California frustrated by Cornell in defeat
McMURRAY – California senior guard Tray Matthews walked toward the bench clapping his hands together and congratulating his teammates as the second quarter came to an end.
The Trojans held a five-point lead after slashing through Cornell’s defense with precise passes in the lane that led to easy baskets. The excitement ran through the gymnasium at Peters Township as Raiders senior guard Dane Jackson, a Pitt football recruit, sat in foul trouble and California played well defensively.
It all came to an end with one swift adjustment made by Cornell head coach Bill Sacco. The Raiders went back to their 2-3 zone, which was camouflaged as a 3-2 when senior forward Devin Hines floated to the top before shifting back down low.
The move cut off California’s success driving to the basket and forced the Trojans into nine-second half turnovers as Cornell prevailed with a 54-43 victory in a WPIAL Class A consolation game Tuesday night.
“Their zone really didn’t bother us until the second half when they made an adjustment to a certain play we were running,” California head coach Bruno Pappasergi said. “They couldn’t stop a certain play, but they finally made an adjustment and we didn’t. Blame no one but me. Those kids played their hearts out. It’s no one’s fault but mine.”
The Raiders (14-10) advanced to the PIAA play-in game Thursday, while California’s season ends with a 17-7 overall record.
“When we switched back to the zone that really helped us the most,” Sacco said. “It threw them off a bit and it limited their outside shooting. They had to go to that late and the shots weren’t falling. It was a total team effort in the second half. I was glad to only be down five at half. It could have been a lot worse.”
California led 25-20 at halftime, but only made three field goals in the third quarter as the Trojans attempted to rely on outside shooting. It strayed away from the first-half game plan when they methodically waited until a weakness in Cornell’s defense was exposed before Matthews, who scored a game-high 18 points, cut to the basket.
The Raiders took a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter and led by five points after forcing the Trojans into three quick turnovers to start the final eight minutes. Matthews executed a three-point play to draw California to within two points with 4:22 remaining, but a defensive adjustment backfired.
Pappasergi switched to a press defense and Jackson helped Cornell quickly escape the move.
The Raiders went on an 11-0 run and made 7 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.
Jackson scored a team-high 17 points for Cornell and junior forward Blake Lipke added 12.
“I was thinking that we were back in it, but we had to settle down and watch our turnovers,” Pappasergi said of Matthews’ three-point play. “I made a boneheaded play when I put a press on and they broke it really easy. They scored quickly and that kind of gave them a bit of momentum.”
The first half was a stark contrast to how California finished the game. The Trojans did commit six of their 18 turnovers in the first quarter, but they led 9-8 after eight minutes behind the strong defensive play of senior guard Malik Jackson, who had two steals.
California then went on an 8-3 run to take a 16-2 lead using Matthews’ and sophomore forward Kass Taylor’s ability to execute on the block.
Cornell senior guard Shawn Puskar’s three-pointer tied the game, 20-20, with 1:11 remaining until halftime, but Matthews scored the final five points of the half as the Trojans carried the momentum into the locker room.
It all changed with a swift hand motion by Sacco from the sideline.
“It’s been an absolutely dream season for us,” Pappasergi said. “We have four sophomores playing a lot and we had senior leadership that was wonderful. They were as good as any seniors I’ve had in the past. That’s one thing about California. The seniors step up.”