Led by the trio of juniors Alexander Roth and Steve Antuono, and freshman Joseph Roth, the Wolverines knocked off top seeded South Allegheny 53-50 Monday night to earn the WPIAL Class-3A Championship at North Allegheny.
The championship is the first WPIAL championship for the basketball program after earning its first championship game berth since 1986. This year’s run was special as the team won five games en route to the championship including victories over the #1, #2, #3 and #6 seeds along the way.
Alexander Roth led the Wolverines with a game-high 19 points (2 3-pointers) while brother Joseph Roth (17 points) and Steve Antuono (14 points, 2 3-pointers) joined him in double figures. Milo Sesti connected on a three-pointer to round out the scoring for the winners.
All five starters for Ellwood City played the entire game.
In a tightly contested game, there were nine lead changes in the game. Ellwood City withstood a ten point third quarter run by the Gladiators, countering with nine consecutive points of their own to settle any second half nerves. Antuono, Sesti, and Joseph Roth all hit three pointers for Ellwood City to stymie the Gladiator run. The Wolverine counter-run proved pivotal as it pulled Ellwood CIty back within a single possession at the end of the frame.
The teams would continue to trade critical buckets and leads in the fourth quarter with Joseph Roth tallying eight points in the final frame.
Steve Antuono Jr. hit the front end of a one-and-one with under a minute remaining to give Ellwood City a 51-50 lead. Alexander Roth added two more free throws with 11 seconds remaining after a turnover by South Allegheny.
Antonio Epps saw his game-tying heave rim out at the buzzer and Ellwood City celebrated its victory in a relatively quick game. Neither team reached the double bonus in either half and only 13 free throws were attempted in the game.
@ec_high Congrats Coach Antuono and Bball Boys! WPIAL Champs! This is no #11 Seed! #EC_Proud #ec_lincoln @EC_Wolverines @ECLedger @ecdotorg @NCNewsSports @mwhiteburgh @PGSportsNow @TribLiveHSSN pic.twitter.com/FQpPIgKAS2
— EC Lincoln High (@ec_high) March 15, 2021
6’5″ senior Omar Faulkner finished with 18 pointers for the Gladiators (17-5 overall) while Epps finished with nine points in defeat. South Allegheny entered the contest outscoring its previous playoff opponents by a combined 79 points in its three home playoff games.
For Ellwood City (14-4 overall), they next advance to the PIAA playoffs on Saturday and host the winner of Brookville or Chestnut Ridge in the PIAA quarterfinals. Chestnut Ridge (12-6) will make the trek to three-time District 9 champ Brookville (20-2) on Wednesday night for the District 5-8-9 Class 3A subregional title.
On their journey to WPIAL gold, the Wolverines defeated their last four opponents, all on road or neutral court, who combined for a 60-10 record.
[VIEW FULL WPIAL CLASS-3A BRACKET]
What it’s like in locker room when you’re No. 11 seed — and shock everyone by winning WPIAL title. Ellwood City 3A champs – and then understandably excited to see Post-Gazette. pic.twitter.com/oibbHgDhd8
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) March 15, 2021
Be the first to comment on "MARCH MADNESS: Ellwood City Ousts South Allegheny, Claims First Ever WPIAL Title"