Chartiers-Houston has dynamic duo
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Chartiers-Houston’s A.J. Myers is one of the WPIAL’s top scorers at 26.2 points per game, so, naturally, teams playing the Bucs are going to focus heavily on stopping him, right?
It’s not quite that simple. You see, Myers isn’t the only player on his team averaging better than 20 points a game. Cam Hanley averages 22.2. Trying to defend a team with two big scorers has been a difficult conundrum for the Bucs’ opponents.
Opposing teams might be saying, “Chartiers-Houston? We have a problem.”
It’s rare for a WPIAL or City League team to have two players averaging more than 20 points per game. Since the 2010-11 season, only three sets of teammates have finished above that mark in the regular season: Norwin’s Matt Palo and Andy Carter in 2010-11, Lincoln Park’s Maverick Rowan and Elijah Minnie in 2012-13 and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brian Graytok and Zach Herman in 2012-13.
Myers and Hanley are trying to add their names to the list while helping Chartiers-Houston win a section title. The Bucs (10-3 overall) are 5-0 in Class 2A Section 2. The WPIAL’s top scoring duo has teamed up to score 48.4 points a game. That’s 71 percent of Chartiers-Houston’s scoring.
“I’ve never had anything like it, two guys averaging 50 points a game,” said Eugene Briggs, who is in his 19th season as a head coach.
Myers is a 6-foot-1 senior guard and Hanley a 6-foot junior guard. Both have been starting since their freshman seasons. Until Myers came along, Briggs never had a freshman play varsity, let alone start. A season later, Hanley did the same. Myers is the school’s all-time leading scorer. Hanley likely won’t catch Myers in that category, but Briggs said Hanley has a good chance of finishing his career as the top rebounder. The two combined to score 71 of their team’s 76 points in one game last month. Myers had 40 and Hanley 31.
“It’s an excellent combination because their styles and methods of scoring complement each other so well,” Briggs said.
Class 4A showdown
Quaker Valley has been good for a number of years, but this season’s team has a chance to be the best of the bunch. The Quakers are 121, their only loss being a 5554 setback Dec. 23 at New Castle. New Castle, also 121, is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A and Quaker Valley is No. 2.
The Section 2 foes play again next Tuesday in what will likely be one of the most highly-anticipated home games Quaker Valley has had in quite some time.
“If things play out this week, it would be for the section lead,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Mastroianni said.
“In terms of a regularseason game, it would probably be up there as one of the bigger home games we’ve had since I’ve been here. We were in the same section as Aliquippa for a few years, so we had some showdowns for first place. This would probably be similar.”
Good luck getting a ticket for this showdown. Quaker Valley’s gym is not very big. Mastroianni said it holds about 700 people. New Castle has one of the WPIAL’s biggest followings.
New Castle slipped past Quaker Valley in the first meeting by scoring the goahead basket with 30 seconds left. New Castle held Quaker Valley to 54 points, 24 below its average at that time.
“They’re relentless on defense. You’re locked in for 32 minutes and they never really go away,” Mastroianni said. “They take a lot of pride playing in those uniforms. Add in that they’re good players and great athletes and you create a culture. Credit to [coach] Ralph [ Blundo]. He’s done a great job.”
Name game
If you’re putting together an all-name team from WPIAL schools, Quaker Valley might just have three members: Amos, Coletrane and Wolf. You won’t do much better than those. Amos Luptak, Coletrane Washington and Wolf Moser are all starting guards. Washington is named after jazz great John Coltrane (spelling is slightly different). Wolf is short for Wolfgang.
As for Quaker Valley’s other two starters: “We have a Dan and a Rick to balance it out,” Mastroianni said, laughing.
Danny Conlan and Ricky Guss make up Quaker Valley’s starting frontcourt.