State College falls to Carlisle in PIAA playoffs

In the second half, State College attacked the rim time and again.

Drew Friberg opened the third quarter with a three-point play, powering through contact to finish on the right block. Tommy Sekunda played strong inside, finishing a handful of post moves and drives to set the example for his teammates. Freshman point guard Keaton Ellis went baseline and drew a foul and sliced through the lane for a layup.

When State College started to convert inside, the Little Lions gained some momentum and erased a nine-point halftime deficit.

“They got players, man,” Carlisle coach Andre Anderson said. “They got guys that looked at us and said, ‘Look man, I’m not bowing down.’ Sekunda’s a player. Friberg’s a player.”

State College overcame a slow start to challenge the Thundering Herd in an intense second half, but the Little Lions fell 64-54 in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament Saturday at Bald Eagle Area High School.

Sekunda scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the second half for State College (13-11). Ellis added nine, and Friberg and Cooper Gulley each had seven.

“He played a really tough game,” State College coach Joe Walker said of Sekunda. “He rebounded well, defended well and on offense he didn’t settle. He’s a great 3-point shooter, but he looked to use his pump fake and get to the basket and he finished a lot.”

Carlisle (20-6) received a lift from big man Ethan Houston, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half. Deshawn Millington added 19. The Thundering Herd advances to the second round to take on North Hills on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Carlisle started the game on 12-1 run, which included a pair of post finishes from Houston. The Thundering Herd pushed its lead to 17-4, and took a 20-8 lead into the second quarter. Houston capped the first quarter with a 3-pointer from the corner right after Gulley finished a breakaway dunk to bring the State College fans to life.

With the Little Lions fans chanting with their team on defense, Houston knocked down the 3, bringing the Carlisle fans to their feet.

It was the start of a big day for the 6-foot-6 Houston.

“He was labeled our X-factor, man, going into this whole stretch,” Anderson said. “He stepped up. He had 20 and probably 10 boards and he played like a man. Any time he plays like a man, we’re a different team in a positive way.”

Anderson said Houston’s production throughout the season has been inconsistent. His minutes have fluctuated, too, depending on matchups.

But he stepped up to give the Thundering Herd a strong presence inside against State College.

With Millington, the team’s leading scorer, on the bench for the entire second quarter due to foul trouble, Houston continued to produce. He finished a reverse layup to give him 11 points and push his team ahead 26-10 early in the second quarter.

Houston is Carlisle’s third scoring option, but he led all scorers Saturday.

“We weren’t helping early on, so it was one-on-one,” Walker said. “And the way that we were trying to play him, we weren’t getting the rotation from the weakside. He hit a 3 at the end of the first quarter that was a prayer. … It was a really tough shot. And he made some tough post moves.”

The Little Lions trailed 28-19 at halftime, but made a run in the third quarter to pull even.

State College tied it 35-35 on a pair of free throws by Sekunda with 2:15 left in the period. Houston answered with a fadeaway to start a 6-0 Carlisle run.

But the Little Lions stayed close, coming within one point twice — after a 3-pointer by Sekunda and again after a transition layup by Tommy Friberg.

Carlisle then put together an 8-1 run to create separation en route to the win.

It was the second straight year State College’s season came to an end in the first round of the state playoffs.

“We stalled here last year, which we didn’t want to do,” Walker said. “We want to try to advance each year and go a little higher on the ladder, but next year, that gives ‘em a little more incentive to work hard in the offseason.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 9:06 PM with the headline "State College falls to Carlisle in PIAA playoffs."