Peters Township leads list of Almanac boys basketball all-stars
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jake Dunbar, Peters Township - 18 points, 4.8 rebounds.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Brendan McCullough, Peters Township
14 points, 4 assists.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jayden Davis, Chartiers Valley
25 points, 7 rebounds.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Elijah Hill, South Fayette
22 points, 8.5 rebounds.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Connor Spratt, Seton LaSalle
26.3 points, 3.5 steals.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Joe Urmann guided Peters Township to one of its best seasons in decades. The Indians won a section banner, reached the WPIAL Class 5A finals and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament. For leading the Indians to a 24-5 record, Urmann has been named Almanac Coach of the Year in boys basketball
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Matthew Gaither, Upper St. Clair
11 points per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ben Guffey, Bethel Park
15.5 points per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Michael Pfeuffer, Mt. Lebanon
8.3 points, 4 rebounds.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Michael Plasko, South Fayette
16 points. Leader in assists, steals.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jake Ziegler, Peters Township
9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds.
Peters Township experienced one of its best boys basketball seasons in more than two decades this winter.
The Indians played in a state quarterfinal game for the first time since 1997 and it took Exeter overtime to win that contest, 75-72. They competed for a WPIAL championship for the first time since 2009, falling to Penn Hills in the Class 5A final to finish as runners-up. The Indians also won a section banner and posted a 24-5 overall record.
“It’s been a remarkable journey this year,” said PT floor boss Joe Urmann. “I don’t think anyone predicted we would have the kind of season that we did.”
It was, however, simple to foretell who would dominate for post-season accolades.
Peters Township placed three players on the Almanac All-Star lists and grabbed the top honors including Coach of the Year for Urmann, who completed his third season at the helm.
Jack Dunbar leads the list of all-stars as MVP while Brendan McCullough claimed a spot on the first team and Jake Ziegler earned a spot on the second team.
Just a junior, Dunbar led the Indians in scoring with an 18.8-point average. He also managed 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Saddled with a leg injury, he saw limited action in the WPIAL final and as a result, the Indians’ 15-game winning streak came to an end in the 70-65 loss at the Petersen Events Center. However, he bounced back to lead the Indians to wins against Milton Hershey and Lampeter-Strasburg in the PIAA tournament.
“Jack learned how to be a leader and a competitor,” said Urmann, “but he still has a lot of potential to get better. That’s the scary thing. He wants to be better.”
Dunbar’s best scoring performance came in a 87-79 win over Baldwin during the regular season. He exploded for a career-high 41 points.
Dunbar earned his highest praise in the season-ending defeat. His 16-point performance against Exeter impressed head coach Matt Ashcroft.
“He’s outstanding. He’s a big, strong kid who can score from anywhere. He’s a four-level scorer,” Ashcroft said. “Three-level guys can score from three-point range, mid-range and at the rim. He can also post up and score, which makes him a four-level scorer. He can do all of those things.”
Off the court, Dunbar does a lot of other things. He’s a standout jumper on the track team as well as an honors student.
He’s inherited some of his talent from his parents, Christian and Carrie, both of whom played at Washington and Jefferson College. Plus, his grandfather, John Banaszak, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dunbar, who played football through eighth grade until deciding to focus on earning a basketball scholarship, excels because of his work ethic.
“He’s a hard worker and he wants to get better,” said Urmann. “We expect next year that he’ll have improved and that he won’t have a small role in our success.”
The Indians though will miss McCullough and Ziegler. Both were senior captains on the team.
McCullough engineered the offense, dishing up four assists per game and collecting three steals on defense. He averaged 14.5 points per game.
South Fayette head coach Dave Mislan bestowed great praise on McCullough. While he believed that his own player, Elijah Hill, was the Player of the Year in the area, he said that McCullough was the top opponent the Lions played this season.
“In our representative area, he was the best player we faced,” Mislan said.
A two-sport standout at Peters Township, McCullough will continue his athletic career at Carnegie Mellon University. He will play football for the Tartans.
An emotional leader, Ziegler was a force at both ends of the court. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds a game for the Indians. He also managed an assist a game.
