CURWENSVILLE — The undefeated and high-scoring Elk County Catholic boys basketball team invaded Patton Hall and put on a clinic for a 78-32 Allegheny Mountain League victory over Curwensville Tuesday night.
The combination of the Crusaders’ constant-motion offense and tenacious man defense just were too much for the Golden Tide, which tumbled to 0-3 in the AML-South Division and 2-7 overall.
Fronted by four players in double figures, the Crusaders surpassed their now 69-point average for the seventh time in their 12th win. At 6-0, they’re well on their way to another AML-North Division title.
“Offensively, they just look like they were born to do that,” Curwensville coach Matt Wassil said. “It know it’s not natural. It’s through hard work. Coach (Aaron) Straub and those players work their tails off. It is a well-oiled machine.
“Their offense just looks so fluid, and it’s very difficult to defend because, even if you defend it for two or three passes, they’ll just keep working the ball until they get what they need. And they have the players that can take advantage of that.”
Nate DaCanal, a two-time D9Sports.com All-District 9 selection, topped ECC with 16 points while Gabe Kraus, Ryan Newton and Logan Hoffman chimed in with 14 apiece.
The Crusaders opened and closed the first quarter with 9-0 runs for a 25-8 cushion after one quarter.
Their full-court press created six turnovers, five of them steals, on Curwensville’s first nine possessions in building a 16-1 lead with Kraus, who buried a pair of three-pointers, and DaCanal combining for 14 points.
ECC’s two leading scorers had 12 points apiece by halftime, when the score was 41-18.
The Crusaders’ late flurry in the first period and many points thereafter came way, way too easy with back screens and players flashing through the lane, resulting in a running clock for the final 6:41 because of the Mercy Rule.
“Their offense always looks like the ball is just popping around,” Wassil said. “I told our kids you’ve got to stop dribble penetration because you can’t out run the ball against them. Once they start moving it, you’re always a step behind.
“I would have preferred us to do a little bit better job of not being front-cut and basket-cut as much as we were. That was a little bit on us. We talked about that at halftime, taking away those basket-cuts. If you make them throw the ball out and they hit jump shots, then you can live with that.
“Teams that make jump shots to beat you, it’s not a bad thing. When you’re letting a team shoot layups, that’s not a good recipe for a win.”
The Golden Tide found it very difficult going on a run with Crusaders always in their faces.
Avery Francisco provided their best flurry with seven consecutive points on a putback, a short jumper and a three-point play on a fast break that made it 16-8 in the first period.
Curwensville did manage back-to-back field goals three times, including three-pointers by Josh Terry and Zach Marshall late in the half.
Open looks were a rarity.
“If you can’t go by their guys, you’re in trouble, because the only way to combat their defense is to have guys that can get to the hoop and make plays for other teammates,” Wassil said.
Francisco, a sophomore, finished with a career-high 11 points for Curwensville, which shot only 32.5 percent (13-for-40), was outrebounded 37-19 and had twice as many turnovers as ECC with 24.
The Golden Tide will be back in the home gym again Wednesday for a Moshannon Valley League game against West Branch.
Francisco also was high with nine points for the Curwensville junior varsity in a 52-19 loss.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC — 78
Brad Dippold 3 1-2 7, Dan Stauffer 2 0-0 4, Gabe Kraus 6 0-0 14, Ryan Newton 6 0-0 14, Nate DaCanal 8 0-0 16, Logan Hoffman 5 4-4 14, Frank Singer 1 3-4 5, Jared Braun 1 0-0 2, Joe Aeillo 1 0-0 2, Erick Mader 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 33 8-10 78.
CURWENSVILLE — 32
Josh Terry 1 0-0 3, Devan Barrett 2 1-2 5, Christian Bakaysa 0 0-0 0, Zach Marshall 3 2-2 9, Avery Francisco 5 1-2 11, Noah VonGunden 10-2 2, Dakota Bloom 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Irwin 0 0-0 0, Nate McKenrick 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13 4-7 32.
Three-Point Field Goals – Elk County Catholic 4 (Kraus 2, Newton 2); Curwensville 2 (Terry, Marshall).
Score by Quarters
Elk County Catholic 25 16 15 22 – 78
Curwensville 6 10 8 6 – 32
Officials – Marvin Martell, Lee Martell and Bill Zupich.
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/09 | CLEARFIELD | 38 – 81 | 0 – 1 |
| 12/12 | @ West Branch | 57 – 72 | 0 – 2 |
| 12/16 | MO VALLEY | 25 – 57 | 0 – 3 |
| 12/21 | GLENDALE | 60 – 54 | 1 – 3 |
| 01/03 | RIDGWAY | 33 – 62 | 1 – 4 |
| 01/04 | JOHNSONBURG | 56 – 42 | 1 – 5 |
| 01/06 | @ Brockway | 40 – 76 | 1 – 6 |
| 01/10 | @ DuBois Central Catholic | ppd. | 1 – 6 |
| 01/11 | @ Mo Valley | ppd. | 1 – 6 |
| 01/13 | HARMONY | 70 – 45 | 2 – 6 |
| 01/17 | ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC | 32 – 78 | 2 – 7 |
| 01/18 | WEST BRANCH | ||
| 01/20 | @ Kane | ||
| 01/23 | @ DuBois Central Catholic | ||
| 01/24 | @ Ridgway | ||
| 01/27 | BROCKWAY | ||
| 01/30 | KANE | ||
| 01/31 | @ Harmony | ||
| 02/01 | @ Glendale | ||
| 02/03 | @ Johnsonburg | ||
| 02/06 | @ Clearfield | ||
| 02/07 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | ||
| 02/10 | SHEFFIELD | ||
| 02/13 | @ Mo Valley |
