Top contender: USC team to beat after Lebo win
Although the boys’ basketball season is still young, Upper St. Clair established itself as the team to beat in Section 2 and Class 6A of the WPIAL when the Panthers knocked off Mt. Lebanon, 44-39.
The Panthers used a smothering defense to topple the Blue Devils, who entered the fray ranked No. 1 and undefeated against teams from Pennsylvania. With the loss, Lebo slipped to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the section.
The Panthers are 3-0 in the division but 9-3 overall. They surrender a league-low 45 points per game. They were under that mark by six against the Blue Devils.
“We established ourselves on the defensive end,” USC skipper Dan Holzer said. “Our perimeter guys get after it.
“Our win against Lebo is attributed to our half-court defense,” Holzer continued. “Lebo runs good stuff and they have a lot of offensive weapons. We knew we had to lock in and limit their open looks and force them to make tough shots. We did that.
“We played really, really well. We were outstanding. Our half-court defense was tremendous.”
The Panthers forced Lebo to miss its first five shots and stretched a 5-0 advantage to 20-9 before the Blue Devils rallied. They trailed, 27-22, at intermission and forged a scant lead, 27-26, when Liam Sheely converted three consecutive free throws with 1:35 to play in the third quarter.
Jake Foster entered the contest and the sophomore buried a three-pointer and a free throw that provided a 30-27 edge that USC never relinquished. He is averaging 7.6 points for the Panthers.
“Jake’s just starting out but he’s a good player. A gutty guy,” Holzer added. “He’s not afraid of anything. He gets open shots and makes them.”
Brett Meinert piled on nine points in the decisive final frame to insure the victory.
He finished with a team-high 14 points. A senior, Meinert averages 9.8 points a game for the Panthers.
“Brett’s a program player,” Holzer said. “He’s worked so hard and has taken advantage of his opportunity when his turn arrived. “Especially on a big stage like this, he comes up big. In the fourth quarter, he was the difference for us.”
While they were held below their scoring averages with eight and seven markers respectively, Christian Ito and Tyler Robbins make a difference in USC’s lineup.
Ito is the team’s scoring leader. He averages 14.9 points per game. He can knock down the trey, as he did in the first frame, or slice his way into the paint for a spectacular basket.
“Christian has been a great player for us,” Holzer said. “He’s there when big plays need to be made, especially in big games. He’s another program player that has worked really hard. He’s very confident and we have a lot of confidence in him.”
At 6-9, Robbins is a force inside. The junior forward pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked seven shots against Lebo. He averages 10.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.
“When you have a guy like Tyler inside protecting them, our perimeter defenders can really go after it, be aggressive without fouling,” Holzer said.
“Tyler has worked very hard during the offseason and it’s showing. He is very skilled offensively and defensively, he has really good instincts and timing.”
Whether on the court or gridiron, Julian Dahlem exhibits these characteristics as well. He runs the show at USC. The junior, who is a quarterback and wide receiver on the football team, pitches in six points and dishes up 7.7 assists per game.
“He’s our Tom Brady,” Holzer proclaimed. “He impacts the game so much without scoring. He’s the engine.”
The Panthers motor along with starter Kaamil Jackson and key reserve Luke Marchinsky.
John Banbury, Dane York, Ryan Robbins, Niko Gidas, Gianni Disona, Jake Casares, Holden Rickel, Justin Prunzik and Finn Beggy round out the roster.
And while the Lebo-USC exuded a playoff atmosphere with packed stands, student sections sporting beach attire rooting on the Panthers or all-white cheering on the Blue Devils, Holzer noted that the postseason is a long way off.
The WPIAL tournament does not begin until Feb. 15 and concludes with championship action from Feb. 29-March 2. The PIAA finals follow from March 5-6 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“The USC-Lebo game is always an event. It’s a blast, but we still have to go there,” Holzer said of the rematch scheduled for Feb. 2. “It’s one win and there are a lot more (games) to go. It’s a 10-game playoff in this section.”
NOTES: In addition to Sheely, Riley Farabaugh scored in double figures for Lebo. He tossed in 11 markers before fouling out with 10.6 seconds to play. Brody Barber finished with seven points and Nate Girod pitched in with five points. The Blue Devils buried six, 3-pointers while the Panthers drained five long-range shots.
Heading into key Section 1 clashes with Thomas Jefferson (Jan. 12) and Peters Township (Jan. 16), Bethel Park sported a 3-0 mark after wins against Trinity, 59-58, and Connellsville, 66-28. The Hawks are 8-4 in Class 5A.
In the triumph against Trinity, Shawn Davis exploded for 25 points. Michael Mathias pitched in 13 tallies. Against the Falcons, Nick Brown (12) and Owen Turoski (11) finished in double digits.
Peters Township dispatched Ringgold, 84-35. Jack Dunbar fired in 22 points while Dylan Donovan and Nate Miller finished in double digits with 13 and 10 respectively. With the win, the Indians improved to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in Section 1.