At some point in this year’s basketball postseason, there will be a team that will solve the Knoch 2-3 defense.
Props will be earned by whichever team finally solves that Rubik’s Cube.
With a starting five that has each member standing 6-foot or taller, communication and length have been a nightmare combination for opponents in the WPIAL playoffs.
“They’re very good at it,” said North Catholic coach Jim Rocco. “They’re all big, strong kids and a senior-laden team that has been building for moments like this.”
The second-seeded Trojans (18-6), who averaged 76.3 points a game coming into the WPIAL Class 4A semifinal at Pine-Richland on Saturday, were held in check as No. 3 Knoch (21-4) paired its impenetrable defense with an offensive explosion for a 70-46 win.
“We forced them to shoot, stay on the perimeter,” said Knoch coach Joe Lafko. “We thought if we controlled some of the easy shots off dribble penetration and easy looks from either the perimeter or inside, it would give us a good chance to win.”
The Knights, who averaged 57.4 points per game, received 15 points from senior Teegan Finucan, who set a new school record in career points with 1,476.
“I’m so proud of him,” said fellow senior Derek Lang. “I’ve played with him since third grade, and it’s been nice to watch him grow as a basketball player.”
Added Lafko: “It’s such an accomplishment. Whenever you’re in a big school or program like a Class 4, 5, or 6A, it’s rare that you play early on, and the competition is strong. It’s rare to see a player score at that kind of level. I’m so proud of him.”
Lang, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds commenced the scoring for Knoch, posting eight of his team’s first 10 points.
“Finally finding myself in a moment that I’ve wanted since freshman year, I took charge and I knew the rest of the guys would follow,” Lang said.
Knoch’s starting five didn’t leave the court until there was over a minute left in the game, and they did a ton of damage along the way. All five starters finished with double-digit points.
Senior Vinnie DeFelice led the Knights with 17 points and hauled in six boards. He also found himself in advantageous positions late in the game on a few back cuts for easy layups.
“I’ve played with Vinnie and Teegan since third grade,” said Lang. “We have chemistry, and you can see it translate on the court. We know who’s cutting where and where each will be on the floor.”
Roman DeFelice finished with 13 points and Liam Avon added 10 points and five boards.
North Catholic, unable to penetrate through the forest of long extremities into the interior of the Knights defense, settled for mid-range shots and 3-pointers.
“It was the first time since we’ve been here as a staff that we’ve seen a North Catholic team come out with that kind of trepidation,” said Rocco. “We’re normally the gritty, attacking bunch with a lot of juice. We didn’t have that in the early going.”
The bulk of the Trojans’ first-half points came from beyond the arc as senior Jason Fredericks made three of his four 3s in the first half. He would pace his team with 22 points.
Knoch opened up the game on a 6-0 run off a pair of buckets from Lang and a jumper from Roman DeFelice. After a North Catholic timeout, the Knights ran their lead to 10-0 when Lang and Finucan added a bucket apiece.
Frederick put a stop to Knoch’s barrage with a 3, but the Knights ran off another seven straight points as Lang hit a pair of free throws Roman DeFelice nailed a 3 and Vinnie DeFelice knocked down two free throws.
Frederick and Pickett each buried a 3-pointer as the quarter came to an end, but Knoch built on its hot start and stout defense to hold a 17-9 advantage after one quarter.
“We knew who they have. We had some good scouting having played them twice already,” said Finucan. “They made some shots, took some bad ones, but for the most part, we did a good job of shutting them down from the outside.”
The teams split their two-game regular season series.
The second quarter opened with the Knights on a 13-0 run in which Finucan begin to heat up after missing three of his first four attempts.
He made a pair of buckets during the Knights run and added another bucket later in the quarter as the lead climbed to 30-14.
Lang and Vinnie DeFelice each buried wide open 3-pointers to give Knoch a 20-point lead at the half.
North Catholic only got a 3-pointer from Frederick, a jumper from Pickett and a pair of free throws from Rottman.
Frederick sank his fourth 3 of the game to open the scoring in the third quarter, but Knoch continued to pour it on as each Knight starter made at least one bucket in the frame.
The Trojans saw had their most productive quarter, equaling their first-half total with 16 points as Olkowski and Rottman buried a 3 each and Pickett, Frederick and Arth each made a bucket.
But Knoch proved to be too much as the Knights ratcheted their lead to 52-32 at the end of the third.
“Our guys were able to pass the ball efficiently, and we had some good floor spacing, especially late in the game where we were able to move the ball and get some easy baskets,” said Lafko.
Both teams traded barbs early in the fourth quarter, but Knoch continued to pull away, with Vinnie DeFelice scoring nine of his points to help push the Knights’ lead to nearly 30.
Knoch advances to face top-seeded Quaker Valley, which beat No. 13 Deer Lakes in the other semifinal, at the Petersen Events Center at 9 p.m. Thursday.
“It feels awesome,” Lafko said. “In an environment like that, a packed house, against a quality opponent like North Catholic, it’s what keeps old guys like me coming back.”
North Catholic will play Deer Lakes in the third-place game Wednesday and although the Trojans lost in the WPIAL tournament, Rocco knows that states is bigger prize to be had.
“Too many people in this area think the WPIAL is all there is,” he said. “It’s about positioning yourself for a good seed in the state tournament. We didn’t play well today, but we’re going to do what we can to position ourselves to go on a run at the state level.”