By RON PONIEWASZ JR.
rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com

You would never know Pine-Richland’s Eric Holmes is a freshman by the way he plays.

Holmes drained the game-winning 3-pointer from the left corner last night to propel the Rams over New Castle High, 60-54, in a WPIAL Section 3-AAAA boys basketball game at the Ne-Ca-Hi Field House.

“Holmes is a great shooter,” Red Hurricane coach Mark Stanley said. “That one is on me. We came back with a trap up top and we let him loose down the sideline which is a rule you don’t do.

“If we don’t let the kid out of the trap, I believe we have a steal. We let him out, someone drove baseline and kicked it out to him; he hit it with a hand in his face.”

The Rams (2-1 section, 6-2 overall) earned just their second victory at the Field House. Last year they got their first in the building that’s been a house of horrors for opposing teams through the years.

Holmes netted 18 points on six 3-pointers. He kept Pine-Richland competitive in its 65-58 loss to section-leading North Allegheny on Friday with 15 points, all on 3-pointers.

Trailing 56-53 after Holmes’ trifecta, New Castle’s Mike Andrews missed a turnaround in the lane with 19 seconds left. The Rams got the rebound and worked the ball ahead. Brett Matson took the pass and ducked between Andrews and Nick Colella.

Colella and Richards collided and fell to the floor. Andrews was bleeding from his forehead and Colella from the bridge of his nose. Neither required stitches and both returned.

“They threw the ball over Nick’s head and he couldn’t see it,” Stanley said. “Mike was in our center field position and he was coming up and Nick jumped up too late and landed on Mike; a face cut like that bleeds a lot.”

Matson, who finished with 24 points, was fouled and made both free throws for a 58-53 lead.

“Matson is a great player, but he still has room for improvement,” Rams coach Dave Krakoff said. “He managed the game well down the stretch.”

Pine-Richland built a 37-27 third-quarter lead and appeared poised to pull away. But New Castle went on a 14-3 run over the final 3:21 of the period for a 41-40 buffer heading to the fourth frame. Colella ignited the run with a clutch 3-pointer.

“That got us some energy,” Stanley said of the 3-pointer. “Once you get the makes, your energy level picks up and we were able to get some steals and convert them.

“When we do that we’re right into our press. I think they got rattled there for a little bit.”

Said Krakoff, “They started with the traps. Our guys got in a hurry again and it got us to turn the ball over. I give Coach Stanley credit, it was a great changeup.”

The ’Canes held two three-point leads in the fourth quarter, the last (45-42) coming with 6:54 left.

The teams opened the game playing uptempo. New Castle held a 15-11 advantage after one quarter but the Rams held the ’Canes to six points in the second quarter after switching to zone defense.

“We were a little jumpy early,” Krakoff said. “We rushed some things and we settled down in the second quarter.”

Pine-Richland went to a zone at various stages of each quarter and it disrupted New Castle’s flow.

“Fortunately for us it worked tonight,” Krakoff said.

Colella led the ’Canes with 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting and six rebounds. Andrews was next with 12 markers and a team-best 10 rebounds. Tyrone Steals chipped in with 11 points and seven boards.

New Castle (1-3, 3-5) returns to action at approximately 8:20 p.m. Friday at unbeaten North Allegheny (3-0, 8-0). It’s part of a boys and girls doubleheader. Tipoff for the girls game is set for 6:30 p.m.