UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Nothing can be written that can describe the situation more aptly.

All one needed to do was open Sunday's editions of the Post-Gazette for a summation of the feeling that reverberated through Aliquippa.

The photo couldn't be any more poignant. There sat Aliquippa guard D'Mar Jeter in the immediate aftermath of the Quips' stunning 68-66 loss against Prep Charter of Philadelphia in the PIAA Class AA championship game at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Jeter sat near the huge lion head emblem at midcourt with his feet flat on the court, his knees pulled up near his ears and his head buried down. The bottom half of his black jersey was pulled up over his head as Jeter sat, collecting his thoughts. And, as Prep Charter guard John Brown walked past Jeter, he reached down with his right hand, giving a consoling touch to the back of Jeter's head.

The team, the town, the fans ... they all felt it the same, the sting prodded just as deep for everyone.

Only Jeter's moment was captured by a photographer, summing up everything.

That is the way one feels after his team sees a 14-point lead evaporate into defeat in the span of 3:50.

Aliquippa led, 62-48, with 3:50 remaining but, on its final 12 possessions, Aliquippa made two baskets, missed two shots, went 0 for 4 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over four times.

Aliquippa junior forward Jonathan Baldwin was able to capture how he felt in as succinct a manner as possible.

"We just fell apart. That's all you can really say," Baldwin said in a postgame interview.

Aliquippa senior guard Antonio Reddic said, "I just keep thinking in my head, 'What happened?'"

Truth be told, what happened in that final half of the fourth quarter was the perfect storm.

Aliquippa played just about as poorly as possible for the final 3:50 while Prep Charter, which beat Beaver Falls in the title game last year, played to near perfection over that same span of time.

"We outplayed them for three minutes and 50 seconds, and that was it," Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley admitted after the game, a PIAA gold medal draped around his neck and over his suit.

But the thing is, for as much as this one will eat at anyone associated with Aliquippa, for as terrible as this loss was, two things can't be argued:

First, the Quips had a tremendous season. They had a campaign many would love to have. During their run which included a WPIAL title, Aliquippa went on a 23-game winning steak starting in late December and ending this past Saturday.

Secondly, even though the Quips do lose all-everything forward Herb Pope, as he is headed to New Mexico State University to play his college ball, they do have some talent back.

There is Baldwin, a tremendous leaper and as athletic a player as there is in the WPIAL.

Baldwin is being wooed by some of college football's powerhouses and his athleticism makes him a big-time talent on the basketball floor, as well.

In addition to Baldwin, the Quips will also return Tyler Jeter, a very good long-range shooter, and Terry Patrick, a sophomore this season who gave Aliquippa solid minutes off the bench.