Knoch aims to knock off District 10 champion Cathedral Prep in PIAA 1st round
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Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 2:32 PM
Knoch’s Jackson Bauman (left) looks for room to drive past Avonworth’s Noah Goetz (right) in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals.
Knoch’s Mason Heller (right) is tripped up while competing for a loose ball against Avonworth’s Carson Bellinger (center) and Noah Goetz (bottom) in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals.
The reward for a good season from the Knoch boys basketball team was more work for coach Alan Bauman. It’s time he’s happy to invest.
The Knights, who earned the fifth seed out of the WPIAL, will attempt to knock off District 10 champion Cathedral Prep in a PIAA Class 4A first-round matchup at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie. Knoch is in the state playoffs for the first time since 2006.
“There’s a lot of asking for film, exchanging film,” Bauman said. “I called other coaches and got some background. There’s a ton of research to do.”
The Ramblers (17-8) are much more accustomed to being on the big stage. Cathedral Prep has 65 wins in the PIAA tournament, which is the eighth most all time for a boys program.
The Knights are 3-9 all-time in the state playoffs, with their last win coming over Central (Martinsburg) in 1997. Knoch guard Jackson Bauman said this is a good opportunity for the Knights.
“It would be a great confidence boost for us,” Jackson Bauman said. “If we could go to Erie and beat a great team, it would be a big boost. It would show we have the ability to beat a great team on the road.”
The Knights (19-7) had to battle through the WPIAL consolation bracket to reach the state tournament. Knoch, which will have a 10-day break by the time it plays the Ramblers on Friday, knocked off section rival Deer Lakes, 56-42, to earn its way into the tournament.
Jackson Bauman said the Knights have been making the most out of their additional practice time. He and teammate Teegan Finucan have been consistent scorers this season.
Both reached the 1,000-point plateau during the regular season.
“As a team, we’ve been watching film together and staying on task,” Jackson Bauman said. “We’ve been very focused. We had a couple of great days of practice.”
Alan Bauman said losing to Avonworth in the district quarterfinals was a good wake-up call.
“For us, it’s about settling in,” Coach Bauman said. “We grew up after the Avonworth game. We learned we need to withstand that first punch.”
Cathedral Prep is a team more than capable of handing out big punches. The Ramblers are led by guard Michael Thompson. He has been playing well in the postseason, scoring 22 points in the District 10 semifinals against Grove City and 27 points in a championship win over Sharon.
Cathedral Prep also has a strong point guard in Nando Mirarchi. Bauman said he thought the Ramblers were a strong defensive team.
“Michael Thompson is one of the best players we’ll see all year,” Alan Bauman said. “Nando is smooth and understands how to run an offense.”
The winning team will advance to play the winner of District 9 champion Clearfield (15-9) and District 10 fourth-place finisher Grove City (18-8) on Tuesday in the PIAA second round.
Tags: Knoch
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