Upper St. Clair leads list of Almanac boys all-stars
Chartiers Valley's Brayden Reynolds ranked among the leading scorers in the WPIAL with a 24.9-point average.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Luke Gensler tossed in 12 points in Upper St. Clair’s WPIAL championship win against Pine-Richland.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Luke Banbury scored 14 points in Upper St. Clair’s WPIAL championship win over Pine-Richland.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
David Pantelis (11) scored all seven of his points in the final quarter as Upper St. Clair defeated the Rams to claim the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball title.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ethan Dahlem scored 14 points as Upper St. Clair defeated Pine-Richland to claim the Class 6A boys title.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Though heavily guarded this season, Jake Reinke led Mt. Lebanon in scoring with a 17-point average. The lone returning starter from last year’s WPIAL runner-up squad, he also managed seven rebounds, two steals and two assists per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mt. Lebanon’s Evan Sentner takes a shot.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mt. Lebanon junior Zack D’Alesandro averaged 3.5 assists per game to go along with his 7-point scoring average.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
As a newcomer to the Mt. Lebanon line-up, Mike Pfeuffer averaged eight points and three rebounds per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Peters Township’s Gavin Cote averaged 15.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dolan Waldo averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots a game last season for Bethel Park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds earned All-State first-team honors.
Upper St. Clair enjoyed a banner year in boys basketball this winter.
The Panthers posted a 21-2 record and captured a WPIAL championship. Despite having players and coaches sickened by COVID-19, USC managed to win a state playoff contest and reached the semifinals in the PIAA tournament for the first time in program history.
Hence, it should come as no surprise the Panthers dominate the list of players on The Almanac 2021 All-Star squad. USC placed four players on the roster and Panthers head coach Danny Holzer has been named Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Chartiers Valley standout Brayden Reynolds has been named The Almanac Most Valuable Player. The distinction as well as the entire list of The Almanac basketball all-stars was selected with the help of the area coaches and based on statistics and games seen by the sports staff.
In his 26 seasons at the helm, Holzer directed the Panthers to three WPIAL titles, including this year’s 56-53 victory over Pine-Richland.
Holzer owned a 442-206 record before missing USC’s first-round PIAA win against Erie because of the coronavirus. USC lost to eventual state champion, Reading, in the state semifinals with Holzer back at the helm.
Holzer also owns seven section titles and one WPIAL runner-up trophy. But this was the first year in school history the Panthers advanced to the state final four.
With five senior starters, two of them Ivy League bound, USC reached the pinnacle of the WPIAL and finished ranked No. 3 in the state. USC also placed four starters – Luke Gensler, David Pantelis, Luke Banbury and Ethan Dahlem -on the Big 5/6 All-Section first team.
Gensler proved to be USC’s leader. A three-year starter, he captained the Panthers to a 61-11 record during his tenure.
Gensler paced the Panthers in scoring with a 14.7 points per game average. He also dished up 3.5 assists and pulled down 4.7 rebounds per game.
Banbury managed 12.7 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards.
A Cornell football recruit, Banbury scored a career-high 30 points in a 72-70 WPIAL quarterfinal win against Seneca Valley. He averaged a double-double throughout USC’s playoff run.
Pantelis provided 12.8 points per game. A Yale football recruit, Pantelis led the Panthers in steals with 4.1 per game.
A two-year starter at point guard, Dalhem led USC in assists with 6.2 per game. Bound for Case-Western, he also averaged 9.2 points per game.
“All four of my players are very hard to put in order. They all played tremendous all year long for us,” said Holzer. “To me, they were as good as anybody in the entire South Hills area.”
Reynolds the tops
At Chartiers Valley, the Colts had the best player. Reynolds finished the regular season among the top five scorers in the WPIAL before leading the Colts to the Class 5A championship game and a 22-4 record.
He started the 2021 campaign with by scoring at least 30 points in four consecutive games and finished the year averaging 24.9 points per game.
His finest effort, however, came in a losing effort. In a Section 2 showdown at New Castle, Reynolds fired in 42 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Colts succumbed to the Hurricanes, 77-59. The Colts also lost to New Castle in the WPIAL finals 61-45 despite a 22-point performance from Reynolds.
Reynolds didn’t just score for the Colts. He averaged five rebounds, dished up four assists and collected three steals a game.
He also provided the intangibles for the Colts.
“Brayden is a great leader for us,” said CV head coach Brandon Sensor. “He knows what it takes to play and win at this level. His energy is contagious and when he gets going the guys around him do too. On offense he makes the guys around him better and creates a lot of open shots for his teammates. It’s hard to press us with Brayden in the game as he’s a great ball handler for us.
