Dave Mackall stories, Page 27
Carlynton boys outlast Ligonier Valley in PIAA Class 3A first round
JOHNSTOWN — Carlynton and Ligonier Valley found another gear during a wild fourth quarter Saturday that saw the Cougars outlast the Rams, 85-81, in a first-round PIAA Class 3A boys basketball game at Johnstown High School. Carlynton outscored Ligonier Valley, 32-27, during the fourth-quarter slugfest that saw the Rams rally...
Ligonier Valley, Carlynton hit reset buttons for PIAA playoffs matchup
Mike Kozy inferred District 6 Class 3A runner-up Ligonier Valley, which next season becomes a member of the WPIAL, is perceived to be out in the hinterlands though the Carlynton boys basketball coach is a bit familiar with the area. Kozy played at nearby Saint Vincent and is a member...
Robert Morris men want to maximize special opportunity in NEC tourney
Sure, there’ve been a number of key contributors to the Robert Morris’ surge into the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals in men’s basketball, where Saturday the Colonials welcome Long Island University to UPMC Events Center. At any moment for Robert Morris, the stars have turned out to be better known players...
Robert Morris defeats St. Francis Brooklyn in NEC quarterfinals
It wasn’t supposed to be this difficult. Robert Morris, welcome to March Madness again. AJ Bramah scored 22 points, and top-seeded Robert Morris rallied to beat No. 8 St. Francis Brooklyn, 59-58, in a Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinal Wednesday night at UPMC Events Center, surviving the Terriers’ last-second comeback attempt....
Four-goal 1st period paves way for Latrobe hockey victory over Armstrong
Latrobe passed its first test with ease Monday night in the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs. Alex Schall notched two goals during a first-period scoring flurry that carried Latrobe to a 6-2 victory over Armstrong in a Class AA quarterfinal at Greensburg’s Nevin Arena. The Wildcats (17-1-1) advance to the semifinals...
Duquesne knows VCU’s Siegel Center is ‘tough environment’ to play
When Duquesne visits VCU on Tuesday night in its next-to-last regular-season game, the Dukes likely will be playing in front of a packed house at Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. That’s not such a big deal in college basketball, except in this case, it would mark the 151st consecutive sellout...
Dambrot: Time is now for Dukes to play better if they want to talk about March Madness
A strange idea was floating around Duquesne on Monday. Some people on campus were talking about March Madness. Madness on the Bluff? Who would have thought the Dukes, picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic 10, would be challenging for first- and second-round byes next week in the A-10 Tournament?...
Robert Morris tops St. Francis (Pa.), secures No. 1 seed for NEC Tournament
Robert Morris is No. 1. The Colonials, having already extended the Northeast Conference’s longest active streak for consecutive NEC Tournament appearances, went a step further, securing the No. 1 seed by holding off St. Francis (Pa.), 78-68, on Saturday at UPMC Events Center and sending the Red Flash into the...
Ligonier Valley’s 20-game win streak snapped by Richland in D6 title game
CRESSON — For a second season in a row, the Richland Rams proved too strong for the Ligonier Valley Rams and came away with a victory in the District 6 Class 3A boys basketball championship game. Only this time, Richland did it in convincing fashion. “I’m shocked,” Ligonier Valley coach...
Robert Morris assistant Mike Iuzzolino is more than ex-NBA video game star
After a lull, Robert Morris is back in the hunt for another Northeast Conference men’s basketball championship. The Colonials haven’t won an NEC title — and an accompanying NCAA Tournament bid — since 2015, a year before Mike Iuzzolino joined coach Andy Toole’s staff. Toole’s right-hand man on the Colonials...
Ligonier Valley, Richland meet in District 6 title-game rubber match
It’s the last go-round for the Rams and the Rams. Ligonier Valley and Richland will play their final boys basketball game as District 6 foes Friday in a shortstanding rivalry, matching up for the third consecutive time in the Class 3A championship game at Mt. Aloysius. Ligonier Valley next season...
High school roundup for Feb. 26, 2020: Allderdice boys win on buzzer beater
Blake Haber’s 3-point shot at the final buzzer lifted Allderdice to a 51-49 victory over District 6 champion Altoona in a District 6-8-10 subregional game at Brashear on Wednesday night. Tony Henderson’s 19 points led Allderdice (19-6), which advances to play McDowell (20-3) in the championship game either Friday or...
