USC in a feel-good spot after Lebo win
Panthers finish first half of section action unbeaten
With a 37-29 win against arch rival Mt. Lebanon on Jan. 14, Upper St. Clair completed the first half of Section 2 in Class 6A boys basketball undefeated. The No. 1 ranked Panthers were 14-1 overall at the halfway point of the season.
“I feel really good about where we are. 7-0 and in first place in the section,” said USC floor boss Dan Holzer. “We are starting to gel and figure things out.”
The Panthers know teams are trying to stop them any way they can. Some like Central Catholic and Imani Christian attempted to stay with them, but to no avail. Some like Lebo adopted a purposeful approach, which the Panthers anticipated.
“They like to be patient, be patient and they are good at that, but we were going to do what we do. As a result, 37-29,” Holzer said.
“Some teams are trying to be patient but we are okay with that because I think we really play good defense. Other teams are going to think, ‘Okay, we have to get this game up and down, the faster the better’ because they can spread us out. We are going to see different types of strategies but we will just do what we do.”
USC relies on the strength of Tyler Robbins on the inside and hot shots like Jake Foster, Kaamil Jackson, Niko Midas and Gianni Disora on the perimeter as well as Julian Dahlem at the point position.
A 6-foot-10 center bound for Miami of Ohio, Robbins scored his first six points off dunks as he guided the Panthers to a 13-2 lead against Lebo. Robbins tacked on three more points as the margin stretched to 22-14 by halftime. Robbins finished with 13 points but was stymied by Lebo’s collapsing defense in the final 16 minutes of action.
Three-pointers from Foster and Jackson provided the second-half punch offensively for the Panthers while their stingy defense cemented the victory.
“If you want to try and shut down Tyler, then we have guys that can shoot the ball like Kaamil, Niko, Jake, Julian and Gianni,” Holzer said. “Our half-court defense is really, really good though. We pressure the ball well.”
Those strengths, which have allowed USC to average over 62 points per game while limiting the opposition to 37.8, should power the Panthers through the second half and beyond as they attempt to repeat as Class 6A champions as well as advance farther than last year’s state quarterfinal round.
“Defensively, we already are really good. So we just have to keep improving and getting better,” Holzer said.
“Offensively though we need to improve upon our efficiency with our possessions. Sometimes we make bad decisions. You can’t afford to do that in the playoffs because that’s one and done and anything can happen.
“We are capable of winning but we are also capable of losing in the first round,” Holzer continued. “You see that all the time. So I’m worried about everybody.”
With the loss, Lebo dropped to 3-4 in the section and 7-6 overall. Sam Deibert led the Blue Devils with nine tallies. Liam Sheely and Jacob Zaber followed with seven markers. Santino Fiumara and Max Hergenroeder each knocked down a 3-point field goal to complete Lebo’s scoring.
PT SWEEPS BP
In a boy-girl doubleheader played at the AHN Arena on Jan. 14, host Peters Township defeated Bethel Park.
Mickey Vaccarello scored eight of his 14 points in overtime as the boys edged the Black Hawks, 61-60.
Sean Thelk led the Indians with 17 markers while Dylan Donovan provided 13 tallies in the win.
Tops for BP was Jack Bruckner. He scored eight of his 16 points in the extra frame. Mike Bruckner followed with 11 markers.
The Lady Indians had an easier time of it, downing the Lady Hawks, 55-35.
Daniela Radulovich (16) and Natalie Wetzel (14) finished in double figures for Peters Township, which led 23-12 at halftime. Kat Boff led BP with 10 tallies.