Matt McDonough plays superhero on clutch 3-pointer as North Allegheny tops Pine-Richland in OT
By:
Saturday, December 18, 2021 | 12:10 AM
North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough shoots a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation against Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School. NA won, 74-70, in overtime.
North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough celebrates a three-pointer against Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Kolin Dinkens dunks against Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
The North Allegheny student section cheers on the Tigers during their game against Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Ty Iwanonkiw scores against Pine-Richland’s Luke Shanahan during their game on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough scores against Pine-Richland’s Joseph Dudkowski during their game on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Joey Dopirak pressures Pine-Richland’s Andrew Alexander during their game on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Joey Dopirak scores against Pine-Richland’s Luke Shanahan during overtime on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Anthony Howard scores during overtime against Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Connor Casten quites the Pine-Richland student section next to Owen Luellen during overtime in their game on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough celebrates after defeating Pine-Richland on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
Matt McDonough had a ticket to see the new Spider-Man movie, but his own heroics almost made him late.
The North Allegheny senior hit a game-tying 3-pointer with eight-tenths of a second left to force overtime, where the Tigers defeated visiting Pine-Richland, 74-70, Friday night in Section 1-6A boys basketball.
McDonough finished with 34 points and five 3-pointers. His performance maybe won’t make the big screen, but this was a blockbuster win nonetheless.
North Allegheny (4-0, 2-0) stayed unbeaten.
The plot twist came with less than 10 seconds left and Pine-Richland leading 63-60. McDonough took an in-bounds pass from near the scorer’s table, spun around a screen and got a good look at a 3-pointer from straight away.
The tying shot was taken with about 4 seconds remaining. Pine-Richland called a timeout after the shot cleared the rim, stopping the clock with only eight-tenths left.
“I honestly thought I’d missed it, but it went in,” McDonough said by phone while hurrying to the theater. “I was feeling good, and glad we were able to get it to overtime.
“We finished it out.”
North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough hits this 3 with 00.8 on the clock to force overtime. NA and Pine-Richland tied at 63 #HSSN #WPIAL pic.twitter.com/n53OgrNMxs
— Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) December 18, 2021
McDonough said the strategy was to find a quick layup and then foul, but pull-up 3s are also part of his game. The 6-foot-2 guard showed his offensive versatility in this win.
“He’s got a lot to his game,” NA coach Dave DeGregorio said. “He’s not just a shooter. He can take you off the bounce. He’s really creative around the rim finishing. He can finish with both hands. He’s got good footwork. … Everybody knows he’s one of the top players in the area.”
The overtime loss was the third in three games for Pine-Richland (1-3, 0-1), which started the season ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 6A. Joey Dudkowski led the Rams with 26 points, Luke Shanahan had 14 and Andrew Alexander added 13.
Pine-Richland had led by eight points in the third quarter, and had a four-point lead with a minute left in the fourth.
“We’re just not finishing,” Pine-Richland coach Bob Petcash said. “We’ve got to play smarter basketball. Everything we’re working on just isn’t clicking at the right time.”
North Allegheny’s Joey Dopirak scored 13 points including five in overtime, and Robby Jones added 12.
McDonough shouldered most of North Allegheny’s early scoring in Friday’s game, accounting for 18 of his team’s first 26 points. He carried his team to overtime, but a few of his teammates helped push the Tigers over the top.
Call it an ensemble cast.
“A lot of people stepped up tonight,” said McDonough, mentioning rebounds and points from Dopriak, Connor Casten and Ty Iwanonkiw. “Those three especially really stepped up in the second half to help us get the win.”
NA scored the first five points of overtime, including baskets by Dopirak and Anthony Howard to lead 68-63. McDonough contributed three free throws in overtime, making a pair with 44 seconds left.
Free throws weren’t NA’s strength down the stretch. The Tigers went 5 for 13 from the foul line in overtime but were saved by three offensive rebounds in the final 10 seconds.
This was a close game throughout. North Allegheny had led 19-10 after one quarter, the teams were tied 33-33 at half and Pine-Richland led 52-49 after three.
The Rams have now lost three games by a combined eight points.
“In the long run, I’m hoping these hard games are going to pay off as we go forward,” Petcash said. “This 6A basketball is unbelievable. This is big-boy basketball right now. These games are really, really good. I just don’t like coming out on the losing end.”
Section 1 teams play one another three times in the regular season, so the rivals meet twice more this winter. They’ll rematch Jan. 14 at Pine-Richland and meet again Feb. 1 at North Allegheny.
“Look at this section,” DeGregorio said. “Everybody’s ranked. There are five teams. No easy outs. You’ve got to play everybody three times. It’s going to be a crazy year.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: North Allegheny, Pine-Richland
More High School Basketball
• Westmoreland high school notebook: Puck drops for area’s PIHL teams• Penn Hills notebook: Basketball grad to play professionally in Ireland
• New coach Gabby Baldasare excited to fill big shoes with North Allegheny girls basketball
• Dana Petruska comes out of retirement to take over as girls basketball coach at Deer Lakes
• Imani Christian basketball player among 3 transfers ruled ineligible by WPIAL
