Bishop Guilfoyle Academy gained its first District 6 Class 3A boys basketball championship since 2021 when the Marauders knocked off Forest Hills, which had overwhelmed them for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title only a couple weeks earlier than.
Thanks partially to that championship and the next state playoff run to the PIAA semifinals, BG coach Ryan Lestochi was voted because the Altoona Mirror Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
“It makes me pretty proud, especially since it’s voted on by the coaches. I respect a lot of those guys that vote,” Lestochi mentioned. “I talk to a lot of them. We share a lot of information and bounce ideas off each other throughout the year. It’s not just me. I have two great assistants with Josh Baker and Robby Okonak who give a ton of time helping out. We had some great kids. If we don’t have those kids, and we didn’t win, I don’t win this honor.”
As for Altoona Mirror Boys Basketball Player of the Year, that honor went to Bishop Carroll Catholic’s Jace Casses after he averaged an area-high 26.9 factors per recreation regardless of being the main focus of each staff enjoying in opposition to the Huskies.
“There were times where teams were throwing two or three guys at him. He was still able to get his shot off. He’s worked on his game,” Bishop Carroll coach Cosie Aliquo mentioned. “He knew he always had the green light. I just let him go. You can’t imagine how enjoyable it was just to sit back and watch him. People only got to see him do it maybe once a year. I got to see him do it every day, and he was super.”
Casses has landed on an all-state staff in every of the final two seasons, together with as a sophomore when Bishop Carroll made the PIAA semifinals and his teammate, Luke Repko, was voted because the Mirror’s Player of the Year.
“It just shows how Coach Cosie produces such great talent,” Casses mentioned. “He forms just such great players, and being able to learn from him over the years and get back to the District 6 championship with him and create such a great work ethic has been important for me.”
The Carroll senior mentioned it took a while to regulate to all the main focus being on him this season.
“At first, I would get a little frustrated with it,” Casses mentioned. “But with time, learning everything and listening to everyone tell me to just take it as a compliment in a way and figure out a way to overcome it — I learned no matter how many people were going against me how to get the most out of everything for our team.”
In addition to Casses, Bishop Guilfoyle senior Taurean Consiglio, Hollidaysburg senior Kasen Metzger, Central Cambria sophomore J.D. Brouse and Penn Cambria senior Caden Gibbons landed on the primary staff.
Consiglio, who returned from a soccer damage to have a profitable senior yr, performed a significant position in BG successful district gold.
“Words can’t describe it,” Lestochi mentioned. “We really worked hard toward that goal. Our kids really wanted to win that game. You get a lot of people hating on you a bit about not winning, so it was good to get that monkey off our back so to speak. It really comes down to the kids. We had a great group of kids that really bought in. We had a great team that really enjoyed playing together.”
Bishop Guilfoyle prolonged its season by successful three state playoff video games earlier than falling to District 3 champion Trinity within the PIAA semifinals.
“It was really unbelievable,” Lestochi mentioned. “The kids really believed we could make a run. My coaches put a ton of time into film and scouting and it was a great team effort from top to bottom. It was a little bittersweet, because we thought we could at least get to Hershey. We had a couple tough breaks in the Trinity game that didn’t go our way, but it was the fourth time BG boys made the final four — so we were proud of that, especially in 3A.”
Bishop Carroll made it to the District 6 championship regardless of coming into the postseason with a dropping report, and Casses scored 47 factors in a loss to Conemaugh Valley.
“It’s absolutely well deserved,” Aliquo mentioned. “He’s a competitor, and he wants to get better each day. Where we’re at, we’re not there without him.”