Pine-Richland has chance to make history
When Jeff Ackermann was making his random curfew calls the night before the WPIAL semifinals on Tuesday, he checked on Phil Jurkovec. Before he went night-night, Jurkovec asked if Ackermann could tell him a bedtime story about history.
“We were just talking a little,” said Ackermann, “and Phil just asked, ‘Coach, how many times has a team won three WPIALs in a row?’ I told him I didn’t know exactly.”
Come Saturday night, Pine-Richland won’t just talk about history. They have a chance to make it.
Pine-Richland ( 20- 5) meets Penn Hills (22-3) at Petersen Events Center in the WPIAL Class 6A championship. It will be the last of 12 title games over three days. Penn Hills has made it to the title game for the first time in 15 years. Meanwhile, Pine-Richland has won two consecutive WPIAL titles. This would be a three-peat for the ages.
Since the WPIAL started staging basketball championships 110 years ago, there has been only one team that has won three consecutive championships in the largest classification. That was New Castle from 1997-99. No one else has done it. Not those great Farrell teams under legendary coach Ed McCluskey. Not the tremendous Uniontown teams under Abe Everhart.
Will Pine-Richland have a page in the WPIAL record book?
“I’ve thought about it,” said Jurkovec. “Two years ago, we were just so pumped to get to The Pete because the school had never [played in a WPIAL championship] before. But each year has been so different. Each year, we had to play differently.”
Only seven teams in any classification have won three consecutive championships. To add a little more historical significance, consider that Ackermann could become the first coach in WPIAL history to three-peat twice. He won three in a row as Moon’s coach from 200406, when the Tigers were in Class 3A.
“The thing is, we’ve gotten to the final [at Pine-Richland] with much different groups,” said Ackermann. “We faced a lot of adversity this year. Our football guys came back late because they won a state championship. Then we had [junior center] Andrew Kristofic out for a while.”
That New Castle team that won three in a row had four three-year starters — David Young, Ed Pagley, Desmond Whetzel and Pat Cain. There has been one constant in every Pine-Richland WPIAL finalist — Jurkovec.
A 6-foot-5 senior forward, Jurkovec has been a starter since his freshman season. He is headed to Notre Dame to play quarterback, but has left an everlasting impression on the hardwood as well. He has scored more than 1,000 points.
“He’s our heart and soul,” said Ackermann. “Usually, he wants to win more than anyone else on the court. That’s not taking anything away from anyone else or our opponents. I’ve coached a lot of teams in my life where you get on the bus after a game and you don’t know if you won or lost because of the mood on the bus. When Phil loses, Phil’s not a happy guy.
“He said from day one this year that he came back to play basketball because he wanted to win. He could be working out, just lifting weights and getting ready for Notre Dame. But he loves basketball. He loves to compete.”
Pine-Richland will have to compete hard to beat Penn Hills (22-3). The Indians have been one of the top teams in the WPIAL the past three seasons, but coach Dan DeRose’s crew has come up a little short, losing in the WPIAL quarterfinals and semifinals to North Hills in both 2017 and 2016.
This should tell you enough about the talent of Penn Hills: The Indians are the only WPIAL team to beat City League champion Allderdice.
Penn Hills can match Pine-Richland’s size with 6-5 guard-forward Daivon Stephens and 6-6 senior forward Keyshawn Adams. Stephens is extremely versatile and averages 17 a game. Cory Fulton is a 6-foot senior guard who also is capable of a big scoring game.
Pine-Richland has balanced scoring, much like Penn Hills. Junior guard Dan Petcash averages 17.3, Jurkovec 15.9, Kristofic 10.7, junior guard Greg Shulkosky 12.9 and junior guard Colin Luellen 8.6.
Class 5A
This is the championship for the new guys.
Franklin Regional has played in only two championships (1996-97) while Mars has never played in a title game. Franklin Regional (204) takes on Mars (20-4) at 9 p.m. Friday.
The game presents an interesting matchup. Franklin Regional can play a physical
style, allowing only 46.6 points a game. The Panthers have given up only 26 and 40 points in two playoff games. Mars averages 74.3 points, second best in the WPIAL. Mars features senior Robby Carmody, a Notre Dame recruit who was the WPIAL’s leading scorer in the regular season at 33 points a game. Carmody is a four-year starter who has 2,250 points, 15th best in WPIAL history.
“It’s really special, “Carmody said of getting to the title game. “As a little kid, you never really think about the state because you don’t go to those games. But you’re always going to WPIAL playoff games. This is something I’ve always dreamed of.”
Class 4A
Quaker Valley is looking to make some history of its own when it plays New Castle at 1 p.m. Saturday. Quaker Valley is 23-0 and trying to become only the 20th team since 1950 to win a WPIAL title with a perfect record.
“The undefeated record wasn’t something that was a goal of ours,” said Quaker Valley coach Mike Mastroianni. “It’s something that has just become attached now and connected to us at this point.”
And New Castle is connected to Quaker Valley — again. The two teams play in the same section and this will be the sixth meeting between the two in the past two seasons. New Castle (20-4) beat Quaker Valley in last year’s title game, but Quaker Valley won both contests this season. After the previous meeting [Jan. 23], Mastroianni had a message for New Castle coach Ralph Blundo.
“I saw him in a hallway and I said, ‘I’ll see you again,’” said Mastroianni. “I thought we’d play them again.”
With Mastroianni and Blundo, it’s a matchup of two of the best coaches in the WPIAL.
“We know each other’s plays and we know each other’s styles,” said Mastroianni. “We get their will and confidence, and I think they understand a little about us. I think the level of competition and the way things are done right at a high level when we play them, is good for high school basketball. That’s really the good part of playing them.”
Class 2A
It will be a section rematch when Sewickley Academy (20-4) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (22-2) meet at 5 p.m. Friday. The two teams split two close games this season. Sewickley Academy is the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion and coach Win Palmer said playing at Petersen Events Center can have an effect on teams.
“The only time I’ve ever seen our players nervous was last year at The Pete,” said Palmer. “The state finals, they weren’t nervous at all. They played like men. This is going to be good for them to get a chance to go back. The whole atmosphere there is different.”