PIAA Boys Basketball: Trinity takes on West Catholic, seeks championship bid

The Trinity boys basketball team has taken the term March Madness and put a high school twist on it.

The Shamrocks, in the span of a week, have felt the madness of the PIAA Class 3A tournament. Trinity, having survived a pair of heart-fluttering second round and quarterfinal games, aims to slap its state championship sticker on the proverbial board Tuesday in a semifinal scrap with District 12 champion West Catholic from Governor Mifflin Intermediate School.

Before tip-off, here’s a look at the matchup.

Trinity (25-3) vs. West Catholic (18-11)

When/where: 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Governor Mifflin Intermediate School, 600 Governor Road, Shillington.

How they got here: Late surges from Math, Civics and Sciences Charter and Devon Prep in the second and quarterfinal rounds put Trinity’s resiliency to the test. The Shamrocks prevailed in both contests, topping the Elephants for a 91-84 second-round victory and ousting the defending state champion Tide in a 64-63 overtime decision in Saturday’s quarters. Trinity coasted past Vaux Big Picture in the first round, 72-45.

West Catholic has outscored its opponents by a combined 61 points to reach the state semis. The Burrs handled Columbia and Executive Education in the first round and quarterfinals with 79-43 and 59-43 wins. Holy Redeemer fell to West Catholic 56-47 in the second round.

Up next: A trip to Saturday’s state final and Hershey’s Giant Center hangs in the balance. Tuesday’s winner will meet either Penn Cambria or Deer Lakes in the title bout.

Notes: The Shamrocks have the opportunity to reach their seventh state championship as a program in their 13th semifinal appearance. Trinity’s last trip to the state final was in 2019 where the ‘Rocks dropped a 73-72 decision to Lincoln Park. Head coach Larry Kostelac Jr. has guided Trinity to two state titles across six previous appearances, coming in 2001 and 2003.

West Catholic makes its first entry into the state semifinals Tuesday. Last season, the Burrs advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time, with second-round exits in 2009, 2010 and 2014 accounting as the previous program benchmarks.

Six-foot-11 senior Mike Bednostin banked in the Shamrocks’ game-winner Saturday, the deciding tallies of a 19-point performance. Adelphe Cisse and Trey Weiand joined the big man in double figures with 13 and 12 points each. Owen Schlager, after splashing in 40 points in the ‘Rocks’ second-round win, was limited to nine in the quarterfinal tilt.

The Burrs feature a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double digits. Budd Clark, who was previously committed to Coppin State, spearheads the West Catholic offense, averaging 20 points per game. Temple pledge and three-star prospect Zion Standford follows with 17.6 points, and MJ Branker and 2022 All-State 3A Third Team honoree Shemar Wilbanks-Aqui round out the contingent at 11.8 each.