JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com

DOUBLE-A GIRLS: York Catholic 52, Northern Cambria 40

SINGLE-A BOYS: Serra Catholic 67, Freire Charter 66

UNIVERSITY PARK — Top of the day from Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. It’s 10:58 a.m. in Happy Valley, and I just found a comfy seat on press row across from the scorer’s table. I’m situated at the far right end, in front of the basket. Can’t complain. Great place, Bryce Jordan Center. Big. Shiny. Blue. People are starting to trickle in; mostly press and people running around setting up the TV wires and whatnot. Not a bad trip up — left around 7:30 a.m. and didn’t hit any traffic. I’ve been wearing out a path on 322 lately — was up at Bucknell on Wednesday for swimming, and last week I was over in Tyrone for McCaskey girls’ state basketball playoffs. Basketball ends for me today — this is my last big hurrah. I’m going to post live updates from all four games today, starting with the girls’ Double-A finale featuring two-time defending champ York Catholic against Northern Cambria. As soon as I get my game notes together, I’ll start posting. So stay tuned. And if you know anyone who might be interested in updates from the basketball finals, please feel free to pass along the link. And if you have any questions during the games, drop me a line at jreinhart@LNPnews.com.

More to come … get cozy.

UGH — Wireless internet here is wicked slow, which surprises me. This is bringing back bad memories of the (gulp) telephone dial-up days.

GAME ONE NOTES: District 3 champ York Catholic (33-1) vs. District 6 champ Northern Cambria (29-1) … York Catholic is going for its third state title in a row. Wow. More impressivley, the Irish are back here with four new starters. … YC’s lone loss this season was a 66-50 non-league setback to Trinity. Irish got major revenge, beating the Shamrocks in the district final and the Eastern final. … Northern Cambria is here for the first time ever. … Lone loss was way back in the second game this season, a 59-55 setback to Single-A kingpin Bishop Guilfoyle. NC won its first District 6 title this season. … YC is taking the court (11:32 a.m.) and their yellow-and-green-clad fans are going wild. … YC’s leading scorer is freshman G Kady Schrann (13.7). … NC’s leading scorer is senior G Brittany Sedlock (14.3). … YC caoch is Kevin Bankos (his daughter is point guard Ashton Bankos). … NC coach is Eric Thomas (not the Carlisle Sentinel sports writer).

Tip is in 29 minutes.

STARTERS

NORTHERN CAMBRIA: G Jen Valeria (5-7 Sr.), G Breanna Kochiknsky (5-5 So.), F Areian Rocco (5-8 So.), G Janae Dunchack (5-6 So.), F Brittany Sedlock (5-9 Sr.).

YORK CATHOLIC: G Ashton Bankos (5-5 Sr.), G Kady Schrann (5-7 Fr.), F Genevieve McGann (5-10 Jr.), F Kelly Rhein (5-10 Sr.), F Brittany Hicks (5-8 So.).

Game on.

Slowest. Internet. Ever. My goodness. This is beyond brutal.

FIRST QUARTER: 6-4 NC early on. I don’t need the PA announcer telling me the name of the school every time somebody scores. That will drive me bananas by the end of the night. I will say this, however: she’s a million times better than the J for a trey guy at the Giant Center. … 8-4 NC. Sedlock J. … 9-8 YC; first lead on Hicks 3. Refs calling this one tightly. … At first glimpse, this is a very even matchup. Both teams are super athletic and like to get out and run. … Man, refs are calling everything. Six fouls already. … YC fans are great. … 11-10 YC on Bankos drive. The bank was open. Oooooh. Time out, NC. 30. Coach. Start the clock. Cue the horrible hip-hop music. Ugh. … Plenty of action in this game; it’s like a track meet. … END OF THE FIRST QUARTER — Northern Cambria 12, York Catholic 11. YC’s Mary McGann misses a J at the buzzer. So far so good. “The whistle works both ways,” an NC fan just shouted to the refs, who are right in front of me. Gotta love fans. … Cool. T-shirt toss time. What is this, a Barnstormers’ game?

