It’s On: ’Canes vs. Hampton, Round 3
Feb 28, 2014
By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News

One more time.

The New Castle and Hampton high school boys basketball teams are set to square off for the WPIAL championship for a third-straight season.

The teams met in 2012 for the Class AAA crown and last season in Quad-A. At 7 p.m. tomorrow, the rivalry renews when the teams fill up the A.J. Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University for the latest bout in Class AAAA action.

“To play a team three years in a row for a WPIAL championship is unique,” said fourth-year Red Hurricane coach Ralph Blundo. “I don’t know how often it’s happened. But it’s unique to see two good basketball programs meeting up three years in a row to play for a WPIAL championship.

“There are 31 teams in Quad-A and we’re proud to be one of the two teams playing for a championship. We’re looking forward to competing.”

HISTORY LESSON
It’s so unique that in 101 seasons of championship matchups, there have been a handful of times that the same two squads battled for the championship in consecutive seasons. But never in the history of WPIAL basketball have two teams squared off for the championship in three-straight seasons.

Blundo is 101-10 with the ’Canes, including 13-1 in the WPIAL playoffs. His teams have won 11-straight district playoff matchups. Blundo’s career mark is 127-12, which includes a 26-2 mark in one year (1998-99) directing George Junior Republic in Grove City.

New Castle (25-0), which is making its 41st trip to the WPIAL playoffs in program history, is bidding for the school’s 10th district crown.

The ’Canes are ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL in Class AAAA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and No. 2 in the state by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg. New Castle has won 45-straight games against WPIAL teams dating back to a 50-43 loss to Montour in the second round of the state playoffs in the 2011-2012 season. The ’Canes have won 81 of their last 83 games.

New Castle moved up in the national poll last week, climbing from No. 41 to No. 38 in the USA Today poll. The ’Canes are the highest-ranked Pennsylvania school in the USA Today rankings.

Top-seeded New Castle knocked off the second-seeded Talbots 68-53 last year for the title and 57-44 in 2012 for the crown.

Hampton comes in ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL in Class AAAA by the Post-Gazette and No. 4 in the state.

“We’re just happy to be playing in the WPIAL championship game,” said Hampton coach Joe Lafko, a former Westminster College standout who is in his 18th season at the helm. “New Castle is a very good opponent. It’s ironic that we’ve met three times for the championship. It’s going to be a great game.”

A SIMILAR LOOK
The irony doesn’t end there for Lafko’s group. Hampton (22-3) defeated Section 3 rival North Allegheny in the semifinals Wednesday, 61-53, to reach the championship game. It marked the third-straight season the Talbots knocked off the Tigers to advance to the title tilt.

“I think it just speaks volumes for our section and the WPIAL,” Lafko said.

New Castle, also a member of Section 3, rolled to the league title with a 14-0 mark. The ’Canes defeated the Talbots in both meetings, 58-42 on the road and 66-55 at home.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Blundo said of the section play. “The section was strong before New Castle and Hampton got in it and when we leave (next year for Triple-A), it will still be very good.”

In addition, New Castle owns seven-straight victories over Hampton. The last win for the Talbots over the ’Canes came in a 53-46 decision Dec. 14, 2010 on Hampton’s home floor.

“The more you play a team, the more you understand what they do,” Lafko said. “You know what their tendencies are. The familiarity has to play a part in game preparation for both sides and the players understanding their opponents.

“New Castle is familiar with us and we’re familiar with them. Both teams will be prepared to win the basketball game.”

SCOUTING HAMPTON
Ryan Luther, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, paces the Hampton attack. Luther, a Pitt recruit, is the program’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,800 points. He leads the team in scoring at about 22.5 points a game.

“He scores in so many different ways,” Blundo said. “He can score on pull-up jumpers, putbacks, and he shoots from the perimeter.

“He’s had 30 points on us before. He’s a very difficult challenge for any one team that’s playing him; he’s just very tough to guard.”

Luther, who missed the first meeting with the ’Canes because of an ankle injury, tossed in a game-best 28 points in the rematch at the Ne-Ca-Hi Field House. He netted a team-high 17 points in last year’s title game.

“Ryan’s had a lot of success against many teams,” Lafko said. “He’s a skilled player and he’s got size inside.

“Sometimes he gets mismatch opportunities. Because of Ryan’s skillset and the size that he has and his skillset on the perimeter, he will draw mismatches.”

Collin Luther, a 6-7 senior guard/forward and Ryan’s brother, has scored 949 career points. He’s receiving Division I looks from Albany, Columbia, Winthrop and Fairfield.

