- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 391,798
- Reaction score
- 43
ALLENTOWN — For every heart-stopping magical moment in March, there is agony on the other side.
Unfortunately for Holy Cross players, the devastation and disbelief befell them.
After nearly 32 minutes of adrenaline and intense basketball, West Catholic sophomore Jayvon Byrd lived every high school player’s dream. He caught an in-bounds pass, squared himself, and drilled a 3-pointer in the final 1.3 seconds to lift the Burrs to a dramatic 58-57 win over the Crusaders on Saturday afternoon in the PIAA Class 3A boys basketball semifinals at Parkland High School.
The buzzer-beater set off a wild celebration that carried into the bench and into the hallway and catapulted the District 12 champion Burrs (13-14) to the final at the Giant Center in Hershey on March 29 against South Allegheny. Byrd scored 11 points, as did Eric Scott to lead West Catholic.
Holy Cross (25-5), which reached the PIAA Class 2A final last season, was denied another trip to the final.
“I am just heartbroken for these kids,” said a visibly shaken Holy Cross coach Al Callejas Jr. “To match what we did last year, it is extremely hard to do what we achieved last year. They gave me everything they had. I thought if we won this, we had a really good chance in the final.
“Their effort and their commitment and determination were unbelievable.”
Michael Hughes, a Class 2A all-state player last season, nearly delivered a win for the Crusaders.
First he made a crucial steal when West Catholic tried to hold the ball for a final shot with 1:30 left in a tie game at 55-55.
Then, after a timeout, he darted to the basket in the final seconds and drew a foul. At the free throw line, the senior swished both attempts to give Holy Cross a 57-55 lead with 6.4 seconds remaining and two fouls to give.
“I have practiced 1,000 free throws,” said Hughes, who had a team-high 15 points. “I just did what I always do. I didn’t think too much about them and made them both.”
Holy Cross forced West Catholic to chew up time and committed both fouls.
That set up the Burrs underneath the basket with 1.6 seconds remaining. On an inbound play, Holy Cross’ Adam Badyrka kicked the pass. That ran an additional .3 seconds off the clock.
West Catholic collected itself. Naseem Perez found Byrd, who got open and launched the game-winner.
When the ball whistled through the net, Holy Cross players collapsed to the gym floor, overcome with disappointment.
“We gave them everything that we had,” said Holy Cross senior Matt Lyons, who scored 14 points and had four rebounds. “This was a hard-fought game. We gave all the effort we had. When it came down to it, it just wasn’t meant to be for us.”
Holy Cross went toe-to-toe with West Catholic and at times had it on the ropes.
Mario Matrone gave the Crusaders an early 11-6 lead in the first quarter to charge up a large gathering of fans that were clad in green and black.
But West Catholic clawed back to trail only 14-12 at the end of one.
In the second, Badyrka, who scored 14 points, sparked the Holy Cross offense with 3-pointers that helped build leads of 21-15 and 24-18. Each time, though, the fast-paced Burrs responded and a Hughes free throw gave the Crusaders a 29-27 advantage at the half.
Holy Cross seized a 38-32 lead as Lyons scored six points and Badyrka completed a three-point play. West Catholic came right back as Saaid Lee, limited to two points in the first half, scored four straight on driving layups.
Following a Holy Cross timeout, the Crusaders closed on a 6-2 run with Hughes draining a deep 3-pointer, and Lyons and CJ Thompson adding free throws for a 44-38 lead after three.
At the start of the thrilling fourth quarter, Perez hit a 3-pointer that ignited a 7-2 surge that pulled West Catholic to within 46-45. Holy Cross pushed the lead back to 51-45 on a three-point play by Hughes and an offensive putback by Lyons, who shot 6 of 7 in the game.
West Catholic drew even with the Crusaders, 53-53, when Perez, who finished with nine points, sandwiched a three-point play and a 3-pointer around a Thompson layup. Hughes and West Catholic’s Kingston Wheatley traded layups to lock up the game for the final time at 55-55 and set up the wild finish.
“This was a special group,” Hughes said. “We went to work every day. We all had great attitudes and we stuck together as a team always.
“This really hurts to lose the way that we did.”
Holy Cross’ senior class closed out its three seasons with two trips to the Class 2A semifinals and this season’s Class 3A semifinal. The Crusaders won two straight District 2 Class 2A championships and the Lackawanna League Division II crown this season.
In the last three seasons, Holy Cross won 71 games.
“This team has meant the world to me,” Lyons said through his tears. “All of the seniors on this team are fantastic basketball players. We carved a legacy that will never be forgotten. We have raised the bar and set a standard for teams that come after us.
