By ASHLEY CHASE
MVI Sports
A three-point attempt at the buzzer just missed sending the game to overtime and Clairton held on to beat Serra Catholic in a Section 3-2A contest at Paulette Bradford Memorial Gymnasium on Friday night.
“We needed this one, we really did,” said Clairton head coach Matt Geletko, as his Bears brought their record to 3-5 overall, snapping a five-game losing streak.
After a sluggish offensive start for both teams, Clairton pulled away with a big second quarter, then held on for the finish after the Eagles mounted a comeback.
Trailing 48-45, Serra Catholic had two attempted 3-pointers come up short in the final 15 seconds.
The first, a shot by senior Nick Almeter, was off the mark. Clairton grabbed the rebound and raced up the floor, where Kaden Smith’s layup didn’t land, and the Eagles flew back up with one final chance at sending the game to overtime.
Senior captain Jayden Mertz, who had hit a 3-pointer with 2:26 to play, pulled up from behind the arc and fired the shot, but the ball was just shy of the hoop and the Bears held on for the win.
“I was really hoping, he was open on the wing on that last shot that could send it to overtime. As a senior captain, he wants to take that shot and I trust him to take that shot. It just didn’t fall,” said first-year Serra Catholic head coach A.J. Corso.
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