Playoff magic: How Iroquois snapped a 50-year District 10 title drought in boys basketball
Although the last Iroquois boys basketball District 10 championship came in 1974, D-10 supremacy is all Ron Pacley knows as Braves head coach.
Iroquois toppled Cambridge Springs 64-53 to win the D-10 Class 2A crown before a standing-room only crowd at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Friday night. The Braves halted a half-century title drought in the process.
Despite this season being his first as Braves coach, the title’s meaning wasn’t lost on Pacley.
“We knew the history and we know how much this win means to our team, our school and our community,” he said.
D-10 tracker: Get District 10 high school postseason results, basketball box scores for Feb. 27-March 2
Sophomore forward Kellen Burroughs said he also understood the significance.
“It feels unreal to have a season like this,” said Burroughs, who led the Braves with 16 points. “There’s more to come.”
How the Braves won it
Iroquois (14-11) led from the opening minutes by using pressure defense and finding success in transition to gain a double-digit first-half lead. The Braves forced seven Cambridge Springs turnovers, and senior guard Devin Brink scored 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the second quarter to take a 37-27 halftime advantage. Brink finished with 14 points.
The Braves continued their attack in the second half, extending their lead to as much as 18 in the third quarter.
Cambridge Springs (18-7) closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run and trimmed Iroquois’ lead to 56-48 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. But the Braves retook a double-digit lead on a Burroughs dunk and never looked back, putting the Blue Devils away with more pressure down the stretch.
Cambridge Springs senior center Parker Schmidt scored a game-high 31 points, including 20 of the Blue Devils’ 26 second-half points.
“Not to take anything away from Cambridge Springs, but we felt we have much better guards and we were able to capitalize on that advantage,” Pacley said. “(Orlando) Brown and (Cole) Bennett played excellent all night. They were never hesitant and never got frazzled.”
A new mindset
Iroquois, which beat Eisenhower in the semifinal game, seems to be peaking at the right time, having won four out of its last five games. Freshman forward Roman Caporale, who chipped in four points, credits the success to Pacley.
“I know before I got here, players thought we were going to lose when we went into every game,” he said. “Now we think we’re going to win every one.”
What's next
The Braves will host Jeannette, the sixth seed from D-7, in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs next week.
Cambridge Springs, which had won 10 of its previous 11 games coming into Friday’s contest, will host West Shamokin, D-6’s third seed.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 2A boys basketball title: Iroquois beats Cambridge Springs
