Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week for Jan. 22, 2024
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Monday, January 22, 2024 | 5:10 PM
Central Catholic head coach Brian Urso watches from the bench during the Vikings’ PIAA Class 6A second round state playoff against State College on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at Central Cambria High School.
Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week: Central Catholic Vikings
Coach: Brian Urso (fifth season)
Record: 4-1 in Section 1-6A, 9-5 overall
Last year: Central Catholic finished in second place in Section 1-6A with a record of 7-3, two games behind New Castle. Following a regular season split, the Vikings defeated the Red Hurricanes in the WPIAL championship game. Central Catholic lost to State College in the PIAA second round.
#Earned: Following a slow start, the Vikings have won eight of their last 10 games, including two victories last week. On Tuesday, Central Catholic jumped out to a 17-7 lead after one quarter and went on to beat visiting North Allegheny in a big section contest, 50-37. On Saturday, host Central Catholic led by five points after the first quarter and by 13 points at halftime before outscoring Penn-Trafford, 22-6, in the third quarter to blow out the Warriors, 61-38. Central Catholic is third in Class 6A team defense, allowing only 47.1 points per game.
Scoring stars: Several key offensive players graduated from last year’s district tile winning team, so Central Catholic has leaned on a balanced attack. That was evident in the two wins last week. Against North Allegheny, seniors Vernon Settles scored 14 points while Payton Wehner added 11. In the victory over Penn-Trafford, three Vikings scored in double digits with senior Alex Pitcher scoring 13 points and junior Bradley Gompers and sophomore Enzo Khalil each scoring 12 points.
Remember when: Central Catholic entered the 2023 WPIAL boys basketball playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Class 6A. The Vikings escaped the quarterfinals with an overtime victory over Baldwin, 80-75, then defeated 2021 champion Upper St. Clair in the semifinals, 65-41, and rolled past New Castle in the title game, 61-52. It was the second WPIAL boys basketball championship in school history. The Vikings won gold 15 years earlier when they beat Moon in the 2008 Quad-A finals, 55-54.
2024 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Teams of the Week
Week 2 – Gateway Gators
Week 1 – Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions
Tags: Central Catholic
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