Greensburg Central Catholic boys key on Terek Crosby, shut down Yough

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | 5:43 PM

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As Greensburg Central Catholic went through the handshake line opposite Yough, Centurions coach Christian Hyland told Cougars guard Terek Crosby how much he appreciates his game.

The gesture was not a postgame apology Wednesday afternoon, but it felt like one. The coach was explaining why his team uncharacteristically used a gimmicky defense to slow down Crosby and the Cougars, 61-37, in the opening game of the Coach Paul Sapotichne Holiday Classic at Greensburg Salem.

“He’s a really talented athlete, and I wanted him to know we respect him,” Hyland said.

Hyland was feeling ill and considered staying home, but, “I didn’t want to see Crosby go off for 40,” he said.

Instead, a suffocating triangle- and-2 defense held Crosby to 11 — 21 below his season average — as GCC ran its winning streak to eight.

Greensburg Central Catholic (9-1) is ranked No. 2 in Class A. Yough (5-3) came in No. 3 in 3A.

“We started in a box-and-1, and it turned into a triangle-and-2 on the catch,” Hyland said. “We have been really strong defensively all year. But we’ve played 60 to 70% zone to start the year. We built (the ‘junk’ defenses) into our game plan. We were willing to let their other guys beat us.”

Juniors Braden Riley and Liam Gallagher did the primary guarding of Crosby, closing out on him on the perimeter and making him go side to side. Senior Tyree Turner and junior Sean Walker also helped.

At one point, Crosby went to the high post to try and spark something but could not get into a rhythm.

Yough coach Jim Nesser thought his team’s undoing had more to do with giveaways.

“It’s tough when you turn the ball over,” Nesser said. “You can’t give the ball away. They guarded well, but I think we’d have made the game closer without the turnovers.”

In a matchup of two of Westmoreland County’s top guards, Turner shined brighter. He had 23 points to pace GCC, which built a 29-17 lead by halftime and led 42-29 after three quarters.

“We don’t (play that scheme) much,” Turner said. “With a player like (Crosby), you have to throw bodies at him. We had four guys on him the whole time.”

Senior Franco Alvarez added 13 points for GCC. He found himself in a matchup of 6-foot-5 big men opposite Yough senior Austin Matthews, who tied Crosby with 11 points.

Alvarez hit a rare 3-pointer, which gave GCC a 22-point lead in the fourth.

GCC held the Cougars to single digits in the first, second and fourth quarters.

Yough cut the deficit to 35-26 with three minutes to play in the third, but that is when GCC began to pull away.

Junior Ty Rozier finished a three-point play, and Turner made a turnaround jumper before flipping a no-look pass to Alvarez for a layup and a 42-26 advantage.

“Tyree does it all,” Hyland said. “Whatever we ask of him, he can do it. He is cerebral, too. He knows (how to attack) teams and get others involved.”

Crosby nailed a 3-pointer to close the quarter, but Turner continued to come at the Cougars in the fourth.

He made a floater in the lane, then a pull-up jumper before delivering a long feed to Gallagher for a fast-break layup and a 50-31 lead.

Gallagher finished with 11 points.

“They’re really good, and they have depth,” Nesser said about GCC, a team he used to coach. “When we play against a great team, we need our 4, 5 and 6 guys to make plays.”

Junior Charlie Quinn added nine points for Yough on three 3-pointers.

GCC attempted (and made) only one free throw: an and-1 by Alvarez late in the third.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Yough