Hide Article Text (OCR)
By Genaro GC. Armas Associated Press Writer WERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — For Franklin toach Steve Shingledecker, winning a state basketball title beat going to Disney World. With tough, seasoned guards and effec tive 6-foot-5 center Nate Byham occupying the paint, Shingledecker’s Knights were too much for Communications Tech of Philadelphia to overcome in a 74-63 win in the PIAA Class ASA title game on Friday night. Shingledecker was supposed to go to Orlando, Fla., as part of a trip this week end with his employer, MetLife. “I saw the date long in advance,” he said as his team posed for pictures with the winner's trophy. “I thought it wouldn't be a bad dilemma and it turns out we pulled it off.” He can thank Byham, who had 22 points, and his senior guards, led by Jade Urda’s 21 points. The win by the Knights (27-5) spoiled the first appearance for a Philadelphia Public League school in a PIAA final. Byham had his hands on the ball during a key third-quarter stretch after the Phoenix (29-4) narrowed a 12-point deficit to seven. He converted an offensive rebound, hit a tough turnaround jumper, then took a job and tossed in a layup over two defenders to stretch the lead back to 16 points. “We couldn’ s top him down low. We did a horrible job, Tech coach Lou Biester said. “He's like a tight end. Jernardo Lucas led Tech with 20 points, 15 in the second half. Andrew Randall fin ished with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Phoenix were able to narrow a big early fourth-quarter lead after making shots out of their up-tempo offense. They also stayed active on the boards, outre bounding Franklin 40-24. Lucas had a three-point play off a tran sition layup and found Francis for a basket before Randall converted an offensive rebound to get Tech within 66-59 with 1:38 left. Franklin called timeout and Lucas slammed his palms on the floor as the Phoenix had thoughts of a rally. With Byham out, Franklin hit foul shots and hustled on defense down the stretch. After Bill Klinger hit two foul shots to give Franklin a 70-59 lead with 48 seconds left, Tech tried to roll the ball in on the ensuing inbounds pass to save time on the clock. Klinger lunged for the ball before Jason Grill grabbed it and called timeout before going out of bounds, “Coach said watch for the rolled ball. I dove for it and luckily I slid far enough and got it to another player,” said Klinger as he pointed to a smiling Grill. The Knights were in the title game for the first time since winning the 2001 championship. They became the 61st District 10 team to win two Class AAA titles Seniors Urda, Klinger and Josh Smith started at guard, ran a crisp offense on the perimeter and were effective driving to the bucket when needed, all while Byham was rough inside. With seven seniors departing after this season, Franklin may have trouble repeat ing next year. For now, Shingledecker is savoring victory, and he has no plans to rebook a trip to Disney. “Yeah, you know I don't think I'd trade this for anything in the world, he said. ae “District 18
Newspaper Details
Titusville Herald
Titusville, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Mar 25, 2006
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Ryan B.
PA, USA 22 Jul 2026
Other Publications Near Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville Petroleum World
Titusville Herald
Titusville Weekly Herald
Titusville Morning Herald
