CHAMBERSBURG -- This has to be getting old for the York Catholic boys' basketball team.

For the third straight year, the Irish bowed out in the District 3 Class AA quarterfinals.

And for the third straight year, Trinity was the team doing the ousting.

The second-seeded Shamrocks continued their recent dominance over York Catholic, trampling the seventh-seeded Irish, 63-48, Saturday at Chambersburg High School.

Trinity left little doubt as to its superiority, rolling up an 18-point lead by halftime against the overwhelmed Irish.

"They don't have many weaknesses," York Catholic coach Joe Keesey said. "They seem to have our number."

The loss ended a somewhat bittersweet season for York Catholic (12-12). On one hand, the Irish rebounded well from a dismal 2-8 start.

On the other hand, this once-dominant program will have to cope with missing the state playoffs for the third straight season.

Trinity, meanwhile, showcased why it's a serious contender to win a third straight district title. The Shamrocks (15-7) were especially efficient on offense, shooting 54.1 percent (20-for-37) from the field and hitting 20-of-22 foul shots.

Junior guard Kevin Agnew and senior forward Eric Kindler each scored 19 points for Trinity, which will face third-seeded Hanover in Wednesday's semifinals at Giant Center at a time to be announced. The Nighthawks (17-5) beat Annville-Cleona, 54-34.

"We are so familiar with each other," Trinity

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coach Larry Kostelac said of the rivalry with York Catholic. "It seems like we've played them every year forever."

The Irish were was paced by senior guard Joe Falci, who capped a standout senior campaign by dropping in 15 points. Those didn't come easy, though. Falci was hounded everywhere he went by Trinity's defense.

"You're not going to shut him down," Kostelac said of Falci. "Everything goes through him. We had Kevin Agnew, our best on-ball defender on him. ... We wanted him to work 94 feet."

Trinity wasted little time asserting its dominance. The Shamrocks reeled off an 18-3 run spanning the first and second quarters to take a 22-9 lead. Agnew capped the run with a steal and lay-up.

Agnew added another dagger to end the half, draining a 30-foot runner as the second-quarter buzzer sounded. That circus shot gave Trinity a 36-18 halftime cushion.

"I knew we'd have to play perfectly to beat them," Keesey said. "The only way we could win was to play the game in the low 40s."

The Irish righted themselves a bit in the second half, but by then it didn't matter. Trinity's lead never dropped below 14.

Nick Full added 10 points and seven rebounds for York Catholic, while Gary Laucks added eight. The juniors are two of four Irish starters that will return next year.

"We improved from the start of the season, so that gives me confidence going into next season," Keesey said. "I think we'll be better next year.
jclayton@ydr.com; 771-2045
  
YORK CATHOLIC (48)
   Joe Falci 6 2-2 15, Sentz 0 0-0 0, Dougherty 1 0-0 3, Laucks 2 3-5 8, Sperring 2 0-0 5, Chesko 0 0-0 0, Nick Full 4 2-4 10, Kubala 2 0-0 4, Starceski 0 1-2 1, Illarza 1 0-0 2, Heusser 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-13 48
TRINITY (63)
   Gruschow 0 0-0 0, Kevin Agnew 5 8-8 19, Dill 0 0-0 0, Diminick 1 4-4 6, Rohm 1 0-0 2, Wise 2 0-0 4, Holt 1 0-0 2, Osborne 4 0-0 8, Eric Kindler 5 7-8 19, Hemp 0 1-2 1, Hychko 0 0-0 0, Holupka 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 20-22 63
York Catholic  8    10    11  19 -- 48
Trinity  16  20    10  17 -- 63

   3-point goals: York Catholic 4 (Joe Falci, James Dougherty, Gary Laucks, Michael Sperring), Trinity 3 (Eric Kindler 2, Kevin Agnew).