NEW CASTLE —
Neither coach wants to divert from the plan — not at this time of year.
It’s just as important to Shenango High boys basketball coach Bob McQuiston as it is Greensburg Central Catholic’s Greg Bisignani that they stick with what got them to the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.
They’ll see who can follow that course of action better at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Chartiers Valley High School.
While the objectives are similar, the teams are not. Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5), ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL Class AA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is coming off a bye. The Centurions’ offense is centered around P.J. McLaughlin, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound power forward who’s averaging 18.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats (15-8) advanced following a 69-44 preliminary-round win over West Shamokin. Shenango boasts a multi-faceted offense with three players averaging around 13 points per game. Four of its five starters are seniors, but none are anywhere close to the size of McLaughlin.
“He’s definitely strong in the low post,” McQuiston said. “He can also turn around and hit the short jumper. He’s physical and he rebounds well, and they do a good job looking for him. Most of their offense is designed to get him the ball.”
When McLaughlin isn’t causing havoc inside, the Centurions turn to shooting guard Ben Klimchock, who’s scoring 13 points per game. Two other players also average in double figures for Greensburg Central Catholic, which leads Class AA in points per game at 72.2.
McQuiston said he looks for the Centurions to try and drive to the hoop and pass off to McLaughlin inside.
“We’re going to try and do what we’ve been doing all year with our man-to-man defense,” he said. “Fundamentally, we have to be smart. We’ve got to cut down on their penetration and double down on the big guy down low.”
Greensburg Central Catholic’s focus will be on closing out on the Wildcats’ shooters. Shenango hit 12 3-pointers in its win over West Shamokin. The Wildcats have three players who have hit at least 30 3-pointers this year and another with 20.
Jordan O’Hara leads a balanced Shenango attack, netting 13.7 points a game. Jeff Williams is next at 13.2 points and Brett Chieze contributes 12.9. Chieze leads the Wildcats with 45 3-pointers and O’Hara is next at 32. Williams has drained 30.
Once again, Bisignani said the Centurions are sticking with what they know best.
“We’ll just do like we do in all our games,” he said. “We try to play hard on defense and try and make things happen. We can’t give them open looks. We have a little bit of a size advantage. I think they have one kid who’s about 6-3, so we’ll try and take advantage of that.”
The Wildcats are accustomed to matching up with bigger teams. Summit Academy, which split with Shenango in Section 2-AA but still won the regular-season title, has six players 6-4 or taller, including a pair who are 6-8. McQuiston said the Wildcats will try and utilize certain aspects of that experience.
“The one thing we tried to do against Summit is not let their guards sit out front and look inside,” he said. “We have to make the entry passes tough. We need to be in their face, so they can’t just sit back and survey the floor.”
The Centurions have been doing a lot of sitting lately.
Greensburg Central Catholic hasn’t played since Feb. 10, when Jeannette snapped their 14-game winning streak in the season finale. Bisignani said he’s a bit concerned with the long layoff, but McQuiston was quick to point out that the Centurions, coming off a state finals appearance last year, are battle tested.
Bisignani said it’s important to get McLaughlin going early to avoid an early lull.
“We’re an inside-out team,” he said. “We try to get it in to our big kid inside — he’s our leader — and hopefully that will open up our outside shooting.”
It’s a recipe Greensburg Central Catholic has used much of the season, and it’s one that adds a little bit of concern for McQuiston.
“They’re ranked fifth in the WPIAL,” he said. “Just by looking at them (on film), they’re definitely not overranked.”
(Email: j_simon@ncnewsonline.com)
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