Nazareth Prep fights off feisty St. Joseph in Class A quarterfinals

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 10:10 PM

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The Nazareth Prep boys basketball team is moving on to the WPIAL Class A semifinals, but its quarterfinal victory Tuesday evening at Fox Chapel didn’t come without a fight from St. Joseph.

Neither the No. 2 Saints nor the No. 7 Spartans held more than a two-point lead through the entire second half until Prep freshman Ahsan Harrison hit one of two from the free-throw line with 4 seconds left to give his team a three-point advantage.

A last-second open 3-point shot from St. Joseph junior Ryan McCarthy did not go in, and the Saints came away with a 48-45 victory.

“Every team in the playoffs is good. It’s that time of the year,” Prep coach Tayna Garner said.

“You only have to beat them once in the playoffs, and tonight was our night. St. Joe’s is a heckuva team. They fought so hard. Our kids are young. They are learning what it is to be in the playoffs in the WPIAL, and they rose to the occasion. I am so proud of them.”

Prep started the season 1-8 against some top-flight competition, but it rallied to win Section 1 and pick up the No. 2 seed.

The Saints, who improved to 9-11 overall, advance to Saturday’s semifinals and a matchup with No. 6 Serra Catholic.

The Eagles (13-9) moved on with a 74-66 victory over No. 2 Avella.

“These opportunities are what you dream about when you play high school basketball,” Garner said. “They are one step closer to winning that medal that they’ve worked so hard for. They are grateful to have another opportunity to move closer.”

The Saints, with just one senior in the varsity rotation, also clinched a spot in the PIAA tournament as the top four teams from Class A boys qualify.

St. Joseph, young as well with no seniors on its roster, capped its season at 8-14. The Spartans rallied late in the regular season with wins over Environmental Charter, Serra, Geibel and Monessen to clinch their spot in the WPIAL tournament.

“At the beginning of the year, not too many people thought we would be here,” St. Joseph coach Chris Muir said.

“We have a lot of young guys, but they bought in and improved and fought for each other. I can’t tell you how incredibly proud I am of them as far as their growth. Even two weeks ago, we had a big mountain to climb, but they did it. It’s hard to lose a heartbreaker like that, but we get everyone back and I am excited to see how they will build off of all of these experiences. There are a lot of positives moving forward.”

Junior John Marino scored just three points in the game, but those three were huge as his shot from beyond the arc with 2:07 left in the fourth gave St. Joseph a 45-44 lead.

Freshman Nick Tometsko, who battled through a right ankle injury that caused him to leave the game briefly in the fourth, went to the line with 31 seconds left hoping to extend the Spartans’ lead. But he was not able to convert either free throw, and Harrison came down with the rebound.

On Prep’s possession, sophomore point guard Tyrone Hamlin got the ball in low to Harrison, who drove the base line and put the ball up and in while drawing a blocking foul from St. Joseph sophomore Kyle Lecker with 15 seconds left.

St. Joseph still had a foul to give in that situation, and Muir said he hoped his team could’ve used that foul before Harrison got the ball and made his move to the basket.

“We did want to look to foul (Hamlin) at the half court,” Muir said. “But they have a lot of great athletes who can make plays, and they made that play.”

Harrison made the free throw to complete the three-point play and put the Saints ahead 47-45.

The Spartans called timeout and then looked to get the ball into the paint. But Lecker’s inbound pass hit the rim, giving Prep possession.

A Harrison free throw with 4 seconds left made it 48-45 and set up St. Joseph’s need for McCarthy’s long-range attempt.

“We got a great look with a wide-open shot, and sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in,” Muir said.

McCarthy led St. Joseph with 17 points, and he added eight rebounds.

Garner said the key for her players down the stretch was focus when the pressure what at its highest.

“That focus includes trusting the process and trusting your teammates to make plays and being OK with whoever steps up to make that play,” she said.

“We got a stop, we got a rebound and we made a foul shot. They came up big when we needed them to.”

Harrison finished with a game-best 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. Hamlin scored nine points — all on a trio of 3-pointers in the first half.

Prep built an early 11-0 lead, but St. Joseph scratched and clawed its way back to the point that a 3-pointer from freshman Julian Jiggetts with 1:43 left until halftime gave the Spartans the lead at 23-22. They went into the break up 25-24.

Jiggetts finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Lecker also scored eight points, and Tometsko ended the game with seven.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Nazareth Prep, St. Joseph