GCC Buries Baldwin

What had all the makings of a great game, ultimately ended in dominating fashion when Greensburg Central Catholic eased by Baldwin for a decisive section win, 15-3.
Heading in, a win would guarantee the top spot in Division II Section I and send the other into a tie for second with Quaker Valley (4-1, 6-1) while Chartiers Valley (3-1, 6-3) trails second-place by only a single game. And as the skies opened up and teams took the field for pregame, the atmosphere certainly had the intensity of a postseason match-up.
Shortly after the opening face-off, the goals started rolling in. Ryland Smith assisted John Bursch who bounced the shot by keeper Nate Boyle to give the Centurions an early lead. And about one minute and twenty seconds later it was Bursch again who drove his defender, beat him and promptly beat Boyle to give GCC a 2-0 lead.
But it was only a matter of time before the high-scoring Highlanders offense finally found the back of the net. On a man-advantage with 5:21 left in the first quarter, Cody Golon picked out Tim Douglass who quick-sticked it home to cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Unfortunately for the host Highlanders, that would be the last time Baldwin would be within a single score.
The Centurions responded to the Baldwin score with an unanswered five-goal tear to go up 7-1 with a little over nine minutes remaining in the half. Smith found Bursch again for another GCC score, their second of three unselfish hookups between the two. With a little over a minute remaining in the quarter, Centurions leading-scorer Chris Johnston netted his 24th of the season when he drove from behind the cage and bounced his shot by Boyle. And with 22 seconds left in the first, Smith found Matt Pezze for his first of four goals and a 5-1 GCC lead heading into the second quarter. The visiting Centurions found some quality and usually high percentage shots but Boyle's play between pipes was the reason the Highlanders were still in the game.
Unfortunately for Boyle and Baldwin, the GCC offensive arsenal refused to let up and continued to pummel the Highlanders cage. Tyler Hillman picked out Pezze who quick-sticked a bouncer by Boyle and less than forty seconds later Johnston picked up a ground ball in Baldwin's defensive box and buried it to give GCC an impressive and well-deserved 7-1 lead.
Down six at home with about seven and a half to play in the half, Baldwin finally woke up. The Highlanders started to play more physical and really challenged and pressured GCC when it had the ball, forcing a turnover here and there. Once Baldwin was able to establish an offense, Andy Moog lobbed the ball from the top of the box over the entire defense to Cody Golon who dumped the shot by GCC goalie James Newman with ease. After the goal, Baldwin's hustle went up ten-fold and the hard work was rewarded with another score. Defender Tyler Molnar cleared to an open Douglass who picked out a streaking Garrett Wild who tenaciously drove to the net and scored and cut the Centurion lead to four.
At the start of the second half, the GCC goals started pouring in almost as fast as the thunderstorm. A minute in and Johnston quickly gave the Centurions an 8-3 lead. And about a minute later, Pezze made it a six-score margin again and 9-3 scoreline. The Centurions offense was lighting up the scoreboard but unfortunately lightening began to light up the skies.
After about a forty-five minute delay, the Centurions picked up right where it left off. Bursch scored his fourth of five goals and about a minute and a half later Phil Croker scored his first of three when Smith picked him out and lifted GCC to a commanding 11-3 lead. And it certainly didn't stop there. Smith dished out his fourth assist on the evening to Bursch who bounced it by Boyle and less than thirty seconds later Croker drove down the right side, switched to his left and dumped a left-handed shot in for a ten-goal Centurion lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Baldwin began to look and play frustrated. The crisp ball movement by GCC was picking apart the Highlanders defense and wearing down the entire team. But Baldwin was still playing very physical and certainly didn't hold up on any big body-check chances that resulted in a few debatable calls. In turn, Baldwin's play became noticeably sloppy and resembled nothing like fundamentally sound lacrosse.
A little over a minute into the fourth, Bursch assisted Croker for his hat-trick and a 14-3 lead. The final strike came with 8:37 left when Pezze took it upon himself to weave through the defense and give the Centurions a monumental 15-3 lead and capped an unanswered eight-goal second half.
Sure, the Centurion offense shined but Newman played a near flawless game between the pipes. He made a few key saves both with his feet and butt-end of his stick but really made some smart decisions on the clear. GCC rarely turned the ball over in its defensive zone and didn't give Baldwin many fast-break opportunities.
Baldwin (4-1, 6-1) will now look to rebound from only its first loss of the season when it travels to Chartiers Valley for a pivotal section showdown. The Highlanders lost to the Colts at home early last season by 15-4 score.
The Centurions (5-0, 8-1) now sit comfortably atop the division having knocked off the top three sides in its section. Since the one-goal loss to Shady Side Academy to open the season, GCC has won eight straight and has outscored its opponents by nearly double, 108 to 52. The Centurions travel to Franklin Regional (3-1, 4-7) tonight for an exciting non-section match-up.