Lions roar
South Fayette roared into the playoffs by winning their final four regular-season games. In reaching the WPIAL quarterfinals and qualifying for the PIAA Class 5A tournament, the Lions won three of their next five contests. They finished 16-11.
Elijah Hill and Michael Plasko were two reasons for SF’s surge. A 6-3 senior, Hill led the team in scoring while Plasko, a 6-0 junior, led the squad in assists and steals. Both were voted to first-team, all-section selections.
In addition to averaging 22 points per game, Hill pulled down 8.5 rebounds. He converted 67 percent of his field goal attempts.
“Elijah was almost always double teamed when he touched the ball, making his accomplishments all the more impressive,” said SF head coach Dave Mislan. “He was the undeniable leader of our team on and off the court.”
Plasko, like Hill, did not see a lot of minutes until this season, and he responded. He pitched in 16 points per game but his average improved to 18.5 during section clashes.
“Michael is our go-to guard for scoring, handling pressure and most other guard duties offensively,” Mislan said.
Big guns
Jayden Davis and Connor Spratt were the big guns for their teams at Chartiers Valley and Seton LaSalle respectively.
After a fabulous freshman season, where he averaged 27 points per game, six rebounds and three assists, Davis suffered no sophomore slump. He scored enough points to surpass the 1,000-point plateau on Jan. 29. It was his 41st varsity start.
Davis ranked among the top scorers in the WPIAL and finished with a 25-point average during the Colts’ 15-7 season. He also managed to dish up his share of assists and while standing at only 5-7, he pulled down a team-high seven rebounds a game.
“Everyone acknowledges the points that Jayden scores but there’s a lot of other things he does that helps us win games,” Sensor said. “He’s an all-around player who creates opportunities and makes the teammates around him better.”
In Class 3A, there were few better than Connor Spratt. A Peters Township resident, he led Seton LaSalle to a 15-7 season with WPIAL and PIAA state playoff appearances.
In two seasons, after transferring from PT, Spratt scored 1,029 points for the Rebels. He averaged 26.1 points this winter. He also picked up 3.5 steals per game.
Trio leads
Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park had successful seasons that featured playoff appearances, and Matthew Gaither, Michael Pfeuffer and Ben Guffey played key roles in their teams success.
A power forward, Gaither dominated the inside for the Panthers, who captured a section title with a 9-1 record and reached the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals. An all-section selection, he provided 11.3 points per game for USC, which finished 16-10 overall after falling to State College, 72-42, in the PIAA state playoffs.
Pfeuffer was Lebo’s senior leader. He fired in 8.3 points per game while pulling down 4 rebounds an outing. He helped the Blue Devils reach the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals and finish 16-9 overall.
An all-section performer, he is committed to play basketball at Washington and Jefferson College.
A 6-0 senior guard, Guffey led the Black Hawks to a 13-9 record and a WPIAL Class 5A playoff appearance. He fired in 15.5 points per game.
Almanac Boys Basketball All-Stars
First Team
Jayden Davis Chartiers Valley Soph. 25 ppg. 7 rpg.
Jack Dunbar Peters Township Junior 18 ppg. 4.8 rpg.
Elijah Hill South Fayette Senior 22 ppg. 8.5 rpg.
Brendan McCullough Peters Township Senior 14 ppg. 4 assists
Connor Spratt Seton LaSalle Senior 26.3 ppg. 3.5 steals
Second Team
Matthew Gaither Upper St. Clair Senior 11 ppg.
Ben Guffey Bethel Park Senior 15.5 ppg.
Michael Pfeuffer Mt. Lebanon Senior 8.3 ppg. 4 rpg.
Michael Plasko South Fayette Junior 16 ppg.
Jake Ziegler Peters Township Senior 9.3 ppg. 3.2 rpg.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jack Dunbar, Peters Township
HONORABLE MENTION: Drew Sleva, Julian Semplice, Brendan Cruz–Chartiers Valley; Lucas Garofoli, Tanner Donati, Brady Barber, Nate Girod–Mt. Lebanon; Nate Miller, Cam Mills, Mickey Vaccarello–Peters Township; Nick Sukernek, Devin Hall, Julian Dahlem–Upper St. Clair
COACH OF THE YEAR Joe Urmann, Peters Township