RIVALRY RENEWED
USC, Lebo to tangle in basketball
Upper St. Clair is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A boys basketball, suffering only one loss so far this season. The Panthers stand atop Section 2 with an undefeated record.
In racking up 13 wins so far this winter, USC has knocked off defending state champions in Central York and Imani Christian. The Panthers have also won three more contests against out-of-state competition during the Gil Reynolds Classic played in Burlington, N.C. over the holidays.
All that means nothing when the Panthers travel to Mt. Lebanon for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“Lebo vs. USC in boys basketball is absolutely one of the best rivalries in Pennsylvania between two of the better, proven teams. That game is different and you can throw records and favorites out the window. None of that matters,” said USC floor boss Dan Holzer.
“Either way, the only thing you can expect is a great game played in a great environment. An intense emotional game played in front of a great crowd,” Holzer stressed. “There are always surprises. So we have to expect everything because anything is possible.”
The Blue Devils have demonstrated multiple ways of winning this winter.
Jacob Zaber led them to their first victory, 64-62 against Taylor Allderdice by pumping in 28 points. He also had the game-winning field goal. The freshman, who followed that effort with an 11-point performance, is a three-sport athlete, also competing in football and baseball, for the Blue Devils. A point guard, Zaber pitched in a team-high 15 points in an overtime loss to Norwin, 51-49.
“Jacob is doing well. He’s put a lot on his plate to run this program,” said Lebo coach Joe David. “We haven’t had him too long because he played football but he is getting better and better. He wants to be the best he can be.”
In compiling a 7-4 overall record and a 3-2 start in section, Lebo competed in the North Hills Tournament, splitting decisions, and traveled to Hilton Head, S.C. to compete in the Seahawks Classic over the holidays. The Blue Devils beat Sumter, 56-46, lost to Boyd Anderson from Florida, 41-32 but beat Butler College Prep from Chicago, 53-38, in the finale.
“It was a good trip and games against good teams,” David said. “It was a good experience for our guys to spend time together.
“I have been proud of our guys. They are working hard.”
The Blue Devils have been working through adversity, too.
Lebo lost starter Patrick Smith due to a nagging ankle injury he incurred during the football season. Smith will be out of the lineup until Jan. 20.
Additionally, Lebo had been without Liam Sheely. He had broken his right hand during practice at the start of the season but returned to toss in 15 points in Lebo’s 77-42 triumph against Connellsville on Jan. 7.
Carter Gould led the way against the Falcons with 21 markers. A sharpshooter like Zaber, Gould scored 12 points all on 3-pointers earlier this season against the Dragons. He had 13 against the Knights.
In addition to Sheely and Gould, Sam Diebert and Zaber followed with 14 and 11 points respectively against Connellsville.
After traveling to CCAC-Allegheny to face Imani Christian, the Blue Devils return home to face arch rival Upper St. Clair at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14. David welcomes the challenge of hosting the Panthers, who are ranked No. 1 in the state.
“Obviously they are the favorite to win everything,” said David of the defending WPIAL 6A champions. “In a way it’s a luxury to have the best team to play twice in your section because it gives you the best preparation for the postseason.”
TALL ORDER
Upper St. Clair is proving a tall order for opponents. They list eight players 6-3 or taller. None are bigger than Tyler Robbins. The 6-10 Miami (OH) recruit dominated the action in a 74-32 win against Imani Christian, which won the past two PIAA Class 1A championships.
In the triumph, Robbins fired in 23 points and pulled down 20 rebounds. He blocked six shots and threw down three thunderous dunks.
Senior guard, who stands in at 6-1, also produced 23 points. He buried a career-high six 3s, converting 6 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc. He was fouled on the other two tries and converted 5 of 6 free throws.
While the Panthers are averaging over 63 points per game, they are also limiting the opposition to 37.6 an outing.
“We have been able to do a good job defensively with our assignments,” Dan Holzer said. “In order to beat opponents, we have to make it hard for them to score and handle their pressure.”
USC faced some solid competition when they traveled to North Carolina. The Panthers edged Prince George’s Christian from Maryland, 59-56, then dispatched Central Carolina, 76-58, and 69-39, in the round-robin Gil Reynolds Classic.
“We beat some good competition. Teams that featured some of the best players in the country,” Holzer said. “The trip was also an opportunity to cement the bond between our players, which is already pretty solid.”
In addition to playing basketball, the Panthers visited Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina. They did drills at the Cameron Center and watched the Demon Deacons practice and then did a shoot around on their home floor.
“It was a great experience for the kids. Great to see practices and the facilities,” Holzer said.
PT THIRD
Peters Township took third in the team standings during the TRICADA Tournament held Jan. 3-4 at West Greene High School. The Indians racked up 191.5 points and finished behind champion McGuffey (220.5) and Trinity (219.0).
Darius McMillon edged Frazier’s Jonah Erdely, 5-4, to claim the 152-pound weight class while Nicholas McGarrity pinned Burgettstown’s Darius Simmons in 63 seconds to win the 114-pound title.
Parker Nave gained runner-up laurels at 172. He fell to Frazier’s Jackson Angelo in the 172-pound championship match.
Ryder Baker took the bronze at 139, scoring a fall (4:51) against Aidan Finnigan from Canon-McMillan in his consolation bout.
PT’s A.J. McGarrity and Zack Stromock finished fourth at 145 and 285 respectively. Carson Kiger finished fifth and John Radnor added sixth at 215 and 139 respectively.
South Fayette finished ninth in the team standings.
Brock Dennison and Brock Evans earned runner-up honors at 121 and 145 respectively.
Luke Dunlap won by tech fall over Washington’s Caleb Patton to take third place at 152.
1000-pt CLUB
Payton Collins of Mt. Lebanon surpassed the 1,000-point plateau on Dec. 27 during a 44-40 victory against Seneca Valley in the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament played at Shady Side Academy. The senior guard converted a free throw in the fourth quarter to top the mark. Collins finished with 17 points in the triumph
On Dec. 19, Collins also knocked down her 200th 3-point field goal in her playing career during a 42-40 win against Hempfield.
A senior, Collins is committed to continuing her career at Bowdoin College.
After starting 2025 with games against Canon-McMillan, Norwin and Connellsville, the Blue Devils will host arch-rival Upper St. Clair at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 13.
The Blue Devils were 6-4 overall and 1-1 in section after their loss to the Lady Macs, 54-51. In that game, Collins finished with 13 tallies. Cali Green led Lebo with 17 markers and Riley Collins also supplied 13 points.
The Lady Panthers were 2-0 in section and 7-2 overall after beating Norwin, 63-53.
Meredith Huzjak buried five 3-pointers and finished with 16 tallies while Olivia Terlecki fired in four 3-pointers for 12 markers. Rylee Kalocay picked up 11 points for USC, which converted 14 shots from beyond the arc and was 22 of 43 from the floor in the win.
LOGJAM
Peters Township toppled South Fayette, 62-50, one game after the Lions upended Baldwin, 37-32, to create a logjam in Class 5A boys basketball. Each club had one loss in Section 3.
Nick McCullough led the Indians against the Lions, firing in 17 points. Mickey Vaccarello followed with eight markers while Dylan Donovan and Lucas Rost both finished with seven tallies.
Previously, PT beat Trinity, 59-52. Donovan (14), Jake Wetzel (11) and McCullough (10) scored in double digits for the Indians.
In South Fayette’s win against the Highlanders, Stefano Vezio and Tyson Wright fired in 12 and 10 tallies respectively. In the loss to the Indians, Gavin Orosz exploded for 22 points while Dylan Head pitched in 12 tallies and Tyson Wright finished with nine markers.