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MCDONALD -- The McDonald Blue Devils and their five seniors earned a postseason victory at home over Chalker 54-18 on Tuesday.
"It's huge for our guys," said McDonald coach James Franceschelli. "They put in the work. Our seniors deserve a night like this. We, honestly, expected this to be a battle for four quarters.
"We executed what we've been working on the last couple of days. We played really well in our last two games. We thought if it carried over to tonight we had a chance."
The Devils had a great chance after jumping out to a 9-2 lead after a 3-pointer from Wyatt Wolford. Senior Greg Costantino found freshman Joey Capuzzello (8 points) on a fast break. Senior Kyle Crown nailed a 3-pointer from the corner, just before the buzzer, and McDonald led 18-4 at the end of the first.
Costantino, who finished with a game-high 16 points, was doing a good job of distributing the ball. He drilled one from downtown to start the second.
"It feels good to get a win," said Costantino. "We've struggled throughout the season. But, it feels good to get the win. We played hard tonight. It was a good game plan by coach to come out and press Chalker."
McDonald's press defense helped them build a 34-9 halftime advantage. Seniors Shane Stoops and Nolan Agler took it to the hoop after a pair of steals.
"This means a lot for all of our seniors," said Agler. "Last year, we didn't win a tournament game. It feels really good to get some redemption this year. Coach really had us prepared for this game."
Wolford had an assist to Drew Zajack in the third, and Stoops buried one from behind the arc, as the Devils went ahead 45-10 heading to the fourth.
"This was a good win," said Stoops. "We really needed it for momentum heading into the next game against Warren JFK. Hopefully, it'll carry over and help us get the win."
First, McDonald finished off the Wildcats.
Senior Joey Skowron was hustling, and freshman Brady Klockner drove to the basket for a floater and made a 3-pointer in the fourth.
Chalker (7-16) finished up their season with good efforts from Nicholas Lichty and James Stull. Senior Derek Sherwood had a strong take to the hoop early on.
"It's been a great ride playing basketball with all of my friends," said Sherwood. "We've all played together for a long time. It was a lot of fun. I'm going to miss it."
Chalker coach Mike Karr enjoyed coaching the Wildcats this season.
"I've known these kids since they were little," said Karr. "They're an outstanding group of young men. It was a tough night tonight. McDonald played so well defensively. They took us out of our rhythm. Our kids brought the effort every game. They've been a joy to coach. It was just kind of a tough note to end on for our seniors."
Now, the Blue Devils (7-16) have to get ready for the next round of tournament play on Friday night at Warren JFK.
"We're excited to go play there," said Franceschelli. "They're one of the best teams in the area. We know that. Those three guards they have are special. We'll do our best to be prepared and ready to go."