PIAA boys basketball: North Catholic dominates Hickory in first round thanks to Jason Fredericks’ big night
CRANBERRY TWP — North Catholic junior guard Jason Fredericks scored 14 points in the first quarter in helping the Trojans build an early lead in their first-round PIAA Class 4A boys basketball tournament game on their home floor Friday night.
Then he decided to share the wealth.
Visiting Hickory used a 10-2 run to pull within two at halftime. Fredericks then assisted on three 3-pointers to begin the the third quarter, enabling North to open up an 11-point lead and set the pace for a 72-56 victory.
The Trojans (20-6) will face Beaver — a 65-49 winner over District 6 champion Central Martinsburg — in the second round Tuesday night at a site and time to be determined. It was the first PIAA tourney win for the Bobcats since 2013. Beaver is the fourth-place qualifier from the WPIAL.
“We were rushing things too much in the second quarter,” Fredericks said. “I was hot early and figured they were going to pay a lot more attention to me in the second half. Other guys had to be open for their shots, and we found them.”
North Catholic turned the ball over eight times in the second quarter, getting off only seven field goal attempts in the period. The Trojans watched a 28-18 lead dissolve to 30-28 by intermission.
Hickory junior Trevor Borowicz tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the first half alone in fueling the rally for the Hornets (18-7).
“I like his game a lot, and they (Hornets) do a good job of finding him,” North coach Jm Rocco said. “We did a better job against him in the second half, but he’s hard to stop.”
Borowicz wound up with 31 points, 13 rebounds and four steals. None of his teammates scored more than eight points.
“Trevor had an outstanding game, and our guys played hard all night,” Hickory coach Chris Mele said. “We left it all out on the floor. That’s the way your last game ought to be.
“North Catholic finished second in the WPIAL for a reason. They have shooters all over the place. They move the ball well and know how to find the open guy.”
The Trojans shot 56% from the field Friday night, sinking 24 of 43 shots, including 10 3-pointers.
Fredericks wound up with 25 points, six assists and three steals. Jude Rottmann tallied 18 points and four rebounds, Eli Stofko 12 points and three assists. Joe Waskiewicz led the Trojans with eight rebounds.
“That’s the hallmark of what we do,” Rocco said of his team’s ball movement. “A big part of those 3s were Joe Waskiewicz and Tom Arth setting screens. They were freeing guys for their shots. We call those hockey assists, and those two had a bunch of them tonight.”
Rottmann canned four treys, including the first two buckets of the third quarter, in helping North pull away. He sank three treys during the third quarter as the Trojans outscored the Hornets 22-8 during that period.
“We started to calm down and play our game,” Fredericks said of the third quarter.
“Our team is lucky to win this one and move on,” Rocco said. “Hickory is extremely well-coached, and they have one of the best coaching staffs anywhere. I feel fortunate we’re still playing.
“It doesn’t matter who we play next. It’s a 32-team tournament and all of these teams are good. At this point, it’s all about survive and advance.”
HICKORY 56
Matthew Huff 1-3 0-0 2, Chris Mele 0-5 0-2 0, Trevor Borowicz 13-23 5-6 31, Ashton Boal 3-7 1-2 8, Marco Miller 2-6 0-0 5, Jadon Phillips 2-2 0-1 4, Ryan Distler 0-1 0-0 0, Kyler Slevin 2-6 0-1 5, Noah Kovac 0-3 0-0 0, Dante Evans 0-0 1-2 1, Landon Slevin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 23-53 7-12 56.
NORTH CATHOLIC 72
Jason Fredericks 8-15 6-8 25, Tom Arth 0-0 0-0 0, Donnie Schubert 3-3 0-0 7, Eli Stofko 4-9 2-2 12, Jude Rottmann 7-11 0-0 18, Owen Maddalon 0-3 6-6 6, Joe Waskiewicz 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 24-43 16-18 72.
Hickory 17 11 8 20 — 56
North Catholic 23 7 22 20 0 — 72
3-point goals: Hickory 3 (Boal, Miller, K.Slevin), North Catholic 10 (Fredericks 3, chubert, Stofko 2, Rottmann 4)
Tuesday: PIAA 4A Tournament, Beaver vs. North Catholic, site and time TBA