SECOND QUARTER: This is basketball, not the 100-yard dash, right? What an opener. … 18-17 NC on an Ariel Rocco’s transition bucket. … 19-18 YC on Genevieve McGann hoop. Up and down we go. … Foul on NC, and the Colts’ student section is chanting dirty words. Tisk, tisk. … 24-18 YC on two foul shots by Schrann. Geez-o, she’s a freshman? … YC pulling away a bit, up 26-18 on Bankos bucket. … First quarter stats just hand-delivered. Sweet. Getting hooked up large here. YC shot just 29 percent in the first quarter. But Irish are pulling away now. … 26-21 YC; 3 by NC’s Valeria. … Bankos answers with two freebies and Irish lead 28-21 with 1:49 to go in the half. Oh yeah — very kind rims in the Jordan Center. Soft and bouncy; a jump-shooters dream. … No TV timeouts this year, which is nice. … 30-23 YC on Schrann johnny. Man is she good. … HALFTIME — York Catholic 30, Northern Cambria 23. Schrann (who else?) came up with a loose ball and jacked a 3 at the horn, but missed short. Terrific game so far.

THIRD QUARTER: Dumb observation — There are more security guards here than fans. Well, not really. But close. … Couple of turnovers early on. Still 30-23. Here comes the halftime stats … NC shot 43 percent and YC 42 percent in the first half. … No cheering on press row. Someone didn’t get the memo (wasn’t me). … YC’s Hicks scored nine points and Schrann and Sedlock had eight points apiece in the first half. … Bang. Schrann jumper puts YC up 35-25 with 6:12 to go in the third. First double-digit lead of the day. … 37-27 Irish on Bankos spinner. … Dumb observation No. 2 — Sheetz dropped some serious advertising coin in the Jordan Center. Schmuffin, anyone? … NC hanging around, but YC is definitely forcing the tempo. … Timeout, YC. Coach. Full. Start the clock. … Cotton-Eyed Joe. Sweet. What a toe-tapper that tune is. They’re playing some pretty sweet tunes here. … 39-29, YC back up 10 on Rhein hoop with 2:48 to go. … As well as YC is playing, they’re making an awful lot of goofy passes. … YC Coach Bankos is styling in his pink shirt. He never sits down. Guess that would be dumb observation No. 3. … END OF THE THIRD QUARTER — York Catholic 39, Northern Cambria 31. NC’s Breanna Kochinsky’s heave from halfcourt hit the rim and spun out at the horn. … Hey another Sheetz ad. And cue the Beatles music. Nice. Beats the tar out of the Jock-Jams and Beach Boys CDs over at the Giant Center. Very refreshing. Eight minutes to go before the first state champ is crowned.

FOURTH QUARTER: Better mention NC’s Janae Dunchack, who is playing on a couple of gimpy ankles. Looks like she has ankle braces on both ankles, too. She’s a trouper. … 42-31 YC on Mary McGann triple with 6:50 to go. Largest lead. … Timeout NC. Full. Coach. Start the clock. …. Grrr. No cheering (or complaining) from press row. Very unprofessional. … Shout! Otis, my man. Gotta love that. … YC patient, looking to eat some clock. Irish up 42-31 with 5:22 showing. … 44-31 on Rhein yank and putback. I’m sniffing three-peat. … 46-31 on a sweet running J by Schrann; 3:18 to go. NC had zero answers for her today. … NC is cooked. Nothing is falling. But their fans are still cheering like mad. … No complaining about private Catholic schools winning state championships on press row. Ugh. … No complaining about lack of calls on press row. Geez-o. … 48-35 YC with 1:40 to go. … OK, we’ve now reached that stage of the game where NC is going to foul on every single trip. So stay tuned for a gazillion YC 1-and-1 attempts in the next 1:23. It’ll probably take 10 minutes to play 1:23. Hey, another whistle … YC emptying bench. Nice gesture. 54.4 seconds to go; 49-37 Irish. They’re going crazy in Happy Valley. … Foul fest. OK ladies. Game’s over. Let it go. … Yeah, what the heck, let’s keep fouling. … Clock is still running, so why not foul again? 28.6 to play, YC up 51-40. … Hey, hey, hey goodbye YC fans are chanting in unison. 10 9  8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 …

FINAL : York Catholic 52, North Cambria 40 … three (3) state Double-A championships in a row for York Catholic. Well done, indeed. Cool — they’re bringing the ladder out; winners will cut down the nets today.