“His work ethic and commitment to becoming a better player is one of the best I’ve coached,” he added. “He has worked on his skill set as well as becoming stronger and more explosive throughout the offseason and he is seeing the benefits.”
Reynolds finished his career with 1,523 points. He earned Section 2 Player of the Year honors and has gained the attention of the United State Military Academy.
Reynolds not only received recognition from coaches within his own division, he garnered praise from opposing coaches at the highest level.
“Brayden Reynolds was the best player we saw this year,” said Peters Township head coach Joe Urmann.
“He is a skilled player who can score at all three levels but is also a willing passer. He can impose his will on you physically as well. It was such a challenge to stop him from impacting the game on the offensive end.”
Lebo rebuilds
After back-to-back appearances in WPIAL championship games, winning in 2019, Mt. Lebanon underwent a successful rebuilding year. With only one returning starter from last year’s district runner-up team, the Blue Devils rolled up an undefeated section record and finished 9-9 overall after a loss to Seneca Valley in the WPIAL playoffs.
Experience and youth led the way with seniors Jake Reinke and Evan Sentner earning first and second-team Big 5/6 Conference honors, respectively. Junior Zach D’Alesandro was a second-team member and Michael Pfueffer, a sophomore, earned The Almanac Rookie of the Year honors.
Reinke was the lone returning starter from Lebo’s 19-7 squad in 2020. Not only did he lead the Blue Devils in scoring, his 17-point average ranked among the best in the WPIAL.
Reinke also paced Lebo in rebounding, cleaning the glass for seven boards a game. He also dished up two assists and added two steals an outing.
“Jake was asked to do a lot this year for us and he did just that while playing just about every minute of the game,” said Lebo head coach Joe David.
A three-year varsity letter winner, Evan Sentner was instrumental in leading the Blue Devils. He averaged 10 points and dished up 2.6 a game.
D’Alesandro was Lebo’s top defender. He took 2.17 charges a game
“According to Max Preps, that would have placed him second in the nation in charges taken,” said David.
A junior, D’Alesandro also averaged seven points, dished up 3.5 assists and grabbed three rebounds per game.
Pfueffer made an immediate impact in Lebo’s line-up. He averaged eight points and cleared three boards per game. He also picked up 1.5 assists an outing.
Duo complete list
Gavin Cote from Peters Township and Dolan Waldo from Bethel Park complete The Almanac Elite Eleven list. Both are juniors so their programs are sure to improve.
Cote averaged 15.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Indians who finished 4-1 in Section 2 and 6-9 overall after losing to Pine-Richland in the WPIAL playoffs.
“Gavin is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball,” Urmann said. “He draws attention from our opponents that frees up time and space for his teammates. Gavin has a superb passion for the game and desire to improve.”
A junior forward, Waldo earned Big 5/6 Conference first-team and all-section honors. He averaged 17 points per game for the Black Hawks, who finished 2-2 in section and 8-10 overall after falling to Fox Chapel in the playoffs.
FIRST TEAM
Brandon Reynolds, Chartiers Valley Senior Guard 24.9 ppg. 4 assists
Luke Gensler, Upper St. Clair Senior Guard14.7 ppg. 3.5 assists
Luke Banbury, Upper St. Clair Senior Forward 12.7 ppg. 7.1 rpg
Jake Reinke, Mt. Lebanon Senior Guard 17 ppg. 7 rpg.
Gavin Cote, Peters Township Junior Guard 15.1 ppg. 3.2 rpg.
SECOND TEAM
Ethan Dahlem, Upper St. Clair Senior Guard 9.2 ppg. 6.2 assists
Zach D’Alesandro, Mt. Lebanon Junior Guard 7 ppg. 3.5 assists
Dave Pantelis, Upper St. Clair Senior Guard 12.8 ppg. 4.1 steals
Evan Sentner, Mt. Lebanon Senior Guard 10 ppg. 2.6 assists
Dolan Waldo, Bethel Park Junior Forward 17.0 ppg.
MVP Brandon Reynolds, Chartiers Valley
HONORABLE MENTION: Max Blanc, Anthony Watson, Logan Wright-Bethel Park; Garrett Alauzen, Carter Mastovich, Socrates Boulis-Chartiers Valley; Brandon Jakiela, Logan Yater, Alex Hall, Jake Dunay, Landon Lutz-South Fayette; Tanner O’Grady, Porter Rauch, John Sukernak-Upper St. Clair
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR-Michael Pfueffer, Mt. Lebanon 8 ppg. 3 rpg.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Ben Guffey-Bethel Park; Michael Pfueffer-Mt. Lebanon; Connor Spratt-Peters Township; Devin Hall-Upper St. Clair
COACH OF THE YEAR: Danny Holzer, Upper St. Clair