“Collin is a great player and he’s a smart, tough player,” Blundo said. “He does a lot of really good things for them. He’s the glue that holds that team together.

“I don’t think he’s unsung at all. He’s a different kind of player than Ryan is. But he’s an excellent player.”

Said Lafko, “Collin is a player. He’s a competitor and I love his competitive nature. He’s a big reason why we’ve been so successful.”

David Huber, a 6-2 junior guard, is getting Division I attention from Columbia, Penn and Navy.

“Huber is a good player,” Blundo said. “He can take it to the hoop and he can shoot from the perimeter.”

BACK FOR MORE
Hampton will start four players that started last year’s championship game. The Luthers, Huber, Joey Lafko — the coach’s son — and Jack Obringer round out the first five for the Talbots. Only Jon Floss (graduation) is gone from last year’s starting five for Hampton. He is replaced by Obringer.

New Castle returns just two starters from last year’s title tilt — Malik Hooker and Anthony Richards.

“What you’re going to see is two teams that want it bad,” Blundo said. “The fact that we beat Hampton twice won’t have them wanting it any more than our guys.

“This year is separate from last year, no matter who is taking the court. What happened the last couple of seasons happened the last couple of seasons.”

The Talbots are averaging 74.2 points a game and giving up 50.6. The ’Canes are tallying 75.1 markers a matchup and surrendering 49.1.

“If you watch Hampton over the course of the year, they’re a team that has played games based on what gives them the best chance to win,” Blundo said. “They’ll always try to get the best shot they can, whether it’s in the half court or in transition.

“Defensively, it all depends on who they’re playing. They’ll press or go man or zone.”

STORM FRONT
Hooker, a 6-1 senior guard/forward and Ohio State University football recruit, paces New Castle with a county-high 23.4 markers a matchup. He has 1,534 career points, ranking second on the program’s all-time list behind David Young. Young netted 2,232 career points from 1996 to 1999, competing at Union and New Castle. He trails only Neshannock’s Kevin Covert, who registered 2,612 points, on the county’s all-time scoring list.

“Malik is an exceptional talent,” Lafko said. “I would liken him to a player like Terrelle Pryor at Jeannette or Darrelle Revis at Aliquippa. He’s in that category of athletes.

“He’s an exceptional talent and an exceptional player. He’s just so strong and quick and athletic. There’s nothing you can do as a coach to duplicate that kind of speed, quickness and strength.”

Richards, a 5-8 senior guard, is next at 13.4 points a game. Richards, a West Virginia Wesleyan recruit, has 1,076 career points.

“Richards is the glue that keeps New Castle together,” Lafko said. “He’s a leader. He’s a scorer. He’s an exceptional shooter.

“You can’t say enough about his tenacity on defense. He’s an exceptional talent as well.”

Richards has 90 3-pointers on the season, which is a program record. He broke the previous mark of 84 set by Eddie Pagley in the 1998-99 season earlier in the playoffs.

Richards holds the school’s career mark for 3-pointers made with 293.

New Castle’s Drew Allen, a 6-0 senior guard, tallies 10.4 points a clash. Allen is a Robert Morris University football recruit.

Drew’s twin brother Stew (6-3, sr.) adds 9.9 tallies a tilt as well.

“You can’t just stop with Hooker and Richards in your preparation,” Lafko said. “When you look at the other three starters, the two Allen brothers and (Jake) McPhatter, the complement that they give New Castle is exceptional.

“McPhatter is quick and athletic; he’s another skilled player. Drew is strong with speed and quickness and Stew is a strong, athletic kid.”

McPhatter, a 5-11 senior guard/forward, played in the semifinals after his dad, Jake Sr., was in a life-threatening automobile accident Tuesday morning. Jake, a Ball State football recruit, scored 12 points in the 77-23 semifinal-win over Kiski on Wednesday and he’s slated to start again tomorrow.

“Jake Sr. was doing a little better today,’ Blundo said. “He’s looking forward to getting to that next phase of the healing process.

“Jake has such a great relationship with his father. Jake had a peace about him (Wednesday) night. His father let him know he’d be OK and that’s all Jake needed to hear. He seems to be in a good place mentally.”

WHAT IT TAKES
Blundo noted claiming a third-straight district crown won’t come easy.

“I think we have to defend extremely well and we have to play with great intensity,” he said. “We can’t miss any boxouts and we have to rebound well.

“You have to do an awful lot right to win a district championship. We’re playing really good basketball right now. You always want to be playing well and I think we are.”

Both teams will move on to the state playoffs beginning March 8. The winner will meet the fifth-place team out of the WPIAL and the loser will tangle with City League champ Allderdice.
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