Interesting music choice during the medals ceremony: Kiss — I Wanna Rock and Roll all Night. Alrighty then …

GAME TWO NOTES: Freire Charter Dragons (20-6) vs. Serra Catholic  Eagles (29-2) … Freire won the District 12 title, Serra the District 7 crown. … Freire is here for the first time, but don’t forget, District 12 didn’t join the PIAA until 2004-05. … 6-1 senior guard Jarrod Denard scored 19 points in Freire’s win over Reading Central Catholic in the Eastern final. … Serra is here for the first time in school history. The Eagles also appeared in the state championship football game last fall, losing to Steel-High 34-15. … Pat Grubbs, a 6-8, 300-pound center, scored 25 points in Serra’s Western final win over Kennedy Catholic. … Freire is coached by Lawrence Threadgill; Serra by Bob Rozanski.

Tip in about 30 minutes, at 2:10.

STARTERS

SERRA CATHOLIC: G Mike Tedesco (5-9 Sr.), G T.J. Heatherington (5-9 Jr.), F Anthony Epolito (6-1 Sr.), F Alex Matta (6-4 Jr.), C Pat Grubbs (6-8 Sr.).

FREIRE: G Rysheen Dorn (5-11 So.), G Antione Singleton (5-8 Sr.), F Jarrod Denard (6-1 Sr.), F Octavious Booker (6-7 So.), F Koron Reed (6-5 Jr.).

Game on.

FIRST QUARTER: First observation — Serra’s Pat Grubbs is a big dude. He’s listed at 6-8 and 300 pounds, and those numbers do not lie. … Second observation — Freire’s Octavious Booker not only has a sweet name, but he’s got a sweet Mohawk haircut. … Contrasting styles here; Serra looks like the half-court type; Friere (which is tough to type when you’re in a hurry), looks like it wants to run, run , run. … 6-2 Freire early. … Man, I forgot how quicker boys’ games are; don’t forget, I’m the girls’ basketball beat guy, and those games, for the most part, aren’t as fast-paced. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. … 14-8 Freiere with 1:25 to go in the first. The Dragons (cool nickname, by the way) enjoy the fun-and-run pace, that’s for sure. Biggest cheer so far is for Freire’s cheerleaders. Interesting. … Friere Charter School is on 21st and Chestnut Street in Philly in an old YMCA building. I was not aware of that … I like Serra’s point guard (Heatherington). He’s a whirling dervish out here, and he just dropped a sweet crossover/spin move. … END OF FIRST QUARTER — Freire 17, Serra 11. Serra’s Epolito hit a 3 at the horn. … Hey, another T-shirt toss. Haven’t had one of those in, wow, 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER: Glad I’m not keeping stats today; I’d never keep up with this game. … Serra’s settling for too many 3 attempts. … Putback Grubbs cuts Freire lead to 17-13. … New PA announcer this game. He’s pretty good. … My man Octavious just scored in transition (and got away with a travel) and it’s 19-13. … Oooh, Grubbs just swatted Singleton on the break. Nice block. Still 19-13. … Questions, comments? E-mail me right here on the floor of the Jordan Center at jreinhart@LNPnews.com … 21-17 on Matta tip; Serra hanging tough. … I don’t see many boys’ basketball games (let alone boys’ teams), but I must say that Freire is impressive. … 29-19 Freire with 2:49 to go in the half. Timeout, Serra. … Cue the Sheetz ad. … Freire loves the breakneck pace, and is scoring in transition at will; Singleton is your prototypical point guard. He sees the whole floor and can distribute. I like him. A lot. 31-21. … 3-ball for Octavious; 33-23 Freire. … Octavious steal and SLAM with 5 seconds to go. Two-handed rim rocker. That brought the house down. Did I just type the words two-handed rim rocker? HALFTIME — Freire Charter 35, Serra Catholic 26. … Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood at the Jordan Center on April 12. Get your tickets now. Um, I’ll pass.

