Peters Township among teams vying for Class 5A crown
Lady Indians, BP girls represented
When the WPIAL announces the playoff bracket for the Class 5A boys’ basketball tournament at 2 p.m. Feb. 10 on KDKA Radio, Baldwin and Montour are expected to grab the top seeds, but look for Peters Township to make its presence known in the single-elimination event that culminates with championship action Feb. 27 through March 1 at the Petersen Events Center.
“Baldwin and Montour are probably the teams to beat but there are a lot of really good teams in 5A,” said Peters Township coach Joe Urmann. “Our expectations are to embrace the challenges ahead and take them one game at a time.”
The Indians are playoff-tested, having beaten South Fayette and Ringgold for a berth out of Section 3 won by the Highlanders and have challenged Chartiers Valley, which is playoff bound out of Section 4 won by the Spartans.
“Our game versus South Fayette was a lot like a playoff game. It was an electric environment with playoff seeding implications on the line,” Urmann said. “And Chartiers Valley is a very good team,” he added.”
The Colts boast Jayden Davis, who recently topped 2,000 points for his career. The senior shooting guard exploded for 38 points against the Indians while Julian Semplice followed with 18 tallies. He followed up with 30 tallies in an 85-61 win against Blackhawk on Feb. 4. Semplice and Danny Slizik finished with 15 and 10 tallies.
Dylan Donovan, who had 21 points in the win against the Lions, fired in 22 markers against the Colts for the Indians. He led the way with 20 markers in the rebound win against the Rams, 77-45. Also against Ringgold, Sean Thelk and Nick McCullough finished with 15 and 12 tallies.
“We didn’t have an answer for Jayden in the second half,” said Urmann, “but I was pleased with the confidence we gained and how well we executed and played together against South Fayette. We take those things with us into the playoffs.”
Urmann also noted that while it’s tough to pay two high quality teams on back-to-back nights, that experience can help the Indians to continue to grow down the stretch.
During the run towards a playoff spot, the Indians have played without Mickey Vaccarello. A Stanford football recruit, he graduated in December and left for spring drills and California after Peters Township’s overtime win against Bethel Park in mid-January.
“Mickey was such a valuable part of our team on both ends,” Urmann said. “We can’t replace him but we can fill the holes by committee and adapt.”
The Indians have also altered aspects of their game and corrected flaws that have contributed to significant losses such as the back-to-back defeats against Thomas Jefferson, 73-71, at home and at Baldwin, 71-57.
“We’ve grown in our ability to take care of the ball,” Urmann said. “Our turnover percentage is down and we are shooting our free throws a bit better.”
For the Indians to be successful during the postseason will require additional focus on the details and intangibles.
“We need to be super connected in all phases of the game,” Urmann said. “We need to bring championship-caliber effort and attitude.”
Peters Township’s female counterparts have plenty of both. The Lady Indians head into the playoffs as one of the top-ranked teams in Class 5A along with South Fayette. Both finished as undefeated champions in their respective sections and have not lost to any WPIAL club.
Natalie Wetzel makes the Lady Indians a solid bet to win their first district title since the 2019 club went undefeated and also won a PIAA championship. The University of Miami recruit fired in 23 points in a 58-49 win against Thomas Jefferson and 15 markers in a 63-19 win against Uniontown to secure the Section 4 title.
Wetzel is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds a game. She was nominated to participate in the McDonald’s All-American game.
TJ coach Matt Gould gave the Lady Indians a strong endorsement. The Jaguars have qualified for the playoffs along with section opponents Baldwin and Bethel Park.
“They have one of the best teams in the state, with one of the best players in the state and a supporting cast that’s about as good as you’ll see at the high school level,” Gould said.
Indeed, Taylor McCullough (10), Bri Morreale (10) along with Daniela Radulovich and Alina Spoko played key roles in the triumph over TJ while Jordyn Welsh contributed 12 points in the victory against the Raiders.
BP GIRLS
While Peters Township and South Fayette are the area favorites in Class 5A, Bethel Park expects to make some noise in the tournament.
“There’s always a surprise in the playoffs when a lower seed comes in with a great game plan and upsets someone no one thought they’d upset,” said BP floor boss Stephen Norman. “Playoffs are a different scenario than a regular season.
“I don’t think we’ll enter any game thinking the outcome is already decided,” Norman continued. “You have to play the right way to win games in the playoffs, find the hot hand, look for the best matchups, control pace, we’ll have to do those things against whomever we end up getting matched up with.”
With split decisions against Albert Gallatin, 57-33, and Baldwin,52-40, the Lady Hawks clinched a playoff spot out of Section 4. In the win against the Colonials, Ella Sabatos (18), Fiona O’Neill (13) and Sadie Orie (12) finished in double digits. In the loss to the Highlanders, Sabatos led with 14 tallies.
Orie leads the Lady Hawks in scoring with a 16.7-point average with Sabatos following with 13.9. Sabatos pulls down a team-high 9.2 rebounds a game while O’Neill follows with a 3.3 average.
Since losing six games in a row in the middle of the season, the Lady Hawks are hitting their stride. According to Norman, they have identified their highest priorities to win games. They are dictating pace, limiting turnovers and identifying when to transition offensively. Plus, they have controlled their destiny.
“That has allowed us to play more confidently and without the same risk of missing out of the playoffs like we did last year,” he said.
“We have been playing well as of late, executing game plans, playing multiple defenses and limiting second-chance points. That’s pretty much the recipe for success in basketball. If we keep playing the way we have been, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
In Class 6A, Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon have qualified for the girls basketball playoffs. Before meeting in their section finale, the arch rivals posted respective wins against Hempfield, 66-43, and Connellsville, 57-24.
Rylee Kalocay topped 30 points against the Spartans. Meredith Huzjak followed with 15 markers.
For the Blue Devils against the Falcons, Payton Collins fired in 27 points.