USC boys’ basketball team prepares for playoffs despite damaged courts
When the WPIAL announces playoff pairings on Feb. 12, expect Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair along with Pine-Richland and Latrobe to earn the top seeds for the Class 6A boys’ basketball tournament.
While the Blue Devils, Rams and Wildcats won their section championships, do not be surprised if the Panthers come out on top in the end, especially given their history and recent circumstances. USC owns bookend wins against P-R and Lebo. The Panthers beat the Rams at the start of the season, back on Dec. 11, 51-48, and they thumped Lebo, 71-45, in the Section 2 finale on Feb. 5.
In that shocking triumph, Tanner and Luke Gensler each tossed in 18 points as did David Pantelis. Chris Pantelis showed off his deft play-making skills when he used a behind-the-back dribble to split Lebo defenders and dished up a nifty assist to his brother that pushed USC’s lead to 60-40 with 3:41 to play. Luke Geisler and Ben Sandusky provided strong defense as they helped kept Lebo’s leader-Jake Hoffman (19.5 ppg) in check. Sean Loughran (12), Blaine Gartley (10) and Hayden Mitchell (10) finished in double figures for the Blue Devils.
“This was the best game that we’ve played all season,” USC coach Dan Holzer said. “All four of our seniors did a tremendous job.”
He also praised Joe David, his counterpart at Mt. lebanon
“Lebo’s a great team, one of the best in the state and I have a lot of respect for Joe,” Holzer said. “Lebo and Pine-Richland are probably the best two teams in the state we’ve faced so part of me thinks that we should be the No. 1 seed but we did not win the section. Sometimes the committee looks at how the season ends and if that’s the case, we could make a case for (the top seed).”
Heading into the postseason, however, the Panther have run into a case of bad luck. On Feb. 2, pipes burst in the high school and water ruined the basketball courts in the building’s two gymnasiums. Water also damaged the offices used by the athletic director and his staff.
“The positive thing was we had softball, girls’ basketball and people in the weight room when it happened,” USC athletic director Kevin Deitrick added. “So it was good it didn’t happen at 3 a.m. I don’t have an office anymore as the water damaged the whole athletic wing, except for the pool area and wrestling room. Right now, it’s a scheduling nightmare.”
Deitrick managed to move the remaining girls’ games to the middle school, where the boys are also practicing. Because of his former ties with Duquesne University – he worked there as an assistant AD – Deitrick also arranged for the boys to play their senior recognition game on Feb. 8 against Fox Chapel at the Palumbo Center. The school is paying the rental fee, but the boys’ basketball boosters are also helping to defray the costs.
“This is definitely a treat for these young men. They are a special group of guys. So I am glad it worked out for them. They are good kids and good coaches,” Deitrick said.
Holzer agreed. “My initial reaction when I found out about our floor was that no way a middle school would be big enough because of our following. I give a lot of credit to our AD for coming up with a great solution in a short time. I am happy for these kids because they are such a great group and for the seniors, I am ecstatic.”
Not having their normal gym in which to prepare for the playoffs, leaves the Panthers less than thrilled. What impact it will have on them is yet to be determined.
“This comes right at the worst time,” said Deitrick. “From my experience as a principal, I know that kids like routine and structure. Right now, things are out of whack.”
While Deitrick now has to contend with juggling more schedules as spring sports have now been thrown into the mix of teams requiring gym time, Holzer plans to use the disaster to his team’s advantage.
In preparation for the playoffs, the Panthers will scrimmage Quaker Valley, the No. 1-ranked team in Quad-A, at Fort Couch Middle School. USC will also travel to Penn Hills, which is ranked No. 3 in Class 5A. For their other practices, they will carpool to Fort Couch after they breakdown film of their upcoming opponents. Like their main gym, the middle school facility has six hoops for the Panthers to hone their shooting skills.
“At this point in the season, as a coach, you are looking for something that breaks the monotony. Something fresh and exciting,” said Holzer. “I think this will bring us together even more. The kids are enjoying the way the season has gone. Now this is something different. Plus playing at the Palumbo is neat. It’s a great venue and great prep for the playoffs.”
The playoffs are scheduled to begin Feb. 15. In addition to Lebo, Holzer envisions section rivals like Canon-McMillan, to which the Panthers lost once, and Peters Township, which they escaped with victories, to provide stiff opposition along with Butler.
“The playoffs are a different animal than the regular season,” Holzer said. “It’s a one-game elimination tournament and anything can happen. I expect it to be tough because all the teams are tough. But, we are excited because we are playing good basketball right now. We are looking forward to see where it takes us.”
The following area boys’ basketball teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, which commence Feb. 15. (Records do not include Feb. 8 games.)
• Mt. Lebanon (9-1, 17-3). The Blue Devils are led by Jake Hoffman’s 19.5 points per game but seniors Sean Loughran and Hayden Mitchell are often also in double figures. Blaine Gartley is deadly from 3-point range and averages 15.5 points a game. Michael Palmer as well as Lucas DeCaro, off the bench, are standout defensive players.
• Upper St. Clair (8-2, 19-2). Tanner Gensler ranks as one of the top scorers in the WPIAL with his 21.6 average along with Chris Pantelis, who manages 15.6 points per game.
• Canon-McMillan (6-4, 12-8) The Big Macs are coached by former Bethel Park standout Rick Bell and sport a balanced attack with Ethan Beachy, Drew Engel, Luke Palma, Tommy Samosky and Elliot Waller in their starting line-up
• Peters Township (4-6, 12-7). Colin Cote with his 18.1 average is the team’s top scorer.
• Chartiers Valley (10-3, 15-4). The Colts are the only team to have beaten Moon (20-1) this season. The Tigers are ranked No. 2 behind Mars in Class 5-A. Penn Hills and Woodland Hills are the other teams to beat. Joe Pipilo and Jared Goldstrom provide the Colts with a solid 1-2 punch. Pipilo averages 18.6 points per game while Goldstrom manages 15.5 an outing.
• Seton LaSalle (10-1, 15-3) The Rebels were tied for first place with North Catholic heading into their Section 2 finale against cross-street rival Keystone Oaks on Feb. 8.