Peters Township experiences playoff win against Penn-Trafford
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dax Ploskina (10) snakes his way to the basket during playoff action against Penn-Trafford. The senior scored 15 points in Peters Township’s 74-56 victory against the Warriors.
Sam Petrarca dekes out his defender and goes up for the basket. Petrarca tossed in a game-high 16 points as Peters Township defeated Penn-Trafford, 74-56, in a first-round WPIAL Class 6A boys' basketball playoff game at Mt. Lebanon.
Kevin Stinelli (1) of Penn-Trafford can only watch and stare as Thomas Melonga (32) soars to the hoop for two. Melonga scored 12 points in Peters Township's playoff win against the Warriors, 74-56.
Isabella Bogdan drives through traffic during girls' basketball action versus Belle Vernon. Bogdan scored 18 points in the Keystone Oaks win over the Leopards, 51-41.
Gillian Piccolino drives to the basket during Keystone Oaks' first-round girls' basketball playoff game against Belle Vernon.
Peters Township experienced something foreign Feb. 19 at Mt. Lebanon. With their 74-56 victory over Penn-Trafford, the Indians won their first WPIAL boys’ basketball playoff game since 2012.
“To just get that experience,” said Dax Ploskina, “was incredible.”
PT coach Gary Goga concurred.
“This felt great. I’m so happy the boys got to experience a win in the playoffs, Goga said. “They work so hard and are fun to coach. Our seniors stepped up today. It was a great team win.”
Indeed, Ploskina (15 points) was one of five players in double figures. Joining the senior in double digits were fellow classmates: Sean Werner (12) and Thomas Melonja (12) as well as juniors Colin Cote (14) and Sam Petrarca (16).
The winning feeling was particularly surreal as the Indians weathered a 5-17 campaign only a year ago. Plus, they suffered a pair of four-point losses to Mt. Lebanon and Canon-McMillan to stumble into the playoffs with a 4-6 Section 2 slate.
“Last year was tough,” Goga said, “and there were games this year where we didn’t get it done in the end. Right now, none of that matters. This was a fantastic game and it’s been a fun year.”
The year continued into the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals as the Indians were set to battle the top seed, Pine-Richland (20-2), on Feb. 23. The Rams are the defending district champion and suffered their only losses back-to-back in December to Fox Chapel, 68-59, and Upper St. Clair, 51-47.
The Indians used a strong second half to dispatch Penn-Trafford (14-9). They used a 14-2 run at the start of the third quarter to expand upon their 28-25 halftime advantage. After three quarters, PT held a comfortable 50-36 margin. The lead swelled to as much as 20 points, 63-43, before the Indians polished off the Warriors.
“They made shots,” said Penn-Trafford coach Jim Rocco. “They have five or six guys that are really good at making shots.”
Petrarca and Ploskina made most of their shots in the second half. Both racked up 11 points in the second half.
“The whole way we had this mentality that we’re not losing this game,” Ploskina. “It’s my last year, so we are just trying to make this last as long as we can.
“The last few years, we had the potential to make the playoffs but never did,” he continued. “So we just focused on playing the game and didn’t get nervous. We knew that we had to treat it like a regular game.”
Girls action
In other games that happened in first-round girls’ playoff action, South Fayette (13-10) succumbed to Franklin Regional, 46-35, but Keystone Oaks (14-8) defeated Belle Vernon, 51-41.
For the Lady Lions, Maura Castelluci tossed in 12 points.
The Golden Eagles had three senior starters finish in double figures: Isabella Bogdan (18), Jaylen Hoffman (15) and Gillian Piccolino (14).
After falling behind, 13-12, KO vaulted into the lead by halftime, 29-21. The Golden Eagles used a 12-3 run at the start of the final frame to put the game away. Down the stretch, they connected on 20 of 25 free throws.
Staff writer Luke Campbell contributed to this story.