I don’t care what anybody says: You can never, ever have enough Sheetz T-shirt Tosses. Nothing makes a crowd go crazier than a guy tossing a free t-shirt into the cheap seats. Incredible. We’re having fun now …

THIRD QUARTER: Friere cold early; nothing is falling, but Dragons lead 37-30. … Just saw one of the sickest dunks ever — Denard with the alley and Reed with the oop on the break. Sweet, sweet dunk. Freire up 41-32 with 4:25 to go. … Boo-ya (did I just say that?): another sweet dunk by Reed, who threw down a windmill in transition. 49-37 Freire with 1:25 to go in the third. … Serra Catholic is in McKeesport. Now you know. … Reed just dunked (again), but was whistled for traveling. This kid can jump. … END OF THE THIRD QUARTER — Freire Charter 49, Serra Catholic 40. Heatherington tossed one up from three-quarter court at the buzzer, and from my vantage point, it looked good. But it gonked off the glass. Is gonked a word? Freire (pronounced free-air-eee, by the way) is eight minutes away from its first state title. This break is brought to you by (surprise) Sheetz.

Brass Monkey. Beastie Boys. Whoever picks the music here is pretty cool.

FOURTH QUARTER: This Singleton kid can really pass for Freire. … Another Reed alley oop, again off a feed from Denard. It’s a veritable dunk fest for Reed. … Wow! Octavious with a two-handed jam in traffic puts the Dragons up 55-44 with 6:26 to play. … Pump up the jams. … Pat Grubbs is having a day for Serra. He’s been tough on the boards. But Serra trails 55-48 with 5:31 to go. … And one: Octavious with the bucket and the foul. Mohawk Man is having a day. Three-point play makes it 60-48 with 4:54 to go. … Serra hanging tough with Grubbs and one. Dragons are up 60-50 with about four minutes to go. … Grubbs again; down to 60-54 Freire with 3:23 to play. … Wow. Grubbs with a tip in. Timeout, Dragons. Coach. Start the clock. Friere leads 60-56 with 2:58 to go. Clock can’t tick fast enough for the Dragons, who are holding on by their fingertips. … Grubbs cuts it to 60-58 with two minutes to go. Should be a whale of a finish. … Singleton with two huge free throws puts Freire up 62-58, but (guess who?) Grubbs answers, and it’s 62-60 with 1:35 to go. Great game. … Tie game! 63-all on Epolito’s 3 from the corner. Wow. … Serra first lead: 64-63 on a Grubbs foul shot with 54.6 seconds to go. … RESET: Serra Catholic 64, Freire Charter 63 with 40.5 seconds to go. Freire ball. This is Serra’s first lead of the day. … Freire turned the ball over on the inbound. Heatherington comes up with the loose ball after a mad scramble with 32.4 seconds showing. He’ll shoot two: first is good; second is no good. 65-63 Serra. … Crazy finish. Freire got the board after Heatherington’s miss, but was whistled for a back-court violation. Serra ball with 23.0 seconds to go. … Serra misses a layup, Freire ball. Singleton goes coast-to-coast but is called for a charge with five seconds to go. Wow. … Grubbs to the line with 4.6 seconds to go up 65-63. First shot is good; second shot is good. Serra leads 67-63 with 4.6 seconds to go. Timeout on the floor. Freire needs a miracle. … Dragons nearly got it — Denard hit a running 3 at the horn, but Freire is 1 point short. … Bummer for Freire, which led by as many as 12 in the first half, and led 49-40 heading into the fourth.

FINAL: Serra Catholic 67, Freire Charter 66. First state championship for Serra Catholic.

Alrighty — the afternoon session is over, and I’m going to give my fingers a break. First game this evening is the girls’ Quad-A final, featuring Central Dauphin against Mount Lebanon, followed by a major Mid-Penn showdown in the boys’ Triple-A final, featuring neighbors Steel-High and Susquehanna Township.

Ooops. I think I just got in Freire’s runner-up team picture. By accident, of course.

A little Queen “We are the Champions” takes us to the break …