Change does not alter Upper St. Clair’s winning continuity
Peter Serio is the Upper St. Clair girls basketball coach.
Rachel Mazzie looks to pass the ball off to a teammate because she is heavily defended by Canon-McMillan players during Section 4-AAAA girls’ basketball action. Mazzie scored 19 points in Upper St. Clair’s 44-40 win against the Lady Macs.
Plenty has changed this winter for the Upper St. Clair girls’ basketball team. For starters, Pete Serio now skippers the club. Second, the Lady Panthers now play in the “big” gym, where many other varsity indoor sports compete, including the boys’ basketball team.
“I let the girls decide that one. The vote was unanimous to play in the big gym and I agree with it,” said Serio, who coached previously at Peters Township, Mt. Lebanon and Bishop Canevin. “If they didn’t decide [that way], I would have. The hoops are 10 feet high here,” he said pointing to the baskets in the old gymnasium, where the ladies still maintain their locker room. “The court is the same size as the boys’ gym.”
And, no matter the floor, the victories continue. The Lady Panthers, who won a PIAA state championship in 1999 and captured five WPIAL titles under the legendary Ernie Koontz, are 10-5 overall. They are 6-3 and tied with Baldwin for second place in Section 4-AAAA.
What’s different, however, is USC has defeated rivals Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park in the same season for the first time in eight years. Before eking out a win, 44-40, against Canon-McMillan, the Lady Panthers toppled league-leading Lebo, 52-45, last week. USC also knocked off the Lady Hawks, 47-44, back in mid-December. Both victories came on the road.
“These kids have never beaten Lebo and BP in their careers,” Serio said of his seniors. “It’s the first time in eight years they have beaten them both. Those are two great programs with two of the best coaches around anywhere. They are icons,” Serio continued of Dori Oldaker, who has led Lebo to three WPIAL and three PIAA titles, and Jonna Burke, who coached BP to its first district title in 2013. “We respect all they do. We highly respect them, but we are not afraid of anybody.”
Therein lies the attitude the Lady Panthers carry with themselves as they prepare to host Bethel Park at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in the rematch. It’s a determination Serio wishes his team possessed every outing.
“When we play Bethel and Lebo we have so much fire and enthusiasm. It’s not that way against everybody,” Serio said. “When other teams play us, they are motivated. It’s not just about basketball. It’s about USC. We get everybody’s best. We have to bring it every game and stay strong to win.”
After giving Lebo its best, USC received Canon-Mac’s and Moon’s best. On Jan. 19, the Tigers toppled the Lady Panthers, 48-45. Rachel Mazzie (16 points), Ally Steve (12) and Madison Serio (10) led a balanced offensive attack but it was not enough.
However, despite missing 7-of-11 free throws down the stretch, USC escaped with a 44-40 victory against C-M. The win avenged a previous 58-42 loss on the road in the section opener to the Lady Macs.
“We were very fortunate,” Serio said. “Every time you miss a free throw, the noose around your neck tightens.”
Serio did doff his hat to Danielle Parker and Cheyenne Trest. A senior, Parker provided 12 points. Thanks to the defense of Peyton Bayer, the senior fell below her 19.2 average. A sophomore, Trest pumped in 18 points.
“Canon-Mac has two really good players. They are very, very good high school players. Peyton did an unbelievable job on Cheyenne. She’s as good as they get. Cheyenne can play Division I,” Serio predicted. “She has that nice pull-up jumper and she doesn’t miss. She’s only going to get stronger and better. She has a chance to be a good player.”
Mazzie is USC’s best offensive weapon. The senior leads the team in scoring, averaging in double digits. She fired in 19 tallies against Canon-Mac and 18 against Lebo. Diandra Conwell followed with 14 markers against the Lady Macs and 12 against the Blue Devils.
“Rachel and Diandra are supposed to make shots,” explained Serio.
“Rachel is real important to our offense. She is a highly-skilled offensive player. She realizes that she needs to be a big-time player every game – not just against the Lebos of the section. And, Diandra, remember, she’s only 11 months out of her [ACL] injury, has been doing a good job.”
Madison Serio, the coach’s daughter, leads the squad in rebounding. Plus, the senior is responsible for staying with the opponent’s top shooter. “She plays great defense,” Serio said. “Every game, she stays with their best player.”
A junior, Steve makes shots, particularly from 3-point range and Sarah McMurtry, another senior guard, provides tenacity, particularly on the boards. “Sarah is one of our hardest working players, especially on offense when she is getting the second shots off rebounds,” Serio said.
Seniors Olivia Hutton and Katie White are also providing the direction for the Lady Panthers, whose aim is to qualify for the post-season.
“We are very senior-oriented,” Serio said. “This is it for them. This is the last time they will wear the USC uniform together. That’s highly motivating, especially as we get closer and closer to the end. They are trying really hard.”
So are the underclassmen, of which there are four freshmen on the roster, including Liv McClelland, Kennedy Bayer, Sam Smith and Kate Groninger, along with five additional juniors: Kaedryn Keller, Mira Fontana, Hannah Shephard, Kat Delo and Mattie Groninger.
“The best thing about our team is that anybody can do it. We go in spurts,” Serio said. “On any given night we have had different people step up at different times. The emphasis has been on team.”
Because they have no starter over 5’8″ and only one player over 6-feet tall, the Lady Panthers rely on their shooting accuracy for success. “We are vertically challenged,” Serio said with a laugh. “So we have got to play hard and shoot well. We are a 3-point shooting team that cannot afford defensive lapses. We need to play good defense and we need to play with purpose. Our purpose is not to score. Our purpose is to win.”
Hence, the Lady Panthers will be on their guard Jan. 22 when they welcome Bethel Park. The Lady Hawks improved to 7-2 in the league and 11-4 overall with a 59-51 win against Peters Township. Justina Mascaro, who averages 15.6 points a game, fired in 18 tallies against the Lady Indians. Paige Kochka-Puskar and Mia Mattes pitched in 12 and 11 tallies.
Additionally, before USC hosts Lebo Feb. 5 in the section finale, the team must travel to Baldwin Jan. 29 and Peters Township Feb. 2. On the first go-around at home, the Lady Panthers lost to the Highlanders, 61-48, but beat the Lady Indians, 60-47. Most recently, on Jan. 19, Baldwin also toppled Lebo, 57-34.
“This section is so hard, but I expect Bethel and Lebo to come after us now,” Serio said. “It’s so balanced. We could lose to anybody. We can beat anybody.”
The same can be said for WPIAL Quad-A girls’ basketball this season. According to Serio, there are eight or nine clubs in the running for the district championship. “There are so many good teams.”
And, while some things have changed at USC, that one thing has remained consistent. The Lady Panthers are proving again they are one of the good teams.