New Castle again gets best of WPIAL champion Beaver Falls
A mismatch at 6-foot-7 and mobile, Beaver Falls junior Josh Creach scored 37 points from the paint, the arc and the foul line.
But for the third time this winter, New Castle's small, speedy style proved just as much of a matchup dilemma for Beaver Falls.
With a capacity crowd crammed into North Allegheny's gym, New Castle withstood Creach's furious fourth-quarter rally and defeated Beaver Falls, 56-52, in a PIAA Class AAA second-round game.
The win over WPIAL champion Beaver Falls (24-4) was the third this season for New Castle (25-2). The rematch didn't come at Petersen Events Center as many expected, but still created an electric atmosphere.
“When you play a team for a third time and the familiarity is what it is, it's going to be a grind between both teams,” New Castle coach Ralph Blundo said, “and really at the end it was who could get more stops. We got just enough at the end to win.”
Facing a lineup that's entirely 6-foot and under, Creach scored 28 of his 37 points after halftime. He accounted for all 12 of his team's third-quarter points and 16 of 21 in the fourth. But couldn't completely close the gap.
“He made some amazing shots,” Blundo said. “Credit goes to him. Those were big shots in big situations, and he just drilled them.”
New Castle, which forced nearly two dozen turnovers, led 53-42 with 2 minutes left after senior Geno Stone hit from 3-point range. But Creach answered with 16 points in the fourth and three 3-pointers that cut the lead to one possession.
Creach was 6 for 8 from the field in the fourth and scored 13 of Beaver Falls' final 15 points. His third from the arc banked in with 28 seconds left and Beaver Falls trailed 55-52.
“New Castle's style kind of complements Josh,” Beaver Falls coach Doug Biega said. “He can play that way. Not all of us can play fast.”
With 10 seconds left, after Stone missed the front of a one-and-one for New Castle, Creach wanted another 3-pointer to tie. But he couldn't find an open look, passed and junior Donovan Jeter missed from the arc.
New Castle rebounded and Marcus Hooker made one of two free throws with 7.3 seconds left to clinch the victory. Beaver Falls also lost to its Section 2 rival 75-53 on Jan. 8 and 60-49 on Feb. 2.
“They're a tough matchup for us because of their balance and because of their senior backcourt,” Biega said. “Last year we beat them three times because we had two senior guards and they didn't. This year they beat us three times because they had two senior guards and we didn't.”
New Castle senior Marquel Hooker had 21 points, sophomore Marcus Hooker scored 18 and Stone added 11. These two teams were the top seeds in the WPIAL playoffs, but New Castle lost in the semifinals and Beaver Falls won the title.
“They knew we were coming at them because we wanted that WPIAL championship,” Marquel Hooker said, “and we couldn't get that.”
New Castle advances to the PIAA quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season and will face District 3's Bishop McDevitt (22-6) on Friday at a time and site to be determined.
“They're the WPIAL champs, not us, and that's not going to change even with tonight's win,” Blundo said. “In terms of what we're doing now, trying to move on in the state playoffs, tonight mattered.”
The Red Hurricanes trailed 2-0, but grabbed the lead with an 8-0 run and never trailed again. They led 10-8 after the first quarter and 25-19 at halftime. Creach finished the third quarter with his own 8-0 run and Beaver Falls entered the fourth down 38-31, but New Castle's lead lasted.
“Creach made us pay for the way we decided to guard,” Blundo said. “But it's the only way we can guard him.”
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.
