New Castle Wins Rubber Game Over Quaker Valley and WPIAL 4-A Title

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 4, 2017 | 4:41 PM

New Castle and Quaker Valley battled for 4A supremacy all season long, splitting their two matchups in Section 2 play in the regular campaign. With the WPIAL 4A Championship on the line at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday, the Red Hurricane used a dominant second half to prevail, 73-58. With the victory, New Castle claimed its 11th boys WPIAL title, and fourth since 2012.

The top-seeded Red Hurricane held a three-point edge at the intermission, but outscored the No. 2 Quakers 20-11 in the third frame to extend their lead to double digits. The Hurricanes fended off a fourth-quarter surge by the Quakers to close out the win in convincing fashion.

Geno Stone, an Iowa football recruit, netted a team-best 23 points, one of four Red Hurricanes in double figures. Garrett Farah contributed 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, Marcus Hooker notched 13, and Gino DeMonaco chipped in with 12.

In the defeat, Amos Luptak produced a game-high 29 points, while Coletrane Washington tallied 16 for the Quakers.

The Red Hurricane (23-2) scored the first points of the game, and held the edge for the entire first quarter, with Stone pacing the attack with seven points. For QV, Luptak scored eight points, but his team trailed 18-14 after the first stanza.

Quaker Valley (22-3) opened the second frame with an 8-0 surge, taking its first lead at 19-18 on a trifecta by Amos Luptak. The lead was short lived, though, as Farah sank a 3-pointer to put New Castle back in front, 24-22. From that point forward, the Red Hurricane never relinquished their advantage.

The New Castle offense was propelled by Stone in the third stanza, as he contributed 10 points. Collectively, New Castle hit four shots from behind the arc in the frame, while the Quakers were limited to their lowest scoring output of the game.

Leading by 12 to begin the fourth quarter, New Castle added to its edge, courtesy of the hot shooting of Gino DeMonaco. The Hurricanes’ senior drilled three shots from distance in the quarter, putting New Castle ahead 56-42.

The Quakers mounted a comeback, however, as they took advantage of the New Castle foul troubles. Quaker Valley attempted 14 free throws in the quarter, with Luptak hitting seven of his eight tries.

After Quaker Valley pulled within eight, at 59-51, Hooker converted an and-one play to push the New Castle lead back into double figures, sealing the victory.

For New Castle head coach Ralph Blundo, this title, his fourth at the helm of New Castle, had a special meeting, because of the uncertainty surrounding his squad earlier this campaign.

“We weren’t very good at the beginning of the year, but we kept working, we kept fixing, we kept correcting,” he said. “Before you know it, here we are.”

For the contest, the Red Hurricane shot 48 percent, including a scorching 10-25 from behind the arc. Conversely, the Quakers shot approximately 42 percent from the field, but just 3-15 from distance.

Blundo believed that disparity was the biggest factor in the outcome.

“We shot it well, just a little better than they did, and that was the difference,” he said. “When we had good looks, we made them pay.”

Both teams will next play in the PIAA 4A postseason, which commences on Saturday, March 11.

Score By Quarter:

New Castle      18 – 12 – 20 – 23 = 73
Quaker Valley 14 – 13 – 11 – 20 = 58