Ligonier Valley boys using speed, not size, to blaze through District 6 playoffs
The second season of John Berger’s second stint as boys basketball coach at Ligonier Valley has gone much like the first season of his second go-round at his alma mater. Simply stated, while the roster has changed, Ligonier Valley (22-2), the top seed in the District 6 Class 3A playoffs,...
Marinchak brothers move Ligonier Valley into District 6 semifinals
Top-seeded Ligonier Valley survived the first game of its final season in the District 6 boys basketball playoffs Friday night, but it took a big scoring surge in the fourth quarter, led by the Marinchak brothers, to do it. Senior Michael Marinchak scored 22 points, and sophomore Matthew Marinchak added...
No. 1 La Roche defeats No. 2 Pitt-Greensburg in finale
No. 1 La Roche and No. 2 Pitt-Greensburg, the top-seeded men’s basketball teams in the NCAA Division III Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament, put on a dazzling dress rehearsal for the postseason in front of an overflow crowd Wednesday night at UPG’s Chambers Hall. The league’s top two teams came...
Robert Morris men’s basketball team stomped by St. Francis (Pa.)Video
LORETTO — The much-anticipated Northeast Conference showdown between Robert Morris and St. Francis (Pa.), teams fighting for a No. 1 seed in the fast-approaching NEC Tournament, wound up being nothing more than a blowout victory. For the hot-shooting host Red Flash, that is. Isaiah Blackmon scored a career-high 30 points,...
NEC reprimands Robert Morris coach Andy Toole, fines 2 officialsVideo
The Northeast Conference on Monday reprimanded Robert Morris men’s basketball coach Andy Toole for criticizing officials following the Colonials’ 72-71 loss Saturday to Fairleigh Dickinson, saying some of Toole’s postgame comments were “unacceptable” and “in clear violation of our sportsmanship policy.” The league also reprimanded and imposed fines on two...
Robert Morris’ streak snapped in 1-point loss to Fairleigh DickinsonVideo
Andy Toole’s message was direct. It was strong. And it was meant to be heard by the Northeast Conference. Toole, Robert Morris’ pragmatic men’s basketball coach, didn’t mince words Saturday following a controversial, last-second call that potentially cost his Colonials a shot at a seventh consecutive victory and the retention...
Rested Duquesne won’t take struggling Fordham lightly
The Atlantic 10, in a virtual tie with the American Athletic and within arm’s length of the SEC and ACC, ranks eighth among 32 Division I basketball leagues in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Indeed, the A-10 is a quality conference this season. It might...
Ligonier Valley boys seeded first for District 6 playoffs
Ligonier Valley was awarded the top seed in the District 6-3A boys basketball playoffs, according to pairings released Thursday by the District 6 committee. The three-time Heritage Conference champion Rams (21-2), who will move to the WPIAL next season, will open with a quarterfinal game Feb. 21 at home against...
St. Bonaventure continues mastery of Duquesne
In the 14-team Atlantic 10, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure have shown they can play some pretty tight defense, the Dukes ranking third in scoring defense at 63.7 points per game; St. Bonaventure fourth at 64.1. So, what was up with that high-scoring affair between the two on Saturday at UPMC...
Marinchak leads Ligonier Valley to 3rd straight Heritage Conference title
Michael Marinchak’s high school basketball days are numbered, but they won’t soon be forgotten. The Ligonier Valley standout has scored more than 1,500 career points and enjoyed some memorable victories in the past four seasons at the District 6 school. With the Rams set to join the WPIAL next season...
Duquesne’s Michael Hughes backs up his talk
Some basketball players let their play do the talking. Some resort to chatter in getting their point across. Duquesne’s Michael Hughes blends both into a unique style: He’s an aggressive performer and a seasoned trash-talker. “It’s just a narrative that seems to work for me,” Hughes said Friday as Duquesne...
Penn-Trafford boys basketball eliminates Norwin from playoff contention
Visiting Penn-Trafford needed a victory to get back on track after losing two games in a row. Norwin needed one to stay in the hunt for a postseason spot. Unfortunately for the homestanding Knights on Tuesday night, there could be only one winner. Zach Rocco scored 17 points to lead...
Duquesne holds off late rally by La Salle to get crucial A-10 win
If Duquesne was to keep pace with the Atlantic 10 leaders Sunday, a victory was a must. Mission accomplished. Marcus Weathers scored 18 points, and Duquesne held off a furious La Salle rally to come away with a 71-69 victory at PPG Paints Arena. It ended a three-game losing streak...
