After winning the state football title last fall, Aliquippa also won the PIAA boys basketball championship

by: chris harlan

Friday, March 22, 2024 | 4:15 p.m.

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HERSHEY – Aliquippa achieved a rare PIAA double-double on Friday, winning state football and basketball titles in the same school year. But on a roster full of two-sport athletes, this latest celebration was largely due to her sophomore year focusing on just one sport.

Josh Pratt scored a game-high 36 points and Aliquippa avoided a state runner-up title with a 74-52 victory over Holy Cross in the PIAA Class 2A boys basketball final at the Giant Center. The Quips had lost here the past two years, but this time they escaped with the title.

What was the difference?

“We have a scorer,” said senior point guard/quarterback Quentin Good, who was quick to credit Pratt. “As you can see the last two years, he's had a hard time making shots.”

The Quips scored just 44 points in last year's finals and just 58 points the year before. That offense received a big boost when Pratt, a talented 6-foot-1 guard, transferred to Aliquippa after spending his freshman year at Lincoln Park.

Pratt alone scored 20 points in the first half Friday, leading the Quips to a 21-2 run. Overall, he made 14 of 19 shots and made three 3-pointers.

“When we go into a game, especially an important game, when Josh is anchored, we know he's a great scorer,” Aliquippa coach Nick Rakovich said. “He can score in different ways. He supports us. When we need a big man, he finds it.”

The key was to have players who prioritized basketball.

Four of Aliquippa's five starters and nearly the entire bench played soccer. But while they were on the turf, Pratt was in the gym preparing for basketball season.

“They definitely handled the business of football,” Pratt said. “After they won, they wanted to make history by winning football and basketball. … I just came here to help them get the job done.”

Aliquippa (25-5) became the second WPIAL school to achieve a PIAA double-double, joining the Janet football and basketball teams led by Terrell Pryor in 2007-2008. Only three of his other schools in the PIAA have achieved this feat: General McClain (2006-2007), Steelton Highspire (2007-2008), and Archbishop Wood (2016-17).

The Quips have previously won the state football title, most recently two years ago, but lost in the state basketball finals. They won state championships in basketball in 1988-89 and 2015-16, but lost in football.

“This has been a long time coming,” said senior Cameron Lindsey, who had 10 points and eight rebounds. “It's been a tough three years, but this year, from the moment we won (in the semifinals) on Tuesday, we just stuck together. It finally paid off.”

The PIAA basketball title was the team's sixth, following in 1949, 1998, '94, '97 and 2016.

Holy Cross (24-4), the District 2 champion, is making its second appearance in the finals. The school near Scranton lost 69-63 to Beaver Falls in the 2013 Class 3A final.

Mike Hughes led the Crusaders with 13 points, Mario Matrone had 11 points and CJ Thompson and Adam Badirka each added 10 points. However, the team committed 21 turnovers, including 13 steals by Aliquippa's defense.

Quips' quickness and strength troubled them.

“They were very fast, but you don't see that on film,” Holy Cross coach Al Callejas Jr. said. “Some of our guards can get by the guys, but today we couldn't get by. If we did, just a little charge would throw us off the trail. I guess.”

That was most evident during the first eight minutes of the Crusaders' 21-2 win. Aliquippa's run turned a 7-7 tie into a 28-9 lead. That run also included 10 points from Pratt.

Quipps said he played his best basketball of the season in the first half. They outrebounded Holy Cross 15-5, forced eight turnovers and took more than twice as many shots as their opponents (19-8).

All of this combined for a 41-21 lead at halftime.

“It was all about how we rotated (on defense),” Good said. “When they hit an open shot, someone was there.”

Aliquippa's lead increased to 61-36 at the end of the third quarter.

Holy Cross ran a box-and-one defense early in Friday's game, but Callejas chose to go after Lindsey rather than shadow Pratt. The idea, he said, was to limit Lindsay's rebounding and scoring in the paint.

“We were trying to confuse them and give them something they had never seen before,” Callejas said. “I know Fort Cherry played the box with Pratt in the last game. I know he hit nine threes in the district championship game, but we beat them from outside the box. We were going to match up. We lost everyone.”

Aliquippa shot 63 percent from the field in the first half with Pratt making 9 of 13 from the field. Pratt made 14 of 19 shots overall, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and also added a team-high five steals.

Pratt was on the bench for the Lincoln Park team that won the Class 4A title a year ago. He only attended a charter school for one year before returning to Aliquippa.

“He's one of us,” Rakovich said. “For various reasons, he had no business in Lincoln Park.”

This was the second time Pratt scored over 30 points this postseason. He scored 33 points in the WPIAL finals. He's willing to stay focused solely on basketball, even if his teammates have other ideas.

“They want me to come play football,” Pratt said. “I don't know if I'll do it or not. I'll think about it.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the tribe in 2009 after working as a reporter for the Beaver County Times for seven years. Contact him at charlan@triblive.com.

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