Falcons eliminated by Kennedy Catholic

Colton Corey

Final chapter of the historic 2007-08 high school basketball season for the Coudersport boys was written Saturday night at Clarion University.

After compiling a recordsetting 29-0 record, the Falcons were eliminated from the state playoffs by Kennedy Catholic High School of Meadville for the second consecutive season, 58-43.

The loss led a pair of "what ifs?"

• What if second-leading scorer and rebounder John Hau and sixth man Brett Whitman had been healthy enough to play at even half their potential?

• What if the PIAA declared that private schools should participate in separate postseason playoffs?

The latter point was driven home as Falcon fans observed carloads of Kennedy Catholic families departing the Waldo Tippin Gymnasium parking lot bearing license plates from Ohio and New York.

Private schools, which can draw players from an infinite geographic area, have come to dominate the PIAA basketball playoffs for the past two decades. Internet chatrooms and even the cheering section chants at Tippin Gym Saturday reflected this controversial dynamic.

Steady reserve player Justen Kinder was among five Coudersport High School seniors making their final appearance Sunday in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at Clarion University. Kinder appeared in all 30 of the Falcons' games this season. The Falcons incredible run came to an end in the state's Final Four, but not before the team racked up 29 straight wins in an undefeated season. Paul Burdick photo

Even so, Coudersport knocked off a pair of private schools, DuBois Central Catholic and long-time nemesis Elk County Catholic, on its trip to the Elite Eight in the state's Class A playoffs.

Hau, limping noticeably from a torn ACL, and Whitman, fresh off gall bladder surgery, saw limited playing time and each was clearly laboring.

Saturday night's game was curtain call for not only the seniors - Hau, Derek Burdick, Blair Heimel, Colton Corey and Justen Kinder - but also head coach Chris Fink. As reported by Endeavor News in December, Fink has decided to step away from coaching so that he can devote more time to his wife Heidi and the couple's two young daughters.

Coudersport went down fighting against Kennedy Catholic.

A 21-9 scoring advantage from the foul line gave the Golden Eagles their margin of victory in a game that was closer than the final score suggests. Coudersport trailed 37-33 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, but Kennedy went on an 8-0 run. The Eagles had a stretch of 15-for-15 from the stripe as they built a double-digit lead and coasted.

Junior point guard Kyle Randall, held in check by Corey throughout the first half, scored 13 of his game-high 19 points at the foul line.

"We played good defense on him, but he's the kind of player who will eventually wear you down and either score or get to the line," Fink noted. "In the second half he made up his mind to attack . . . It seemed like we put Randall at the free-throw line on almost every possession."

The situation was aggravated by some offensive gaffes; about half of the Falcons' 25 turnovers were unforced.

"We weren't real patient," Fink said. "Sometimes, we were trying to get the ball inside too quickly. We needed to just work the ball a little bit more. But I also have to credit Kennedy's defense. They took us out of what we wanted to do."

The Falcons led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter thanks to four points apiece from Heimel and Corey. Three-pointers from Corey and Burdick gave Coudy a 20-16 advantage before KC came back to go up 24-22 at the break.

Heimel led Coudersport with 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. Burdick and Corey each added nine points.

"This group of seniors just did a great job of leading the team and they loved the game of basketball," Fink said. "The season they had means a lot to the town, the school and everybody involved. It was a great going-away present for me as a coach."

Juniors Whitman, Eric Babcock, Nate Minor and Josiah Gerhart will return next season.

Kennedy Catholic (58): Randall 3 13-16 19, Chace McKinney 6 3-3 15, Aundra Jones 1 0-0 2, Phil Kaikis 3 1-2 7, Mike Klaric 2 2-2 6, Mike Ponzurick 2 2-2 7, Rocky Farmartino 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 21-25 58.

Coudersport (43): Heimel 4 6-8 14, Burdick 3 1-3 9, Corey 4 0-1 9, Kinder 2 0-0 4, Whitman 1 0-0 2, Hau 0 2-2 2, Babcock 1 0-0 2, Minor 0 0-0 0, Andrew Mickle 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 9-14 43.

Three-pointers: Ponzurick (KC) 1; Burdick (C) 2; Heimel (C) 1; Corey (C) 1.