Robbins carries Upper St. Clair back to finals
Standing 6-feet, 7-inches tall and weighing 280 pounds, Ryan Robbins played the role of Atlas well as he carried Upper St. Clair back to the WPIAL Class 6A championship game for the third year in a row.
His Herculean efforts in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament propelled the Panthers to victories over Fox Chapel and Seneca Valley respectively.
“During the playoffs, he’s stepped his game up into another gear and really put our team on his back,” said USC skipper Dan Holzer. “Ryan’s such a competitor and he’s been a dominant force on both sides of the ball for us.”
In a 56-41 win against the Foxes on Feb. 19, an impassioned Robbins scored a career-high 29 points, 16 in the first half to keep the Panthers even, 22-22. He pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked five shots as the Panthers pulled away with a 34-19 edge in the second half.
“That’s as emotional as I have seen him play,” said USC skipper Dan Holzer of the typically mild-mannered center. “He was fired up.”
“Ryan is a tremendous player,” Holzer continued. “He’s a special talent. Offensively, he’s such a force. Defensively, he’s gotten so good at blocking shots and making it difficult for teams and players to get good inside looks. His footwork is second to none. For someone his size, he’s so good.”
Robbins is good at football, too. During the fall months, he is better known for his prowess on the offensive line for the Panthers.
A two-year starter and all-conference performer, he is a 3-star recruit. He has received multiple scholarship offers, including from Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt and Virginia Tech, the latter two the alma maters of his parents. Tim Robbins played football for the Panthers while Kim Seaver played basketball for the Hokies after a standout career at Mt. Lebanon.
“He’s going to play football in college but we love having him play basketball for us,” Holzer said. “Ryan loves playing basketball too and his teammates love him.”
Ryan is so endeared that the players voted him as one of their three team captains even though he is just a junior.
“That shows what his teammates think of him,” Holzer said. “He means a lot to the team and we are so happy he’s playing for us.”
The Panthers were particularly pleased with Robbins as he dominated the decisive game that landed them in the WPIAL finals on Feb. 27 at the Petersen Events Center to face New Castle for the second year in a row. In the 2025 Class 6A final, USC defeated the Red Hurricane, 65-43, to win their second straight WPIAL crown.
In a low-scoring semifinal against Seneca Valley, 42-35, Robbins again dominated. He fired in 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked four shots and contributed four steals on defense.
Robbins had nine points and eight rebounds in the first half as USC managed a one-point advantage over the Raiders, 15-14, at intermission.
“Ryan’s an old-school center. A power guy,” Holzer said. “He gives us such a presence and our team really has a lot of confidence with him in there.”
The Panthers, who led 8-6 after one quarter, started to knock down shots in the third frame after having only converted 5 of 21 from the field in the game’s first 16 minutes.
Thanks to 3-point field goals by Jake Foster and Luke Marchinsky, the Panthers used an eight-point run to forge a 23-14 lead. Foster finished in double digits with 13 tallies.
In the win against Fox Chapel, Andrew Gaither complemented Robbins with 11 markers.
LEBO LOSES
In other WPIAL Class 6A tournament boys basketball action, Mt. Lebanon dropped a 67-49 decision to New Castle in the quarterfinals.
During the quarterfinal loss, Liam Sheely pumped in 20 points. Carter Gould chipped in with 10 tallies for the Blue Devils, who finished the year at 15-9 overall.