Chaotic week ahead for area boys basketball teams
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Upper St. Clair’s Mike Pellicci soars above Peters Township’s Patrick McConnell to score two of his 18 points during the Panthers’ 59-54 victory over the Indians.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bethel Park’s Dolan Waldo is fouled while going up for a basket against Peters Township.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bethel Park’s Dolan Waldo makes his move to the basket against Bethel Park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bethel Park’s Ben Guffey runs into a roadblock while driving to the basket against Peters Township.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Peters Township’s Jacob Macosko attempts a shot over Bethel Park’s Max Blanc.
Upper St. Clair head coach Dan Holzer has been around basketball long enough to know that anything can happen.
“It’s a crazy sport,” said Holzer, who played at Thomas Jefferson and competed at Alliance College before spending the past 27 years coaching at USC.
“You can be in total control one minute and then in a chaotic situation the next.”
Such is the case in Section 2 of the WPIAL’s 6A classification. Heading into the final week of division play the section title was up for grabs and only one of the six teams had been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Despite being eliminated from section-title contention, Peters Township has given the other teams all they could handle. PT defeated Mt. Lebanon in overtime this season and were a handful for league-leading Bethel Park and the Panthers before taking losses.
PT led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter before BP rebounded to claim a 53-47 win. The Indians dug a 20-point hole before recovering only to fall to USC, 59-54.
“It was one of those games where you wonder what happened,” Holzer said. “Bottom line was we got the victory.”
BP’s 37-35 win over Canon-McMillan, coupled with the Panthers’ triumph put the rivals on a collision course and kept both teams at the top of the league standings with 5-2 slates.
The game between Bethel Park and USC was scheduled for Feb. 4.
Baldwin’s 54-50 win over Mt. Lebanon had the two teams tied for the next slot and the two remaining playoff positions with a 4-3 marks.
USC hosts Canon-McMillan Feb. 8 and visits Mt. Lebanon Feb. 10, while BP hosts Lebo Feb. 8 and visits Baldwin Feb. 11.
The Panthers are looking for their first out-right section title since 2014. Lebo has dominated recently, winning the section title four years in a row — not including in 2021. The Blue Devils were 5-0 and the Panthers were 3-0 but no section winner was declared last season because of a COVID-shortened season.
“We are in control of our own destination,” said Holzer. “It’s in our hands. We don’t need to worry about somebody helping us.
“I am so proud of this team,” he added.
The Panthers were the 2021 WPIAL champions. However, USC lost all five of its starters from that team, which posted a 21-2 record and reached the PIAA semifinals for the first time in school history.
In addition to leading scorer Tanner O’Grady, who contributed 15 points in the win against PT, USC has relied on two other senior captains to produce a 12-5 record.
Mike Pellicci manufactured a team-high 18 points and five assists against the Indians. He converted 5-of-8 shots from 3-point range.
Porter Rauch is averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Panthers. He poured in 14 points against the Indians.
“Those two guys are program players that have gotten better and better every year,” said Holzer. “They have waited their turn and when their time came have stepped up. They really have embraced keeping our program at a high level through their work ethic.”
Holzer said Pellicci has developed into another scoring option for the Panthers and that has enabled Rauch to excel on the inside and O’Grady on the outside.
“Mike is a great spot shooter and athletic. He has been the difference as our season has progressed,” Holzer said. “He’s opened up things for us so that Tanner cannot be double-teamed and Porter can dominate underneath. (Rauch) has been a stud for us; very, very solid inside.”
BP has been dominant because of its size and 2-3 defensive zone. The Black Hawks’ lineup features 6-4 Max Blanc, 6-3 Jaden Goodman and 6-2 Anthony Watson often in the back, as Dolan Waldo dominates both ends of the court. A 6-6 swingman, Waldo pumped in 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds on senior night against the Indians.
“Dolan is tough to defend,” Holzer said. “He can score inside and off the dribble. He’s very dangerous not to mention courageous after having comeback from a devastating injury.”
During a CJ2K Summer League game, Waldo shattered his right ankle. He had emergency surgery to repair fragmented bones, torn ligaments and a laceration from the impact of the awkward landing.
While BP and USC battle it out with Lebo and Baldwin for section positioning and playoff seedings, North Hills is the favorite to win the WPIAL title. The Indians were 18-0 after crushing the Panthers, 75-47, in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Classic, a 12-game, two-day event held recently at Montour. North Hills was 10-0 in Section 1.
“North Hills is tremendous, head and shoulders above everybody,” Holzer said. “They are the team to beat for sure in the playoffs but our expectations are that we will have something to say about it.”
In Lebo’s loss to Baldwin, Christian Mallon and Christian Powers scored 19 and 12 points, respectively.
In BP’s win against the Big Macs, Blanc led all scorers with 14 points. Ben Guffey had 11 points against the Indians.
In PT’s loss to USC, Gavin Cote scored 18 points for the Indians and Jake Macosko finished with 11. Against BP, Cote had 17 points.
In WPIAL Class 5A boys’ basketball action, South Fayette defeated Chartiers Valley, 79-72.
With the win, the Lions moved into a tie for second-place with the Colts. Both sported 5-2 records and trailed unbeaten New Castle in the division.
The Lions exploded for 31, third-quarter points to erase a 37-26 halftime deficit. SF outscored the Colts, 22-16, in the final frame.
Brandon Jakiela led the Lions with 24 points. Logan Yater (16) and Alex Hall (15) followed in double figures for SF, which improved to 11-6 overall.
Jayden Davis exploded for 28 points for the Colts, who fell to 7-11 overall. Drew Sleva and Joey Zajicek followed with 14 and 11 markers.