By Andrew Koob
New Castle News

The Shenango High boys basketball team ended its season on a high note.

The same couldn’t be said for visiting Mohawk, as the two senior-laden squads dueled to a 69-59 WPIAL Section 1-AA finish in favor of the Wildcats.

Ryan Smith paced Shenango (6-8 section, 13-9 overall) with 24 points, while James Micco tallied 17. Christian O’Hara totaled 13 points and Brenton Booher followed with 12. The four, who all played in their final game at Shenango, were joined by Matt Benson, Hunter Miller and Paul Turco on senior night.

“It’s senior night, an emotional night for the kids and they wanted to end on a positive note,” Shenango coach Bob McQuiston said. “You don’t want the last time they put the uniforms on to be in a loss. You can’t go back on the court, they can’t say we’ll get them next time.

“They really left their mark on the program. I think, when they look back on their careers, they have some things to be proud of.”

Mohawk (0-14, 1-21) also relied heavily on its upperclassmen, both in its season finale and throughout the year.

Zach Shasteen and Ricky Malutic scored 23 points each in the loss and were joined by Brandon King, Michael Kurtz, Spencer McConahy and John Zagotti in their final games donning the red and white.

“This was a tough year,” Mohawk coach Rob Fadden said. “But, for the most part, I’m proud of the fact that they hung in there. I was proud of the effort we put forward.”