Double dose of defeat

By MIKE KILROY Eagle Staff Writer

February 20, 2007 Last Updated: February 20, 2007 02:31 PM High School

Knoch's Kyle Reiser tries to work his way around a Blackhawk defender to the basket Monday in the Knights' 63-56 loss in the WPIAL playoffs.

Knoch's boys, girls fall in playoffs

NEW CASTLE — Blackhawk gave Knoch "the Lipp."

Tim Lipp that is.

Lipp got loose for four 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the third quarter to give Blackhawk the boost it needed to dispatch Knoch from the WPIAL Class AAA boys basketball playoffs 63-56 at New Castle High Monday night.

"We knew he could shoot," said Knoch coach Chris Andreassi. "They ran some plays for him and we had a miscommunication twice."

Lipp didn't even take a shot in the first half. For most of the first 16 minutes, Blackhawk (16-9) didn't need him.

The Cougars scored the first 10 points of the game to send the Knights into scramble mode.

Knoch struggled shooting the ball during that span, missing its first eight shots before Rob Briggs scored on a layup with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter.

The scoring drought overshadowed a solid defensive effort from the Knights in the first half.

"They're difficult to guard," Andreassi said. "But I don't know if we didn't guard them pretty well. How many points did they have at halftime? Twenty-two. That tells me we guarded pretty well."

Kyle Reiser hit a jumper at the second quarter buzzer to cut the Blackhawk lead to 22-16 at the break.

That had Andreassi and his team feeling pretty good after their sluggish start.

"I thought if we just kept playing the same way and make a few shots at the start of the third quarter, we'd be OK," Andreassi said. "Instead, they were the ones who hit some shots."

Namely Lipp. His barrage helped Blackhawk storm ahead by 18 points five minutes into the third quarter. The lead got as big as 20 two times after that as Knoch tried feverishly to chip away at the lead.

But the Knights never got closer than the final margin of defeat.

Lipp came into the WPIAL playoffs averaging a shade over five points a game.

Blackhawk's top perimeter shooter, Josh Gumbert, had a rough night from the field, scoring five points on 2-of-13 shooting before rolling his ankle and leaving the game.

Lipp was there to pick up the slack.

"He can hit the open shot," said Blackhawk coach Andy Hedrick.

The win was a little extra special for Hedrick. It was his 100th career victory.

"It was nice to get it with this group," the coach said.

The season ended badly for Knoch. The Knights lost six of their final seven games, but they don't lose anyone to graduation.

Andreassi isn't too concerned about giving his team any motivation this offseason.

"I think the good thing about these guys is I don't have to do anything special to motivate them," Andreassi said. "They are going to be eager to get back to work."

With each shot that clanked off the rim, with each offensive opportunity that yielded zero points and countless frustration, the Knights felt their season slipping away."We couldn't put the ball in the hole," said Knoch coach Curt Vasas.It was a simple observation, but one that was all too true for the Knights in a first-round WPIAL loss to Montour.Knoch was 13-of-46 from the field and was just 1-of-10 in the first quarter.Meanwhile, the Spartans' duo of Melanie Bihler and Jordan Burkes went to work.Burkes scored 19 points and Bihler 16 for Montour (18-7)."(They) killed us inside with their scoring," Vasas said.Montour's Audrey Jamiolkowski killed Knoch with her rebounding.She had 13 boards in the first half alone and finished with 18.Lizz King finished with 11 points to lead Knoch. She hit three huge 3-pointers that helped keep the Knights (17-7) in the game.She is one of eight seniors to play in her final game."Those girls are special to me because they were freshman when I started four years ago," Vasas said. "We've made the playoffs three of those four years, and they obviously played a big role in that."GirlsKNOCH 38 Megan Gray 1-7 1-4 3, Abby Marshall 2-6 0-0 6, Pam Gagen 2-13 0-0 4, Ashley Cetnar 0-0 0-0 0, Sara Montgomery 2-5 4-5 8, Sarah Cooper 2-5 2-2 6, Lizz King 4-10 0-0 11. Totals: 13-46 7-11 38 MONTOUR 52 Melanie Bihler 7-13 2-4 16, Angie Sciulli 0-2 0-0 0, Jena Kacsur 1-5 8-8 11, Jordan Burkes 8-11 3-7 19, Audrey Jamiolkowski 3-8 0-1 6. Totals: 19-39 13-20 52 Knoch 4 10 13 11—38Montour 6 15 13 18—523-point goals: Knoch 5 (Marshall 2, King 3); Montour (Kacsur)BoysKNOCH 63 Shawn Samek 3-5 4-4 11, Michael Gallagher 2-7 0-0 6, Patrick Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Kyle Reiser 5-11 0-0 10, Jake McTighe 0-0 0-0 0, Rob Briggs 6-19 5-6 20, Alex Whisler 3-8 1-3 7, Andrew Wirtz 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 20-54 10-13 63 BLACKHAWK 56 Edward Coleman 2-7 3-6 7, Mario Signore 4-4 5-7 14, Josh Gumbert 2-13 0-0 5, Brooks Roorback 1-2 2-2 4, Antoine Childs 6-9 6-9 18, Zach Hayward 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Verlihay 0-0 0-0 0, Tim Lipp 5-7 1-3 15. Totals: 20-42 17-27 56 Knoch 5 11 12 28—56Blackhawk 16 6 21 20—633-point goals: Knoch 6 (Samek, Gallagher 2, Briggs 3); Blackhawk 6 (Signore, Gumbert, Tim Lipp 4)

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