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ENOLA — Holy Redeemer measured up in the desire and determination departments Saturday afternoon.
Where the Royals came up short was in the physical category. They simply had no way of matching up with Trinity’s twin towers of 6-foot-10 Sean Good and 6-8 Jake Vukelich.
The duo’s ability to control the inside on both ends of the court eventually doomed Redeemer as Trinity defeated the Royals 64-56 in a PIAA Class 2A first-round game at East Pennsboro High School.
District 3 champion Trinity (18-7) will play District 12 third seed Mastery North (15-9) on Wednesday in the second round. District 2 third seed Redeemer finished its season at 19-8.
Good, a freshman, finished with 14 points and the junior Vukelich added eight. Their biggest contribution was on the boards where each snagged 10 rebounds as Trinity finished with a 42-20 rebounding edge.
“You can’t teach size — 6-8, 6-9 that’s pretty big,” said Redeemer senior guard Darius Washington, who finished with a game-high 26 points. “We were trying to get our bodies on them, but they were using their length on us. It was tough.”
Redeemer started off well as the hot shooting of Washington resulted in a quick 11-4 lead. The Shamrocks regrouped to pull within 15-14 at the end of the first quarter. The lead exchanged hands four times in the second quarter before the teams headed for the locker rooms tied 26-26.
Trinity then came out strongly in the third, opening a 40-32 advantage. Redeemer guard Len Radziak lessened some of the sting with a 3-pointer, but Vukelich powered inside for a basket that was worth more than just two points. It also resulted in Redeemer’s only big man, 6-7 John Carr, getting his fourth foul. By the time he returned midway through the fourth, the Shamrocks had opened a 55-46 lead.
“Rebounding for sure would be number one on my list for not getting over the hump,” Redeemer coach Paul Guido said. “The second thing for us was we couldn’t get that third guy to score for us. Normally, Jerry Busch had been there to hit some shots and I think they did a great job of taking him away.”
Busch couldn’t shake loose on the perimeter. Carr hadn’t played against such size all season. With those options withered, the onus was on Radziak and Washington. Good, though, clogged up things inside and prevented the two guards from penetrating with much success.
“When we were going in, they were blocking a lot of shots,” said Radziak, who scored 19 points. “So we had to shoot perimeter or shoot mid-range. We couldn’t go all the way because it was very difficult.”
It didn’t help matter that while Redeemer could find offensive consistency in the second half, Trinity standout Austin Gilbertson did. The wiry sophomore opened the third with a 3-pointer and continued scoring, netting 16 of his 21 points in the final two quarters.
“We hit a skid earlier in the year and that’s because he broke his jaw,” Trinity coach Larry Kostelac Jr. said of a four-game losing streak just after the New Year. “He got a cheap shot. Otherwise, we have a great year record-wise. He did not eat a meal from Dec. 21 until Feb. 2 or 3. The kid is a thin kid and he lost 13 pounds. That’s a diet I need to work on.”
Redeemer will have to work on rebuilding next season. The Royals lose four starters to graduation — Busch, Radziak, Washington and forward Justin Renfer.
“I thought it was a great game, two very good teams,” Guido said. “Disappointed for my guys that we couldn’t get over that hump.”
PIAA Class 2A First Round
Trinity 64, Holy Redeemer 56
HOLY REDEEMER (56) — Justin Renfer 2 2-4 6, Len Radziak 8 0-1 19, Jerry Busch 1 0-0 3, Darius Washington 10 2-2 26, John Carr 1 0-0 2, Luke Nealon 0 0-0 0, Sal Aiello 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 4-7 56.
TRINITY (64) — Brendan Lattimore 3 3-4 10, Austin Gilbertson 9 0-0 21, Tim Edwards 4 1-1 9, Jake Vukelich 3 2-3 8, Sean Good 6 2-4 14, Mike Hanes 1 0-0 2, Jack Bucher 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 8-12 64.
Holy Redeemer`15`11`14`16`—`56
Trinity`14`12`18`20`—`64
Three-point goals — HR 8 (Radziak 3, Busch, Washington 4); TR 4 (Latimore, Gilbertson 3).