“It is just a shame that we couldn’t get back to Hershey with this team.”
Continue reading...
Unfortunately for Holy Cross players, the devastation and disbelief befell them.
After nearly 32 minutes of adrenaline and intense basketball, West Catholic sophomore Jayvon Byrd lived every high school player’s dream. He caught an in-bounds pass, squared himself, and drilled a 3-pointer in the final 1.3 seconds to lift the Burrs to a dramatic 58-57 win over the Crusaders on Saturday afternoon in the PIAA Class 3A boys basketball semifinals at Parkland High School.
The buzzer-beater set off a wild celebration that carried into the bench and into the hallway and catapulted the District 12 champion Burrs (13-14) to the final at the Giant Center in Hershey on March 29 against South Allegheny. Byrd scored 11 points, as did Eric Scott to lead West Catholic.
Holy Cross (25-5), which reached the PIAA Class 2A final last season, was denied another trip to the final.
“I am just heartbroken for these kids,” said a visibly shaken Holy Cross coach Al Callejas Jr. “To match what we did last year, it is extremely hard to do what we achieved last year. They gave me everything they had. I thought if we won this, we had a really good chance in the final.
“Their effort and their commitment and determination were unbelievable.”
Michael Hughes, a Class 2A all-state player last season, nearly delivered a win for the Crusaders.
First he made a crucial steal when West Catholic tried to hold the ball for a final shot with 1:30 left in a tie game at 55-55.
Then, after a timeout, he darted to the basket in the final seconds and drew a foul. At the free throw line, the senior swished both attempts to give Holy Cross a 57-55 lead with 6.4 seconds remaining and two fouls to give.
“I have practiced 1,000 free throws,” said Hughes, who had a team-high 15 points. “I just did what I always do. I didn’t think too much about them and made them both.”
Holy Cross forced West Catholic to chew up time and committed both fouls.
That set up the Burrs underneath the basket with 1.6 seconds remaining. On an inbound play, Holy Cross’ Adam Badyrka kicked the pass. That ran an additional .3 seconds off the clock.
West Catholic collected itself. Naseem Perez found Byrd, who got open and launched the game-winner.
When the ball whistled through the net, Holy Cross players collapsed to the gym floor, overcome with disappointment.
“We gave them everything that we had,” said Holy Cross senior Matt Lyons, who scored 14 points and had four rebounds. “This was a hard-fought game. We gave all the effort we had. When it came down to it, it just wasn’t meant to be for us.”
Holy Cross went toe-to-toe with West Catholic and at times had it on the ropes.
Mario Matrone gave the Crusaders an early 11-6 lead in the first quarter to charge up a large gathering of fans that were clad in green and black.
But West Catholic clawed back to trail only 14-12 at the end of one.
In the second, Badyrka, who scored 14 points, sparked the Holy Cross offense with 3-pointers that helped build leads of 21-15 and 24-18. Each time, though, the fast-paced Burrs responded and a Hughes free throw gave the Crusaders a 29-27 advantage at the half.
Holy Cross seized a 38-32 lead as Lyons scored six points and Badyrka completed a three-point play. West Catholic came right back as Saaid Lee, limited to two points in the first half, scored four straight on driving layups.
Following a Holy Cross timeout, the Crusaders closed on a 6-2 run with Hughes draining a deep 3-pointer, and Lyons and CJ Thompson adding free throws for a 44-38 lead after three.
At the start of the thrilling fourth quarter, Perez hit a 3-pointer that ignited a 7-2 surge that pulled West Catholic to within 46-45. Holy Cross pushed the lead back to 51-45 on a three-point play by Hughes and an offensive putback by Lyons, who shot 6 of 7 in the game.
West Catholic drew even with the Crusaders, 53-53, when Perez, who finished with nine points, sandwiched a three-point play and a 3-pointer around a Thompson layup. Hughes and West Catholic’s Kingston Wheatley traded layups to lock up the game for the final time at 55-55 and set up the wild finish.
“This was a special group,” Hughes said. “We went to work every day. We all had great attitudes and we stuck together as a team always.
“This really hurts to lose the way that we did.”
Holy Cross’ senior class closed out its three seasons with two trips to the Class 2A semifinals and this season’s Class 3A semifinal. The Crusaders won two straight District 2 Class 2A championships and the Lackawanna League Division II crown this season.
In the last three seasons, Holy Cross won 71 games.
“This team has meant the world to me,” Lyons said through his tears. “All of the seniors on this team are fantastic basketball players. We carved a legacy that will never be forgotten. We have raised the bar and set a standard for teams that come after us.
“It is just a shame that we couldn’t get back to Hershey with this team.”
Continue reading...
