Madonna tops Weir 49-44 as Rokisky hits 1,000 points
WEIRTON - Madonna clamped on a tight man-to-man defense and outscored host Weir High by eight points in the fourth quarter Friday to come from behind for a 49-44 win before a large and boisterous crowd at the Carl R. Hamill Fieldhouse.
The defending state Class A champions held the Red Riders scoreless in the final 2:50 of the game as they inflicted the third straight loss on Weir High.
In addition, senior Clay Rokisky scored 10 points to go over the 1,000 mark in his career. The Cleveland State recruit is the fifth Blue Don to reach the milestone.
Weir High, winners of three in a row and now losers of three straight, went into the fourth quarter with a 36-33 lead, but were without the services of senior Harley Mills. The 6-7 center had controlled the inside until he was charged with his third personal foul late in the third quarter. He finished with a double-double that included a team high 13 points and game high 14 rebounds. He also had a couple of blocked shots.
"This game was one between two teams that know each other well from playing together on the playgrounds during the summer," said victorious coach George Vargo. "It came down to a scrappy game and fortunately for the Blue Dons we got a couple of shots in the paint late in the game. We also got a back door play that I think changed the momentum to our favor in that fourth quarter."
He was talking about two rebounds and put backs in the fourth quarter by 6-6 senior, Drazan Frankovitch, and a layup by senior point guard, Nick Battista on a nifty pass from Rokisky.
Battista also made another key play with 5:01 left in the game when he stole a Weir High inbound pass and took the ball to the basket for a layup. That field goal gave Madonna its biggest lead of the game at 45-37.
"That play was like a dagger in their heart," Vargo exclaimed.
Battista and Frankovitch shared game scoring honors with 14 apiece.
"I thought that when Mills got his third personal and Josh Groves picked up his fou! rth that it changed the game," veteran Red Rider coach, Mike Granato said. "But I really liked our effort tonight. A lot of positives came out of this game. Obviously, you don't like to lose, but we stayed together and if we do that everything will be okay.
"Our schedule doesn't get any easier, though. We have Indian Creek and Magnolia on the road next week, and we follow that with a trip over to Steubenville Big Red. They're all pretty good teams."
The Red Riders pinned the only loss on Indian Creek a week ago winning a one-point thriller so Granato said he knows the Redskins will be out for revenge..
"I want to congratulate Clay Rokisky for getting 1,000 points," Granato said. "He's an outstanding player and individual."
Granato said the bottom line for his Red Riders is they aren't making shots.
"We started the season shooting well, but the last three games the shots just aren't falling for us," Granato continued.
That was borne out in the final 2:50 of the game. Mills hit a jumper at that point that cut the Madonna lead to 47-44. The Red Riders had three possessions in those final minutes, but were unable to get shots off and when they did the ball bounced off the rim.
Vargo said that one of the things he learned from winning the state championship last year is that you have to play man-to-man defense in the state tournament.
"We've been working hard on that defense," he said. "We committed too many fouls with it the first three games. The last two games we have played well with it."
Madonna allowed Weir High to shoot just 12 free throws. They made five of them.
The teams had identical field goal results (12 two-pointers and 5 three-pointers), but the Blue Dons won the game at the foul line making 10 of 21 from the stripe.
The second half was a game of runs. After leading at halftime by 28-25, the Red Riders went on a 6-3 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 36-28 with 3:54 left in the third period.
Then Madonna opened th! e fourth quarter with a 12-1 run that put them in command.
Neither team shot well. Madonna made 17 of 61 shots while the Red Riders made 17 of 56. Weir High won the battle of the boards, 32-28. Sophomore Ross Comis led the Blue Dons off the glass with seven rebounds.
Madonna returns to the Dube Dome next Tuesday to face unbeaten Parkersburg Catholic, which is rated third in the state Class A ranks.
Madonna 49, Weir 44
Madonna 15 10 8 16 - 49
Weir 15 13 8 8 - 44
MADONNA: Comis 1 0-2 3, Battista 6 0-2 14, Mogan 0 1-2 1, Egyud 1 4-4 7, Rokisky 2 5-7 10, Frankovitch 7 0-2 14, Pietranton 0 0-2 0. Totals: 17 10-21 49. Three-pointers: Battista (2), Comis, Eguyd, Rokisky.
WEIR HIGH: Woodland 1 0-0 3, Gurrera 2 0-0 6, Drizake 3 1-2 7, Cassiadoro 4 0-1 9, Groves 2 1-2 5, Mills 5 2-4 13, Carnes 0 1-3 1. Totals: 17 5-12 44. Three-pointers: Gurrera (2), Woodland, Cassiadoro, Mills.