Jeff Uveino, Erie Times-NewsWed, February 25, 2026 at 3:48 AM UTC·5 min readMercyhurst Prep hadn’t checked this box in quite some time.
The Lakers have enjoyed plenty of boys’ basketball successes across the past decade-plus. Not since 2012, however, had they advanced past the District 10 semifinals.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFortunes changed Feb. 24 at Hagerty Family Events Center. The top-seeded Lakers (18-6) raced past No. 4 Greenville (15-9), 85-56, in a Class 2A playoff to book a long-awaited return to the D-10 finals.
Five double-digit scorers helped Mercyhurst handle Greenville. That victory headlined a busy night of D-10 boys basketball playoffs.
“We just wanted to play our game. Fast pace: Continue to share the rock with everyone,” said Mercyhurst Prep senior guard Aiden Ollinger. “Make sure that everyone is touching it and that it’s not staying in one spot. Keep the defense on the heels and keep them moving — that’s how we play our best basketball.”
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLakers finally crack finals
Greenville found no answers for a red-hot Mercyhurst offense.
The Lakers hit seemingly every shot they attempted early, opening the game on an 8-0 run which became 13-4. Their lead never shrunk below 10 points.
“I was telling everyone that I don’t want to lose this game because this is where we lost last year,” Ollinger said. “We had to come into this game with redemption on our mind and try to get that goal.”
Greenville found its offensive footing too late. Brekken Hedderick’s game-high 23 points couldn’t overcome 15 from Mercyhurst’s Jake DiBello-Millimaci, plus 14 points each from Ollinger and Chase Daugherty. Trent Bengel added 13 points for the Lakers and Trent Garner scored 12.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMercyhurst will play No. 3 Cochranton (17-8) on Feb. 27 in the D-10 Class 2A final. The Lakers seek their first district crown since 2012.
Cathedral Prep advances to 4A final
Cathedral Prep drained 14 3-pointers in another playoff rout as the Ramblers beat Hickory 95-69 in the District 10 Class 4A boys basketball semifinals.
Prep (23-1) will take on Sharon in a D-10 championship game rematch from last year on Feb. 27, while Hickory (19-6) will battle Warren in the D-10 third-place game.
The Ramblers started the game on an 11-2 run as they scored 52 points in the first half and 31 points in the third quarter.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNando Mirarchi scored 26 points to move into second place in Prep history in career scoring. He passed Sheldon Zablotny and will finish his career in second place behind Prep great Jed Ryan. Ahmari Horton added 23 points for the Ramblers, while Michael Thompson had 21 and Ashton Wilbur scored 13.
Ashton Boal led Hickory with 18 points, while Trevor Borowicz had 16 and Noah Kovac added 13.
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Erie High falls in overtime
PITTSBURGH – Akeylen Pernice scored in the final seconds of regulation, but Erie High allowed a bucket at the buzzer to force overtime.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAllderdice (17-8) went on to beat the Royals (16-8) in the extra period to earn a PIAA Class 6A subregional win on Feb. 24. The Dragons host State College in another subregional on Feb. 27, while Erie High’s season comes to an end.
Jayden Stewart finished a breakout junior season with 21 points for the Royals, while Joe Jones had 14 and Pernice scored nine points.
Girard beats Fairview in 4A consolation
Game two of the Feb. 24 doubleheader at Hagerty looked much different than the first.
Fairview (16-8) and Girard (17-8) met for the third time this season. This time, each side’s season was at stake.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGirard defeated Fairview, 40-33, in a D-10 Class 4A consolation game. Just 24 total points were scored in the first half – one more than Mercyhurst Prep managed in its first quarter hours prior.
Kenny Godoy led Girard’s second-half offensive surge, pouring in 23 points to lead the Yellowjackets’ third win this season over their west county rival. Tyler Niewierowski added seven points for Girard, including a pair of fourth quarter 3-pointers which helped preserve a narrow lead.
Ben Iszkula led Fairview with 11 points. Tyler DiVecchio added eight.
Harbor Creek to meet Girard
EDINBORO — At Edinboro University’s McComb Fieldhouse, there was no true bad news for the Huskies.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNot when J.T. Delsandro missed becoming the program’s career scoring leader was the lesser of the good news.
Delsandro totaled a game-high 20 points in Harbor Creek’s 60-50, elimination-game victory vs. the Oilers. The senior guard needed one more to tie and two to surpass 1992 graduate Chad Vogt’s three-season total of 1,554.
That Harbor Creek advanced to the district’s fifth-place final all but assures he’ll surpass that standard.
“I tell people two things,” Huskies coach Ryan Smock said. “It’s been nice to see him mature, both as a person and as a basketball player over these four years.
“Second is that he’s brought energy to the gym every single day. That is hard to do.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHarbor Creek, which never trailed after its game-opening, 21-6 run, will face the Girard YellowJackets on Feb. 27. The winner will receive the district’s fifth and final berth in the PIAA’s 4A bracket.
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Meadville wins 5A sub-regional
MEADVILLE – Tykie Butler drained a jumper with just a few seconds left as Meadville survived DuBois 58-56 in overtime in a PIAA Class 5A boys' basketball sub-regional on Feb. 24 at Meadville High School.
Meadville (8-15) moves on to another PIAA sub-regional on Feb. 27 at Greater Johnstown.
The Bulldogs led 29-19 at the half and 41-31 after three quarters before the Beavers rallied in the fourth quarter. Butler led Meadville with 29 points, while Keithan Arnold added 10.
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This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 boys hoops roundup features four Erie County winners
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