Bishop Canevin closes out Rochester to win 1st WPIAL boys basketball crown
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Friday, March 12, 2021 | 10:03 PM
Bishop Canevin’s Nevan Crossey holds the championship trophy as he celebrates with his team after beating Rochester in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin seniors Dom Elliott, Nevan Crossey and Kevaughn Price celebrate with the championship trophy after beating Rochester in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Kevaughn Price scores over Rochester’s Jerome Mullins during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin seniors Dom Elliott, Nevan Crossey and Kevaughn Price celebrate with the championship trophy after beating Rochester in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Nevan Crossey holds the championship trophy as he celebrates with his team after beating Rochester in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Shea Campine is fouled by Rochester’s Jerome Mullins during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Dom Elliot blocks the shot of Rochester’s JD Azulay during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Kevaughn Price fights for a rebound with Rochester’s Devon Hemer during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s kevaughn Price dunks over Rochester’s Jerome Mullins during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Bishop Canevin’s Nevan Crossey celebrates hitting a 3-pointer against Rochester during the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final on Friday, March 12, 2021 at North Allegheny High School.
Shooting 29% usually isn’t the way to a championship.
But it was enough for Bishop Canevin to win the first WPIAL title in school history as the Crusaders downed Rochester, 42-27, Friday night in the Class A title game at North Allegheny.
With the 88th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first fireside chat earlier this week, the teams played a game reminiscent of 1933 basketball with Rochester leading, 10-9, at the half.
But the No. 1-seeded Crusaders took advantage of four Rams turnovers in their first four possessions of the second half to surge in front. A slam by junior Kevaughn Price to end the third period put an exclamation point on a 19-10 quarter.
Bishop Canevin (16-5) will draw a bye in the first round of the PIAA tournament and will play next Friday against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Farrell and Berlin-Brothersvalley.
“We’re a 3-point shooting team, and I thought with all the looks we were getting, we were OK with those looks,” Crusaders coach Gino Palmosina said. “We didn’t shoot it well, but luckily we stepped up on the defensive end in the half.”
The loss ended a true Cinderella season for second-seeded Rochester (14-5), winless a year ago.
“I just told these guys they really got the Rochester program back on the map,” said Rams first-year coach Sean Keaton. “That’s a credit to these guys for committing and buying in from Day 1.”
Rochester was seeking its first WPIAL title since 1983 when the Rams defeated Cornell. Rochester also dropped title games in 2010 and 1996.
Neither team could find the range in the first half as both experienced prolonged dry spells.
Said Palmosina, explaining the first half: “I’d have to say it was nerves. We shot it well throughout the year from the threes. I didn’t expect it to be 10-9, but it could have been a lot worse. We dug our feet in, were able to get big stops, and we were able to get to the rim and make some big plays in the second half.”
“In the first half, our shots weren’t falling,” Price said. “We came out for the third, started on a little run. We were playing good defense, really started locking up, and that was our goal.”
Bishop Canevin held Rochester to 18% shooting.
Price led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. Dom Elliott pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Crusaders.
Rochester kept it close during the third quarter as Devon Hemer’s 3-pointer cut the Crusaders lead to 25-20, but that was as close as the Rams would get.
A foul shot by Jhamil Fife to open the fourth period gave Bishop Canevin its first double-digit lead, 30-20, and the Crusaders began pulling away from there.
“We gave them a battle heading into the fourth quarter,” Keaton said. “Our game plan was to keep them in the 50s to win the game. That’s been our identity all year long. But we just couldn’t get the ball in the basket tonight.”
J.D. Azulay led the Rams in scoring with 16 points and Hemer had 13 rebounds.
To put the icing on the cake, Bishop Canevin hit its final 12 foul shots on the night.
The Crusaders lost to Aliquippa in 2006 in their only other WPIAL title game appearance. Palmosina was a Bishop Canevin student-athlete at the time.
Watch an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.
Tags: Bishop Canevin, Rochester
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