Jan 16, 2015 4 min read

Washington High School boys basketball is back.

After losing three of its first five games, Wash High is surging with the return of sophomore Matt Popeck and junior Jordan West.

Despite not having both players against Seton-La Salle Dec. 12, the Prexies only lost by 10 points. The return of both and the experience gained playing in head coach Ron Faust’s system made a difference.

In Wash High’s second crack at the defending WPIAL Class AA champions, the Prexies played like Faust’s teams of the past with an attacking mentality on offense and a relentless approach on defense.

Senior forward DeQuay Isbell scored a team-high 18 points and the Prexies held off a late rally to defeat Seton-La Salle, 66-65, in a Section 3-AA game at Friday night Washington High School.

It was the Rebels’ first loss to a WPIAL Class AA opponent since the 2013 quarterfinals and their first regular-season loss to a WPIAL Double-A opponent since Feb. 10, 2012.

“The thing I liked most about that game is (Seton) knew we weren’t going to quit,” Faust said. “We had a mentality that we were going to do what we were going to do and they were going to have to beat us with good play. That’s a good basketball team, and hopefully it shows our guys that we can be pretty darn good, too.”

Seton-La Salle senior forward Ryan Norkus made two of three free throws with 2:56 remaining to narrow the Prexies’ lead to 60-59, but Wash High junior Nate Swart scored in transition on a layup and senior guard Markel Pulliam made one of two free throws to give Wash High a four-point lead.

Rebels sophomore guard Cletus Helton made a layup, but could not convert a three-point play, missing a free throw. Seton-La Salle (7-1, 12-2) then forced Wash High into an errant shot on its next possession and Helton went up for a layup in transition, but was called for an offensive foul.

Isbell answered with a floater from five feet to increase Wash High’s lead to four points and senior Jonathan Spina’s free throw with 9.7 seconds remaining clinched the victory.

“The way we run our offense, someone has to be open throughout it,” Isbell said. “Whether I get the ball and get somebody open or Nate gets the ball and they close down on him, it gets me open. (Seton) is No. 3 in the state, so we wanted to get on the map. We aren’t a slouch in Double-A.”

The Prexies (6-2, 8-6) led by 10 points at halftime, but an adjustment by Seton-La Salle coach Mark Walsh shook the momentum of the game. After Isbell scored 10 second-quarter points, Walsh had senior forward Ryan Norkus shadow the Prexies’ force in the lane.

Isbell only scored four points in the third quarter and Norkus, who scored a game-high 28 points, helped the Rebels draw to within two points by sparking an 11-2 run to open the second half.

Wash High’s deep and well-rounded lineup responded with a 10-1 run, forcing two turnovers and capitalizing in transition.

Norkus, sophomore guard Paris Ford and senior guard Christian Del Greco helped Seton-La Salle end the third quarter down only two points.

“(Isbell) really hurt us in the second quarter,” Walsh said. “He did a great job. We had to handle the ball better and had to be able to run our offense. I thought we made some nice adjustments in the second half and we did a better job defensively, but to their credit, they’re a good team.”

The teams traded shots in the first quarter and the Rebels led 13-9 after an 8-0 run, but Wash High junior Anthony Popeck, who finished with 10 points, made a three-pointer and senior Khalil Young used a finesse move under the basket for a layup as the Prexies led 14-13 at the end of the quarter.

The following eight minutes were all Isbell. Using the 6-2 senior’s athleticism, Wash High was able to break Seton-La Salle’s press, creating space inside and allowing Isbell to capitalize on easy baskets.

He scored 10 points in the quarter to help the Prexies secure the lead at halftime and altered the Rebels’ approach. They were uncomfortable relying on the press in the second half. Though a 10-point lead at halftime was a momentum builder, Faust knew Seton was far from done.

“That’s not a team you are going to hold on for long so we had to make sure we got our scores and didn’t let them go on too many runs,” Faust said. “We got back in the situation where we were attacking the basket and getting some layups.”