In the District 6 Boys AA semifinals, Northern Cambria knocked off defending champ West Branch, 53-45. Portage beat Bishop McCort 66-62 to set up an all-Heritage Conference championship game on Thursday at Mount Aloysius College.
Facing the team that beat them for the district championship last season, the Colts jumped on the Warriors early, taking a seven-point first quarter lead which West Branch cut to three after one quarter. Knocking down four three-pointers and feeding Caleb Dolney in the low post, Northern Cambria built a 29-20 halftime lead. After a brief third quarter rally that featured consecutive threes by West Branch’s Lukas Colton, the Colts’ high energy defensive pressure allowed them to build a 16-point advantage in the fourth quarter, enabling them to withstand the Warriors’ attempted comeback.
Dolney led Northern Cambria with 15 points. Malik Fox had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, 5 of them offensive rebounds, and Ty Dumm finished with 11. Northern Cambria made seven three-pointers, including three each by Fox and Parker Shutty.
Northern Cambria has played Portage, the Heritage Conference champion, twice this season, with the Colts prevailing both times, 68-55 on December 17th and 45-42 on January 22nd.
Thursday District 6 AA championship game tips off at around 7:30.
