Senior Night is always a memorable occasion, but for the Bradford boys’ home finale on Tuesday, it was just as notable an occasion for the visitors.
The Elk Catholic boys completed a perfect 22-0 regular season by defeating the Owls (7-13 overall, 2-7 D9 League) 56-30.
The Crusaders also went undefeated in the regular season last year, the first time in school history the team has gone perfect in back-to-back regular seasons. The victory increased ECC’s regular season winning streak to a remarkable 59 games.
“I feel very blessed to coach such good kids,” ECC coach Aaron Straub said. “That senior core this year has been the big, driving force of the back-to-back seasons. It’s not easy to do and I’m really proud of the kids, really proud of the program, and really grateful to coach with the guys I coach with.”
Straub was appreciative of how difficult it is to go undefeated in one season, let alone two in a row.
“It’s very tough to do,” he said. “You’ve got to be at your best every night. You’ve got to be fortunate to stay away from injuries and illness.”
For Bradford, it was an improvement of sorts over its last game against Elk Catholic: after going into halftime tied with the Crusaders, the Owls were eventually trounced 78-38 back on Jan. 25.
“The last game we were actually with them in the first half, so I was hoping we could do the same thing and maybe turn the second half around,” Bradford coach Brian Hobbs said. “But we dug ourselves a hole in the first half and they hit some perimeter shots after we lost some guys on the outside.”
ECC came out with a vengeance, starting the game on a 14-2 run thanks to ballhawking defense and great outside shooting from Gabe Kraus, who scored eight points in the first quarter and 14 in the first half; he would finish with a game-high 18 points.
The Owls were having a very tough time dealing with the full-court pressure defense of the Crusaders, who used their superior length and quickness to overwhelm Bradford from the outset.
“[It was] just the pressure,” Hobbs said about his team’s offensive struggles. “It’s getting comfortable in your sets, being able to make crisp passes with the ball pressure they put on you. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t execute.”
Bradford’s desire to push the pace offensively ended up playing right into ECC’s hands, leading to several early turnovers.
As for Elk’s offense, Straub’s teams showed why they haven’t lost a regular season contest in more than two years. The trio of Kraus, Ryan Newton (14 points) and Nate DaCanal (14) moved the ball around the court with ease.
Kraus in particular was finding numerous open shots from the perimeter. A great feed from DaCanal led to a 3 that ended the first quarter with Elk on top 19-7.
ECC’s pressure ‘D’ seemed to serve its purpose. Bradford’s offensive strategy became notably less aggressive in the second quarter. The Owls’ possessions often ended with tough midrange jumpers, and their difficulty of getting inside was evident by the fact that they attempted just nine free throws in the game.
Meanwhile, the Crusaders continued to run the Owls ragged on the other end with great movement in the halfcourt. Another trey by Kraus late in the half gave ECC a 37-15 halftime lead.
The second half was fairly academic for the Crusaders, as they were content to slog through a low-scoring third quarter where they continued to hound Bradford on defense.
The Owls were more technically sound in the second half, but were unable to summon enough energy to bounce back from a tough first half.
“I don’t think we gave up,” Hobbs said. “Our guys battled and really played hard. They’re just a good team, they executed in every aspect of the game whether it was offensive rebounding or taking care of the ball, execution as well. They’re just a solid team. That’s why they’re 22-0.”
With the game all but decided in the late going, Hobbs made sure his two seniors – Nate Higbie and Kyle Kirk – got standing ovations as they exited their last home game.
”[Nate’s] really grown as a leader for us,” Hobbs said. “It took him a little bit, but he decided he was going to do the little things while he wasn’t scoring and that really turned our team around.”
A late 3-pointer by Kirk brought a big cheer from the crowd.
”He really grinds,” Hobbs said about the diminutive Kirk. “He busts his butt every day in practice. He earns every minute that he gets. He’s worked very, very hard and he’s knocking down some shots now.
“I’m very proud to have coached those two guys.”
Tyler Gigliotti led the Owls with six points, while Dan Manion notched a team-high six rebounds.
ECC – which is currently ranked number 2 in the state (Class A) by MaxPreps and number 3 by PennLive – will open the Class A playoffs next week against eighth-seeded Johnsonburg.
At BRADFORD
Elk Catholic (56)
Singer 1 0-1 3, Dippold 2 1-1 5, Gabe Kraus 6 2-2 18, Braun 0 2-2 2, Ryan Newton 6 0-0 14, Nate DaCanal 6 2-2 14, Breindel 0 0-2 0, Totals 21 7-10 56.
Bradford (30)
Boyer 1 0-2 2, Pattison 2 1-2 5, Knowlton 2 0-0 4, Kirk 1 0-0 3, Gigliotti 2 0-0 6, Terwilliger 0 1-2 1, Higbie 2 0-0 5, Manion 1 2-3 4, Totals 11 4-9 30.
Elk Catholic 19 37 48 56
Bradford 7 15 23 30
Three-point FGs: Elk Catholic 7 (Singer, Kraus 4, Newton 2), Bradford 4 (Kirk, Gigliotti 2, Higbie)
Total fouls: Elk Catholic 9, Bradford 12. Fouled out: none
JV score: Bradford 38-36
