No. 1 Lincoln Park uses ‘organized mayhem’ to defeat North Catholic, strengthen section lead

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 12:57 AM

Purchase Photo Options

“Organized mayhem” is the way Lincoln Park’s boys basketball team describes its offense.

Sure, there are only a few set plays used, and the shooters might put up some surprising shots, but they say that’s all by design. Besides, who can argue with the results?

Leopards stars Brandin Cummings and Meleek Thomas combined for 45 points Friday night as Lincoln Park again harnessed its mayhem in a 71-55 victory over host North Catholic.

The win gives the No. 1-ranked Leopards (16-1, 9-0) a two-game lead in Section 2-4A.

“We’re out there running around, looking like we don’t know what we’re doing, but in reality, we’re all on the same page,” said Cummings, a junior and Pitt recruit, who had 23 points.

Thomas scored 22.

“We’re organized,” Cummings said. “But to the common viewer, it looks like we’re just running around, putting up shots.”

Lincoln Park shot 43% from the field — including 5 for 21 from 3-point range — but made up for those misses by out-rebounding North Catholic by an almost 2-to-1 margin. Those second-chance points, which contribute to the chaos, let the Leopards build a 17-point lead by halftime.

Five shooters made a 3-pointer for Lincoln Park, but whenever the Leopards needed a basket, they’d spread the floor, making room for Cummings and Thomas to work.

Deandre Moye also had 11 points.

“It looks like it’s ugly (basketball), but it’s not, because that’s what we do,” Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski said. “We take advantage of our speed and our length and the ability to shoot the ball. Some shots are absolutely awful, but the best shot is the next shot.”

Lincoln Park led by six points after the first quarter and won the second quarter by 11 for a 38-21 halftime lead. North Catholic (10-0, 6-2) pulled within eight points to start the fourth quarter but got no closer.

A 35-18 edge in rebounds was too much for North Catholic to overcome.

“That was everything,” North Catholic coach Jim Rocco said. “We sped them up. We made them take really difficult shots. That ball didn’t go in all that much for them, but they were able to get put-backs and second-chance opportunities. Because of their level of talent and athleticism, it’s hard to overcome that.”

Max Hurray led North Catholic with a game-high 25 points, including a last-second 3-pointer in the third that cut Lincoln Park’s lead to 49-41. Max Rottmann added 14 points.

Bariski said Lincoln Park has “a ton of sets,” but used just four Friday, a fifth if you count the fourth-quarter stall when North Catholic clawed within single digits.

A couple of the sets make it look like the Leopards are just spreading the floor, he said. But with the talent Lincoln Park has on the court, he sees no reason not to trust them.

“If I was a football coach and ran the ball off right tackle and got six yards every time, you’d call me a genius,” Bariski said. “Just because I let my boys shoot the ball in this mayhem of an offense, doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing. I do.”

Lincoln Park has arguably the most talented tandem in the WPIAL. Cummings is a 6-foot-4 guard who committed to Pitt a few weeks ago. Thomas, a 6-4 guard, is ranked as the fourth-best sophomore nationally by ESPN.

The Leopards average 75 points per game.

“It kind of reminds me of AAU basketball and what they’re doing in the pros,” Cummings said. “You come down in a set, but you can run different things out of that set. You’re really going off of what the players think.”

Thomas scored 11 of his 22 points in the first quarter, including seven in a row in one stretch, turning an 8-8 tie into a 15-11 lead midway through the quarter.

North Catholic never regained the lead.

A last-second, tip-in by Cummings gave Lincoln Park at 38-21 halftime lead.

Cummings went 1 for 8 from 3-point range, but shortened up his shot and scored 13 in the second half. He also went 7 for 8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

“Good players, when they struggle with one thing, they do something else,” Bariski said.

North Catholic closed the third quarter with a 10-1 run, punctuated by Hurray’s 3-pointer. But Lincoln Park dialed back the mayhem in the fourth quarter, slowed the pace and clinched the win at the foul line.

“The common viewer probably thinks we’re just out there with a whole lot of talent, picking up guys off the street and playing these teams,” Cummings said. “We know what we’re doing.”

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: Lincoln Park, North Catholic