Maroon Knights Drop Opener
North Catholic scores 50 in first half to out-pace Central
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WHEELING -- Despite a monumental first quarter from senior Ryan Reasbeck, the Wheeling Central boys' basketball team could not keep pace with Pittsburgh North Catholic Wednesday evening, eventually falling 86-59.
Reasbeck scored 18 points with five 3-pointers in the first quarter of the Maroon Knights' (0-1) season-opener, but was held to just four points in the final three frames of the loss.
"They probably didn't know us real well, but after the first quarter I'm sure they knew he could shoot it," said Central coach Mel Stephens. "It's probably a combination of good defense on him, him being a little bit tired and us being a little bit sped up in the front court and not being disciplined enough to get into our sets and get him some good looks."
While it did not appear that North Catholic (2-0) had any one person who would be able to sufficiently guard Reasbeck in the first, good team defense from the Trojans helped them limit his effectiveness the rest of the way.
The Trojans' full-court press defense forced the Maroon Knights to operate faster than they wanted, leading to turnovers, poor shot selection and an overall inefficient offense.
"I thought we handled the pressure pretty well in the backcourt," Stephens said. "I think what really hurt us was, once we got into the front court, they continued to speed us up and we didn't do a real good job offensively."
Defense was also an issue for the Knights, as North Catholic put up 32 points in the first quarter and had 50 by halftime. Despite Reasbeck's 18, Central trailed NC 32-21 after the first frame and 50-31 at the break.
North Catholic used an 11-1 run in the first to take their first big lead of the night, 19-10, but three straight triples from Reasbeck quickly brought the Knights back 22-19. A 21-2 run between the first and second quarters, however, but NC out in front for good.
"I think part of our problem was just first-game jitters," Stephens said. "They are very, very good. They're strong and they shoot the ball exceptionally well. It's a good game for us to learn from."
Central played better in the second half, but a 9-0 run by the Trojans mid-way through the third quarter gave them a 68-40 lead and all but wrapped the game up.
"I think in the second half we (ran offense) a little bit better but by then we were in such a big hole it was tough," Stephens said. "When you're trying to play catch-up, you've got to try and speed it up on the offensive end and try to get some stops. "
Stephens said they purposefully try to schedule tough games against good teams like North Catholic because they believe it will pay off later down the road.
"I think that makes you better," Stephens said. "You're going to take your lumps some nights but as long as you learn from it and get better from it, it's worth it."
Reasbeck finished with a game-high 22 points, but was held to just one basket in the final three quarters of play. His top support came from Caleb Ratcliffe (nine points) and Quinton Burlenski (six).
North Catholic was led by 19 points from Andrew Maddelon and 17 from Max Hurray.
The Maroon Knights will be back in action Saturday at home against Spring Mills.
Pittsburgh North Catholic 86, Wheeling Central 59
NC -- Maddalon 6 5-6 19; Hurray 7 1-2 17; Rottman 4 2-2 11; Timer 4 0-0 9; Gregor 2 2-2 8; Schneider 3 0-1 7; Larson 2 0-0 5; Straub 1 0-0 3; Siket 1 0-0 2; Cannon 0 0-0 0.
CENTRAL -- Reasbeck 7 3-4 22; C. Ratcliffe 5 1-2 9; Burlenski 3 0-0 6; L. Toepfer 2 1-2 5; M. Toepfer 1 2-2 4; Anthony 2 2-3 4; J. Ratcliffe 1 0-0 3; P. Toepfer 0 2-2 2; Palmer 0 0-0 0.
3 Pt. Goals -- North Catholic 12 (Maddalon 2, Gregor 2, Hurray 2, Schneider 1, Tomer 1, Rottman 1, Malenda 1, Straub 1). Wheeling Central 6 (Reasbeck 5, J. Ratcliffe 1).
NC 32 18 21 15 -- 86
WC 21 10 13 15 -- 59