Peters Township gets into spirit of giving

The Peters Township boys basketball team was home for the holidays but that didn’t mean the Indians were idle.
They did participate in tournament action, splitting decisions by beating Norwin, 68-63, and falling to Upper St. Clair, 68-52. The Indians also spent some time giving back.
Team members and coaches also found time for philanthropic endeavors. They visited the Salvation Army in Washington after practice. They packed gift boxes and stuffed backpacks with books and toys then filled bags with toys for children of different ages to prepare for distribution among the underprivileged in the area.
PT head coach Joe Urmann and his assistant coach Kyle DeGregorio, credited Kristen Mills, who is secretary of the boys basketball boosters group, for her efforts in organizing the charitable event.
“It was an opportunity to give back,” Urmann said. “I think it provided our student-athletes with some perspective. They absolutely crushed it. They worked really hard and had fun doing it.”
Before the holiday break, the Indians had been crushing the competition. They had compiled a 6-1 record before tournament play. However, they slipped to 7-3 overall after dropping their section opener. In triple overtime, PT succumbed to Thomas Jefferson, 105-100.
In the loss to the Jaguars, Jack Dunbar exploded for 37 points. Cam Mills (19), Jake Ziegler (14) and Brenden McCullough (12) all finished in double digits.
“Over the holidays we played high-quality teams and we were happy to have had the opportunity to play USC and bounce back with a win against Norwin,” Urmann said.
”In the past few weeks, we’ve shown growth and maturity. We’ve gotten leadership from a variety of guys .
”Our guys have a good feel for our identity and I credit them for buying into it. Players have been accepting of their roles but are still striving to learn and grow in their roles, which I think is crucial if we want to be playing our best in February and March.”
The Indians picked up their first section win when they defeated Connellsville, 77-25. In the victory, Dunbar (20), McCullough (12) and Thomas Aspinall (10) finished in double digits.
In other Section 1 action in the WPIAL’s Class 5A, Bethel Park opened with a 74-47 triumph against Ringgold.
Ben Guffey tossed in 24 markers to pace the Black Hawks, who were 6-3 overall heading into Jan. 6’s action against Trinity. In double figures also were: Nick Brown (11) Shawn Davis (10) and Jack Bruckner (10).
The Hawks also defeated Trinity, 76-61, as well as Connellsville, 81-57. Davis (22), Brown (16) and Guffey (15) led the attack against the Hillers. Guffey (15), Davis (13), Bruckner (13), Mike Mathias (11) and Brown (11) all finished in double figures against the Falcons.
Meanwhile, Chartiers Valley tops all Class 5A clubs. The Colts started the season with 12 straight victories before falling to Moon, 54-46, on Jan. 10. In the loss, Jayden Davis fired in 24 points.
Previously, the Colts opened Section 4 action with wins against West Allegheny, 78-46, and South Fayette, 60-53.
Against the Indians, Davis pumped in 27 points while Drew Sleva and TJ Kubiscek followed with 15 and 13 tallies respectively.
Against the Lions, Julian Semplice led with 13 markers. Davis, Dan Slizik and Gionni Jones all pitched in 10 tallies.
Elijah Hill topped all scorers, tossing in 29 points for the Lions. Michael Pusko followed with 13.
The Colts also boast wins against Mt. Lebanon, Hampton and Aliquippa this winter. Davis leads the attack with his 25.3 scoring average.
In other Section 4 play, South Fayette dropped a 46-45 decision to Moon. Elijah Hills and Michael Plasko paced the Lions with 23 and 13 markers. The Lions also lost to Mars, 49-48. Hill and Noah Knox finished with 15 and 11 points respectively.