Gators’ season ends with losses to state’s top-ranked teams
JOHNSTOWN ëƵ No one can say Geibel CatholicëƵs boys basketball team wasnëƵt tested during the 2020 postseason.
Fifteen days after suffering a 99-51 loss to Vincentian Academy ëƵ the No. 1 Class A team in the state and eventual district champion ëƵ the Gators found themselves up against PennsylvaniaëƵs second-ranked team in Berlin Brothersvalley in the first round of the PIAA tournament.
The results were similar.
The District 5 champion Mountaineers ended the first quarter on a 12-point run to take a 17-6 lead and never looked back in cruising to a 73-37 victory in the ëƵ Center at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on Friday night.
ëƵThatëƵs a real tall task to try to come up and beat those two,ëƵ Geibel coach Don Porter said. ëƵIt should be an interesting match-up with Vincentian and Berlin.ëƵ
Those two will meet in the second round on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
Elijah Sechler hit four of BerlinëƵs 10 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 22 points, teammate Wil Spochart followed with 16 points and 6-foot-3 center Abe Countryman dominated inside in tallying 14 points.
The Mountaineers (27-1) led 39-13 at halftime and 53-22 after three quarters.
ëƵBerlinëƵs a really nice team,ëƵ Porter said. ëƵTheyëƵll do well.ëƵ
The Gators (15-10) can take pride in knowing they earned the programëƵs first playoff win since 2005 when they beat Leechburg in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, 65-58.
Geibel got one strong scoring half from two different players against the Mountaineers. Senior Ryan Anderson accounted for all but two of his teamëƵs first-half points with a pair of 3-pointers and a 5-for-6 performance at the foul line for 11, while sophomore Drew Howard scored all 11 of his points in the second half with five field goals, including one trey.
Berlin made it tough on Gators leader Enzo Fetsko, holding the senior 1,000-point scorer to just two points as he put in GeibelëƵs first basket of the game.
ëƵFetsko was just cold tonight,ëƵ said Porter, who also credited BerlinëƵs defense. ëƵI know it was deliberate to try to get him taken out of the game, thatëƵs what their game plan was. Take out a 20-point scorer.
ëƵOur game goes through Enzo, it has all year. ItëƵs just a shame that it happened this last game like this. It just wasnëƵt our night.ëƵ
The Gators took their only lead when Anderson hit four straight free throws in a 25-second span to make it 6-5 with 4:05 left in the first quarter but Countryman scored to put Berlin back ahead to stay.
Oddly enough, despite falling by 36 points, the Gators put just as many players in the scoring column as the Mountaineers with seven.
Senior Isaiah Krizner and freshman Trevon White each had four points, senior Ethan Jellots sank a 3-pointer and senior Jacob Mariotti tossed in a basket at the final buzzer for two points.
Geibel was minus one starter as senior Cole Kendall didnëƵt travel with the team for personal reasons.
Porter commended his team despite the loss.
ëƵOur guys had a great season,ëƵ he said. ëƵThey played hard all the time. I couldnëƵt be more proud of them.ëƵ





