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South Fayette gaining notice in Class 5A boys basketball

By Eleanor Bailey 7 min read
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Dylan Head (31) steals the ball from Joshua Gardiner during a second-stanza uprising where South Fayette outscored TJ, 26-6, to take a 34-25 halftime lead.
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Dave Mislan and his assistant coaches react to the action on the court during South Fayette's section win against Thomas Jefferson.
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Gavin Orosz rises up to the hoop during South Fayette's win against Thomas Jefferson.
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Jake Levisuer (2) manages to put up a shot despite the defensive efforts of Justin Fry (10).
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South Fayette boys basketball coach Dave Mislan encourages his players on the court during section action.
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Gavin Orosz drives past his defender on the way to the basket. The senior guard leads South Fayette in scoring.

After graduating six seniors, five of whom played on last year’s playoff club, South Fayette was not in the conversation as one of the Top 5 boys basketball teams in Class 5A of the WPIAL at the start of the season

However, as the Lions headed into its toughest stretch of the schedule, they were on pace to surpass the 14-9 record posted by that 2024 club and in contention for the Section 3 banner.

South Fayette has also already clinched a berth in the playoffs, which are scheduled to start Feb. 13.

“One hundred percent,” said SF floor boss Dave Mislan. “We were on nobody’s radar, but I knew we could compete.”

Despite losing 1,000-point career scorer Michael Plasko to Washington and Jefferson College, not to mention its best rebounder in Nico Lamonde as well as versatile athletes in Nate Deanes as well as Gino Satira, South Fayette found itself holding its own against Baldwin, which was ranked No. 2 in Class 5A behind Montour.

“Usually so many losses (to graduation) means a total rebuild,” Mislan said. “What we have done though goes to show what good leadership and toughness can do for you.

“We have succeeded because of the nucleus of seniors we have.”

Gavin Orosz, Dylan Head and Stefano Vezio have been together since fifth grade.

“They have demonstrated toughness and commitment,” Mislan said. “They love South Fayette and competing.”

Orosz leads the Lions in scoring with a 16-point-per-game average. Vezio and junior Tyson Wright follow, providing 10 tallies a game.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Orosz also ranks first on the club in steals (3), assists (4) and deflections. He shares rebounding honors with Wright.

Meanwhile, Head is the team’s defensive specialist.

“He’s been the glue to our whole team,” said Mislan. “He’s the toughest I have coached.

“No one knows who he is because what he does for us doesn’t always show up on the scoreboard or in the scorebook.”

What the Lions like to do is “take teams out of what they like to do offensive” and Head spearheads that approach.

“He is the key,” Mislan said. “In fact, it makes us nervous when he’s not on the floor. He’s so smart and he puts a lot of pressure on the ball.”

In a 71-63 win against Thomas Jefferson, Head sparked the Lions in the second quarter. Trailing 19-8 after the first frame, the Lions reeled off 20 unanswered points thanks to their defensive pressure and forced turnovers.

Head finished with 13 points, primarily by converting steals into layups, while Orosz and Wright led with 23 and 21 tallies. Vezio pitched in with 12 points.

“By putting pressure on the ball, we turned the game around and got things going more to our liking,” Mislan said.

While the Lions have also relied on seniors Ethan Keener, Henry Brickner and Garrett Vuono, they have benefited from youth, too. Sophomores Braden Plasko and Will Scanlon along with junior Jake Levisuer have contributed to SF’s success.

“I trust my seniors so much that sometimes it’s tough for the bench guys. They are working hard and attacking the basketball. We need them to continue to play well down the stretch and gain confidence going into the playoffs.”

Apprehension was a bit on the minds of the Lions as they faced a challenging stretch. After the rematch with Baldwin on Jan. 28, South Fayette hosted Peters Township on Jan. 31. The Lions visit Trinity on Feb. 4 before closing the regular season with a non-section contest against Obama Academy on Feb. 8.

“It’s a critical stretch for sure,” Mislan said. “How we finish is important. We want to avoid a situation like the Steelers were in. They played so many hard teams at the end of the season and that hurt them in the playoffs. There are no guaranteed wins. We want to be playing our best ball and finish strong heading into the playoffs.”

Every game, including SF’s recent overtime loss to Mars, 56-51, factors into the seedings for the postseason. The WPIAL steering committee meets Feb. 10 to announce the playoff pairings.

Mislan predicts Baldwin (17-1) and Montour (16-1) will draw the top seeds. Uniontown, Chartiers Valley and Moon are among the other favorites in the Class 5A tournament.

“We have done the early part of the work and earned a playoff spot,” Mislan said. “We are happy about that, but you can’t look ahead. You have to take it one day at a time and hope for the best with your kids.”

The Lions are at their best when they are limiting opponents to less than 50 points per game because they are averaging 54.7 points per game.

“When you are scoring in the 40s and 50s, there’s a fine line between winning and losing,” Mislan said. “We have to take away what the other team does well and execute well offensively. Don’t give up the easy ones and don’t take bad shots. Take care of the ball and watch the turnovers,” he added.

Those things did not happen as Baldwin reversed the tables on South Fayette. The Highlanders routed the Lions, 62-36, on Jan. 28 to avenge their only loss of the season. Back on Jan. 3 South Fayette topped Baldwin, 37-32, in a low-scoring affair at home. Vezio and Wright led the attack in that triumph with 12 and 10 tallies but sophomore reserve Owen Keener came in during the fourth quarter and totaled a team-high nine points for the Lions in the loss.

The Highlanders took it to the Lions, using a 12-0 run to break open the contest in the second stanza. After edging ahead at the start, 15-13, Baldwin led 30-17 at intermission.

The Lions shot just 29.8 percent from the field, converting just 14 of 47 shots. They also committed 14 turnovers against the Highlanders, who were led by Nate Wesling’s 16 tallies followed by 15 and 12 points from Evan Golvash and Caden Cherico

“Baldwin has a lot of weapons and they are extremely fast. No doubt about it we had to control the tempo and pace, Keep them from getting extra shots and baskets or it would be a long night for us.”

Despite the split with the Highlanders, the Lions gained confidence in playing a top-seeded squad that participated in last year’s Class 6A championship contest, falling to Upper St. Clair in that WPIAL final.

“We knew we were going into a beehive because of what happened earlier this season. They wanted a crack at us. But we got over the mental part of playing them, a team that was picked No. 1 by everybody because of last year and with all the talent they have.”

BAD BREAK

Little orphan Annie isn’t the only one to experience a hard-knock life.

South Fayette’s Ethan Keener has had his share of trials and tribulations.

Three years after undergoing a bone marrow transplant to treat his childhood cancer, Keener returned to his athletic endeavors. He was a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball before taking ill.

“Probably the best three-sport athlete South Fayette’s ever had, but no one will ever know,” said Lions’ floor boss Dave Mislan.

Because of his illness, Keener received a fifth year of eligibility from the WPIAL. In the summer, he tore his ACL. However, he managed to return for the first official day of practice for the basketball season. He was averaging eight points before he tore the ligament again during South Fayette’s overtime win against Bethel Park, 49-47, on Jan. 21.

“He did not have surgery but chose to rehab the knee,” explained Mislan. “He was with us from November to January. Wearing a brace while he played.

“Ethan’s 80 percent is better than most people’s 100 percent,” Mislan continued. “He’s that good.”

Because he has undergone surgery to repair the ligament, Keener will not be able to play baseball this spring. He was on the junior varsity team two years ago.

“When he was younger baseball was probably his best sport,” Mislan said.

Keener will graduate in June. He plans to attend West Virginia University.

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