State College boys’ basketball falls to national powerhouse at subregional to end season
The State College boys’ basketball team watched its season end Tuesday night — after running into one of the best high school teams in the nation.
The Little Lions fell to powerhouse Kennedy Catholic 97-53 in the first round of the District 6-8-10 subregional. With the win, Kennedy Catholic has punched its ticket to the first round of the state tournament — although it will next advance to the tri-district championship game to determine its seeding.
State College was facing an uphill battle inside Slippery Rock’s gym all night long.
Kennedy Catholic is ranked as the No. 60 high school team in the nation by Maxpreps, and it features three Division I recruits — highlighted by five-star center Oscar Tshiebwe, who stands at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. Tshiebwe is committed to West Virginia and is ranked as the nation’s No. 24 overall prospect, and he’s joined by teammates SG Maceo Austin (3-stars, Duqeusne) and SF Mattia Acunzo (3 stars, Toledo).
That talent-studded trio accounted for 67 points Tuesday night — 28 for Tshiebwe, 24 for Austin and 15 for Acunzo. For State College, Johnny Friberg and Tommy Friberg scored 12 points apiece — while Brenden Franks was active on the glass, and Nate Lusk pick his spots and offered a spark at different times.
“With this being or last game, I told them how proud I was of them,” State College coach Brian Scholly said. “Every time they went up there, I always challenge them to show how good of a team they are, and I thought they did that tonight.”
The Little Lions hung tough early on and, in just second-quarter scoring, actually tied the powerhouse 16-16. But they still trailed 35-23 at halftime, and the second half was all Kennedy Catholic.
In the final two quarters, Kennedy Catholic outscored State College 62-30.
It wasn’t the ending the Little Lions were hoping for. But it was still a season that saw them finish with a winning record of 13-11, and they were still crowned District 6 champions after slipping past Altoona 56-51.
“Any senior class should be able to leave the team better than they found it,” Scholly added. “And that’s what this group did.”