Mar 13, 2025
Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Bishop Guilfoyle’s Taurean Consiglio puts up a shot between South Allegheny’s Jake Uher (left) and Josh Jackowski.
KITTANNING — The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marauders’ PIAA Class 3A boys second-round playoff game with WPIAL champion South Allegheny Wednesday night was a back-and-forth affair in which neither team could gain a definitive upper hand over the first three quarters.
Then came the fourth quarter, when South Allegheny (25-3) went on an 11-2 run and BG made only four of 15 floor shots as the Marauders’ excellent season ended with a 55-47 loss to the Gladiators at Armstrong Junior-Senior High School.
“Overall, I thought that we played a pretty good defensive game, but our offense wasn’t quite where it normally is,” said BG coach Ryan Lestochi, whose team finished the season with a 23-5 record after winning the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship and finishing second in the District 6 tournament.
“They extended their lead and got a couple easy buckets in that fourth quarter, and we just didn’t have a great offensive game,” added Lestochi.
While BG junior forward Taurean Consiglio scored a game-high 21 points, South Allegheny benefited from more balanced scoring. Three Gladiators’ players reached double figures, with senior guard Cameron Epps scoring 16 points, senior forward Josh Jackowski adding 14, and junior forward Drew Cook chipping in 12.
“We had balanced scoring tonight, and when we’re getting contributions from three, four or five different players, it makes it tough for the opposing team to guard us,” said South Allegheny coach Tony DiCenzo, whose team advances to Saturday’s quarterfinal round and a game against Trinity — an 84-46 winner over Shadyside Academy Wednesday — at a site and time to be determined.
“They’re a really good team,” DiCenzo said of BG. “Our offensive execution won us this game. We were able to execute out of our halfcourt sets and get baskets.”
The game was tied, 37-37 on two Consiglio free throws late in the third quarter, before Jackowski beat the third-quarter buzzer by converting an inbounds feed to give South Allegheny a 39-37 lead entering the fourth quarter.
A back-door layup by Epps, followed by a reverse layup by Cook to polish off a fast-break run-out, and one of two free throws from Jackowski, put South Allegheny up, 44-37.
After a Consiglio bucket pulled BG to within 44-39, Jackowski converted an inside feed before working himself into the paint for another bucket to give South Allegheny a 48-39 advantage. Epps and Cook both added one of two free throws to make it a 50-39 game with 1:13 left and pretty much put the issue out of doubt.
“We came into the game with a great game plan,” said the cat-quick 5-foot-7 Epps. “Our shots weren’t falling at first, but we made the tough plays down the stretch tonight to win the game.”
South Allegheny held a slim 15-14 lead after one quarter and a 28-26 advantage at halftime in a game in which the lead changed hands repeatedly.
Senior center Camden Lewis grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for South Allegheny, while Consiglio led BG in rebounds with six.
The Marauders faced more than their share of adversity before the season even started, when star guard Danny Haigh transferred to play basketball in his senior year at a high school in Utah, and 6-foot-9 senior center Trevor Rehm suffered a season-ending injury.
But Lestochi said that this year’s team was one that surmounted obstacles and played together quite cohesively.
“We faced as much adversity early this year as any team around, but we stuck together,” Lestochi said. “We had a great year with 23 wins and a conference championship. We just came up a little short tonight.”
SOUTH ALLEGHENY (55): Epps 5 3-6 16, Cook 5 2-4 12, Uher 2 0-0 4, Jackowski 6 1-2 14, Lewis 3 1-2 7, Ielease 0 2-2 2. Totals – 21 9-18 55.
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (47): Lestochi 1 0-0 2, Consiglio 9 2-2 21, Foor 2 0-0 5, J. Kissell 1 0-0 3, Ruggery 2 0-0 6, C. Kissell 1 0-0 2, Gates 4 0-1 8, G. Okonak 0 0-0 0. Totals – 20 2-3 47.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
South Allegheny 15 13 11 16 — 55
Bishop Guilfoyle 14 12 11 10 — 47
3-point goals: South Allegheny 4 (Epps 3, Jackowski); Bishop Guilfoyle 5 (Ruggery 2, J. Kissell, Foor, Consiglio).
Records: South Allegheny (25-3); Bishop Guilfoyle (23-5).
Officials: Kevin Doverspike, James Grumley, Scott Reffener.
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