Bulldogs gear up for D-10 title game with Ramblers
Feb. 22—The Meadville boys basketball team will battle Cathedral Prep today in the District 10 Class 5A championship at Mercyhurst University at 6 p.m.
Meadville (12-10) and Prep (12-10) have a lot of history together. They're both in Region 7 and split the regular season series. Cathedral Prep won at home 63-57 and Meadville defended the House of Thrills on Feb. 9 in a 79-72 overtime win.
Meadville head coach Mark McElhinny said the teams are very familiar with each other and it should be a good matchup.
"Having played them twice this year, we're familiar with their players and what they want to do. Prep is an excellent team with a lot of depth, athleticism and skill," McElhinny said. "When we beat them two weeks ago, we shot the ball well and were able to control the ball late in the game. We're at our best when we move the basketball and control tempo. We'll need to repeat that formula to win this time around."
Meadville is led by its guards. Jack Burchard and Lucas Luteran average 22.1 and 20.6 points per game, respectively. Luteran averages 3.7 steals per game and has made 74 3-pointers this season.
Sophomore guard Tykie Butler averages 8.3 points per game and junior forward Kellen Ball adds 6.9 points per game.
Cathedral Prep has four players averaging double digit points. Nando Mirarchi leads the way with 14.6 points. Amaree Pickens, Spencer Kane and Michael Thompson add 12.6, 11.5 and 11 points per game, respectively.
Meadville and Cathedral Prep met last year in the title game with the Ramblers winning 58-42. Prep also bested Meadville 52-36 in the 2021 D-10 game. Meadville's last district title was in 2020 when the 'Dogs edged out a 54-52 win.
What will McElhinny's message to the team be before tonight's game?
"My message will be to control what we can control and get the game to the fourth quarter with a chance to win," McElhinny said. "These kids have put in a lot of work over the past few years to put themselves in position to challenge the best competition out there. We know if we play our game, we can compete with any team out there. It should be another fun and exciting matchup."
Alex Topor can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at atopor@meadvilletribune.com.
