Number 14 (Porter) really makes them go. He’s either penetrating or making a play for somebody else and is usually right in the thick of what they’re trying to do offensively.”
Saltsburg beat St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy 67-54 in the D-6 consolation game to earn the final berth at the state table out of District 6.
“We talked to the kids about how this is a whole new tournament,” Songer said. “There are 32 teams left playing and we’re one of them. We’ve accomplished some neat things this year and have the opportunity to add the first Cameron County boys team since 1972 to win a state playoff game to that. I know the kids are up for the challenge.”
6-1 Bishop Carroll (24-1) vs. 9-3 Elk County Catholic (25-2)
Where: Central Cambria High School, Ebensburg, 6:30 p.m.
Winner Gets (7-2) Jeannette/(10-2) Farrell winner Tuesday
The Crusaders bounced back from a semifinal loss to C-L with a 56-48 win over Venango Catholic in the consolation game Saturday.
Ryan Seelye led the Crusaders with a season-high 20 points in that game, while sophomore Nate DaCanal, who took over in the closing minutes of C-L to send the game to overtime, leads the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg. and senior guard Mitch Struble checks in at 10.4 ppg.
“We were really happy to get the win against Venango Catholic,” Straub said. “They’re an excellent team and the KSAC (Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference) was very good this year. It’s good that you can win when your two leading scorers (DaCanal, Mitch Struble) combine for six points.”
ECC is a team that spreads it around, with Kyle Huff, Jeffrey Wehler, Benji Hoffman, Ian Herzing, Dan Singer and Mitchell Smith all part of a deep rotation for Straub.
They will be facing a Bishop Carroll team that averages 71.7 ppg. and loves to push tempo.
They are led by 5-10 senior guard Brandon Martinazzi, who averages 22.6 ppg. He is one of three players averaging in double figures, with 6-1 senior guard Scott Lucas at 11.4 ppg. and 6-1 junior guard David Swatsworth at 10.8 ppg.
“Martinazzi is a great player,” Straub noted. “We’re going to have find some way to slow him down. They have a bunch of really good scorers. They shoot the ball well and right now, we’re not. We’re going to have to find a way to score on our end and find a way to stop them on the other end.”
BC also has solid size underneath, with the Weinsierl twins, Darrien and Darrin, who are both 6-5. Their only loss of the season came to Blairsville, 66-59 on Dec. 26.
“They’re very quick and press off a make or a miss,” Straub said.
Straub also hopes Central Cambria brings some good karma. The last time he brought a team there was a 63-51 win over Serra Catholic in the state quarterfinals in 2009.
“We’re feeling good about playing there,” he said. “We’re traveling 100 miles and they’re traveling three-quarters of a mile and I hope that plays in our favor.”
