Cal’s season ends with loss to Sto-Rox

By Jeremy Tepper

For the MV Independent

Before the game even started, it was clear that the deck was stacked against the California boys basketball team.

Going into its first round WPIAL playoff matchup against Sto-Rox on Saturday, the Trojans were without Malik Ramsey, their 6-foot-4 junior star who averaged 25 points per game this season. Ramsey, who transferred to California from Laurel Highlands, was not eligible to play in the postseason due to PIAA transfer rules.

To compound that, Trojans’ coach Aaron Balla said his team has been short on players in recent practices leading up to the game. When the cards were dealt in the subsequent four quarters, the results, perhaps as expected, were not pretty.

Sto-Rox, the No. 7 seed, jumped on the 10th-seeded Trojans from the get-go, rushing off to a 25-12 lead in the first quarter, and  never letting up. Due to its unrelenting defense, tenacious rebounding and efficient scoring, the Vikings (14-9) outclassed California (12-10), winning 72-57 at Keystone Oaks. 

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