USC, Lebo head into playoffs with hot hand
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Despite the defensive efforts of Bethel Park’s Jaden Goodman (12) and Ben Guffey (13), Tanner O’Grady (2) puts up a 3-point shot during a recent game.
Mt. Lebanon's Christian Mallon drives into the teeth of the Bethel Park defense during a recent game.
The Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair boys basketball teams solidified their playoff positioning, before vying for the Class 6A Section 2 title, with decisive victories over neighboring Bethel Park.
The Panthers had a 7-2 section record and a 14-5 overall mark heading into the final game played Feb. 11. The game ended too late to be included in this edition. Lebo was 6-3 in the division and 12-8 overall.
The WPIAL will announce pairings Feb. 14 and the playoffs will commence Feb. 17 and conclude with championship games behind held March 3-5 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
The Panthers are the defending Class 6A champions but undefeated North Hills is the favorite to dethrone them. During the regular season, the Indians scored a 75-47 win against USC.
“North Hills is unbelievable. They are going to be tough to beat,” said USC head coach Danny Holzer.
Lebo head coach Joe David agreed.
“My understanding is it’s (North Hills) to lose,” he said of the WPIAL Class 6A championship. “They are very, very good.
“There are a couple top teams and a bunch of teams in the same category in the playoffs,” David added. “Anything can happen. Anybody can get hot. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night.”
As defending champions, Holzer would like to think that could be his Panthers or maybe even the Blue Devils.
“We are playing our best basketball. So is Lebo,” he said. “They have been impressive as well. So I would like to think we’ll have something to say about it.”
Both the Panthers and the Blue Devils used defense to dispatch Bethel Park.
In a 56-33 triumph, USC limited the Hawks to two points in each of the second and third quarters. Lebo notched a 47-28 victory over Bethel Park.
For the Blue Devils, Christian Mallon exploded for 23 points. A senior guard, he connected on five, 3-point field goals.
“Christian propelled us to victory. He opened things up for us,” David said. “He’s had those kind of games for us where he has shot the ball well but I was really happy with how he got the big rebounds and made free throws and was an overall team leader for us.
Against the Hawks, Christian Powers, Lucas Garofoli and Zach D’Alesandro also converted shots from beyond the arc and Joey Peters chipped in seven points inside the paint for the Blue Devils.
Lebo also lit it up with a 56-43 win over Peters Township. Garofoli buried five treys, four in the first quarter, and finished with 15 points for Lebo, while D’Alesandro dropped in 11 points, nine off three long-range shots. Peters led the Blue Devils with 17 points.
“I like how we are doing. We are playing well,” said David. “We are in every game.”
For a quarter, BP was in the game against USC as the score remained deadlocked, 15-15. The Panthers took control in the middle quarters, outscoring BP, 29-4.
Tanner O’Grady fired in 19 points for USC, while Mike Pellicci scored 13 and Devin Hall followed with 11. The trio had seven, 3-pointers among them.
O’Grady then exploded for a career-high 32 points during a 70-58 win over Canon-McMillan.
“Tanner was unbelievable, terrific,” Holzer said. “He was in the zone.”
While O’Grady has been USC’s leading scorer, the Panthers have relied on its full roster, including seniors Pellicci, Porter Rauch, Charles Rosenberry, and James Smith. Rauch had 13 points against the Big Macs.
“Tanner is by far our scoring leader but we have developed balance. Guys have gotten comfortable in their roles and we are getting contributions from multiple players,” Holzer. “That is what has made us successful and we continue to help us win during the playoffs.”
Despite their losses, BP has qualified for the playoffs. The Hawks were led by Ben Guffey’s 13 points against USC and Dolan Waldo’s 12 points against Lebo. BP was tied with Baldwin before its section battle Feb. 11. The Hawks were 14-5 overall.
Peters Township dropped to 1-8 in the section and 7-13 overall after the loss to Lebo and a 71-59 defeat against the Highlanders. Gavin Cote had 18 points for Peters against Lebo.
Class 5A
Though South Fayette and Chartiers Valley suffered setbacks in Section 2 action, both have qualified for the Class 5A tournament.
The Lions dropped a 65-49 decision to New Castle, which won the WPIAL title last year, while the Colts, who were WPIAL runner-ups, succumbed to Moon in overtime, 62-58.
Jayden Davis pumped in 32 points for CV in the loss. He supplied 19 points for the Colts in a 77-73 loss to West Allegheny.
Joey Zajicek scored a team-high 20 points for CV against West Allegheny, while Brendan Cruz scored 12 and Brandon Ferguson contributed 10.