Feb 14, 2017 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

Upper St. Clair gained more than a playoff spot when the Panthers defeated arch rival Mt. Lebanon, 58-51, in overtime on the final night of section action in WPIAL boys’ basketball action. They earned redemption and confidence heading into the post-season.

“I’m proud of my team. They played their hearts out,” USC floor boss Danny Holzer said. “We’ve faced so much adversity this year that I feel we deserved this. Plus, the win gives us a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. We can play with anybody.”

The Panthers certainly played with the best in Section 2 in Class 6-A of the WPIAL. Despite the defeat, Lebo claimed the section banner with a 10-2 slate while USC eked out the final playoff spot, placing fourth in the league with a 6-6 record. Both Lebo and USC finished the regular season with 14-8 overall records.

Although they enter the playoffs as distinct underdogs, the Panthers are battle-tested and not just against the Blue Devils. They have played playoff-bound Pine-Richland, the Section 1 champion and top-seed in Class 6-A, Class 5-A powerhouse Chartiers Valley, Wash High, the Section 4 winner and high seed in Class 3-A, as well as Monessen, the undefeated Section 2-A champion.

“It’s been an up and down season and we’ve had some losses that hurt us,” said Holzer, referring to an upset at Bethel Park and back-to-back losses to Canon-McMillan, which finished runner-up to Lebo in the section. “But, I think the regular season has prepared us a lot and we embraced the challenges along the way.”

Lebo was USC’s stiffest challenge as the Panthers’ encountered a do-or-die situation. They needed a win or a Peters Township loss to Canon-McMillan to qualify for the playoffs. The Panthers got both. While the Big Macs dispatched the Indians, 41-38, USC headed into overtime, outscoring Lebo, 11-4, in the extra frame for the win.

“I knew Canon-Mac had won but I didn’t tell (my players),” Holzer said. “We really wanted to win and get in the playoffs and playing against a great rival like Lebo provided that impetus. We respect them. Lebo is a good team and Joe David is a great coach. They are section champions for a reason.”

Lebo and USC are of the same ilk. Both boast a performer that regularly tops the box score.

Mark Lamendola leads Lebo. Before tossing in 16 in the loss to USC, he had personal-best efforts of 29 points against Peters Township and 31 against Bethel Park.

Kyle Meinert leads the Panthers. He fired in 22 points against the Blue Devils, converting 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. Meinert ranks among the top scorers in the WPIAL with a 15.6-point average.

USC and Lebo, however, are much more than Lamendola and Meinert.

For Lebo, Antonio Garofoli is the sharpshooter. He converted all 12 of his points against USC off 3-point field goals in the first half. Michael Palmer scored 10 of his 12 tallies in the second half. Sean Loughran provides another outside threat for the Blue Devils while Caden Hinckley delivers an all-around presence. Plus, Lebo has plenty of depth with talented reserves such as Brice Miller, Joey Passodelis and Sean Witte.

For USC, Jack Hansberry supplied 10 points against Lebo. Matt Kissinger and Quentin Nelson delivered clutch free throws down the stretch. Darius Radfar directed the offense from the point and Gabe Houy provided the strong presence inside the paint. The Pitt football recruit stands in at 6-feet-7 and weighs in at 265 pounds.

Colin McLinden and Mike Hess add depth to the Panthers, who also benefit from the play of Chris Pantelis, Jesse Fera, Brett Moore, Luke Geisler, Nate Liptak and Tanner Gensler.

In the playoffs, USC will rely on unity as well as defense. They rank among the top defensive clubs in the WPIAL, allowing just 53.3 points per game.

“We have a good team,” Holzer said. “We play together and we emphasis defense. In my 22 years of coaching, that has been the mantra of all my teams. You have to play defense first.”

And while somebody has to play the Panthers in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, Holzer doesn’t envy the opponent.

“I wouldn’t want to be playing us,” he said.