Burger King Classic: Cathedral Prep's rally falls short; St. Edward wins opening game
The Burger King Classic is another staple of Erie that has been able to return recently during the pandemic.
While the crowd size wasn't as big as a normal Burger King Classic opening night because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the crowd that did arrive was treated to two impressive performances at Joann Mullen Gymnasium in the Hagerty Family Events Center.
Ohio powerhouse St. Edward thrilled the crowd, which filled a little more than of the HFEC stands, with a high-paced offense in a 71-42 rout of Math, Civics & Sciences Charter out of Philadelphia. Canisius (N.Y.) led throughout the second game before a Cathedral Prep rally in the final few minutes raised the energy level of the crowd. Canisius, however, pulled out a 62-58 win.
On Saturday, Prep (5-4) will take on MCS Charter (8-5) in the consolation game at 6 p.m. before Canisius (8-3) and St. Ed's (7-2) play for the championship at 7:30 p.m.
“This tournament is for the kids, and I think they were a little nervous coming out and you could see it in the first few possessions,” said Prep coach Steve Piotrowicz. “Normally there are more fans here and we're missing that little bit of energy because it's second to none, but the people that were here brought the energy. I was glad to see the student section as well. I think we're all really happy the classic is back.”
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Canisius led 33-29 at the half as Shane Cercone, who finished with 31 points, scored 21 in the first half.
“His energy is second to none, and I remember him from a few years ago,” Piotrowicz said. “He pops off the screen and is tall and athletic. He has a motor that you have to match or you'll be in trouble.”
Prep was able to slow down Cercone, who has several Division I offers, in the second half. The Ramblers trailed 46-41 after three quarter and 53-47 halfway through the fourth quarter before cutting the lead to 58-57 with 1 minute left on a Semontae Lofton 3-pointer. He finished with 18 points to lead the Ramblers.
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“Our team has heart and grit, and it's a big part of our program,” Piotrowicz said. “We just didn't execute down the stretch and make plays when we needed to. Canisius made those plays and this was one hell of a game.”
Over the next 40 seconds, Prep's intense defense forced two turnovers but the Ramblers missed two layups and both teams started fouling. Canisius fouled Prep to not allow a chance at a tying 3-pointer down 60-57 and the Crusaders did enough at the line to put the game away.
“We tried to keep them on their toes because we play a different style of defense than people are used to,” Piotrowicz said. “We got some steals and unfortunately did not make some shots. We have to learn from this with an opportunity to get a big win (Saturday).”
Jake Sambuchino added 13 points and Amaree Pickens ad 11 for the Ramblers, while Division I recruit Declan Ryan had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Zyion Freer-Brown scored 20 points and had nine rebounds to lead St. Ed's in the first game, while Bellarmine recruit Michael Bova had 13 points and Cam Grant pulled down 13 rebounds. Isaiah Griffin led MCS Charter with 11 points.
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Cathedral Prep falls in Burger King Classic; St. Edward wins first game
