Graduations can’t slow down Rams
Battle of powerhouses comes down to wire after Rams comeback
After losing its top three players from last year’s WPIAL Class 4A championship team, many expected Highlands to take a step back in 2021 while adjusting to the new competition in Class 5A. Turns out, the Rams are here to stay. More than a month after the 2020-21 season tipped off Dec. 11, Highlands took the court for the first time Friday night at Mars. The Rams made the most of their first game back, knocking off the No. 2ranked team in Class 5A, 52-51, thanks to an inspired fourth-quarter comeback.
“Even in our own sector of the A-K Valley, writers didn’t pick us to be whatever — we take offense to that,” said Highlands coach Tyler Stoczynski. “We’re coming out here with a chip on our shoulder, and we’re ready to go play. We’re just excited that we get to play after being off for so long.”
The Planets led for the majority of the game, but the Rams (1-0, 1-0) clawed their way back to shock the Mars faithful who turned out to cheer on the Planets (3-1, 21). Sophomore guard Jimmy Kunst scored a team-high 15 points for Highlands, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 21 seconds left in the game.
“It feels so good, especially against a team like that,” Kunst said. “It’s crazy to get a win like that. It doesn’t even feel real right now, that our first game we come here and we win.
“Especially after this long layoff, it feels so good.”
The teams traded buckets throughout a back-and-forth first quarter, with both squads playing physical, aggressive defense and preventing any easy layups inside. Mars took a 12-11 lead after the opening quarter, but the Planets offense soon turned cold.
The Rams took advantage of some sloppy play by Mars, converting several Planets turnovers into fastbreak points the other way. Kunst drained a mid-range jumper to give Highlands a 23-17 lead late in the half, but Mars junior guard Zach Schlegel answered with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it a 23-20 score at the break.
The third quarter was more of the same, with neither team able to put
together a sustained run to give itself a cushion. The offenses clearly were far from being in midseason form, but both teams made up for it on defense by jumping in front of passing lanes, taking charges and diving for loose balls.
“We’re two highly intensified defensive teams, so that’s going to make things a little harder,” Stoczynski said. “That’s what makes basketball fun. You come in and compete, and hopefully you come out on top.”
Planets senior guard Mihali Sfanos began heating up late in the third quarter, knocking down a buzzer-beating 3 of his own to give Mars a 34-29 lead going into the fourth. Sfanos opened the final quarter with two free throws, then added a fastbreak layup to make it a seven-point
game.
The Planets stretched their lead to nine points early in the fourth quarter, but the Rams refused to go away quietly. Kunst and junior guard Carter Leri converted back-to-back baskets to make it a fourpoint game with a little more than two minutes left, and Highlands turned up the intensity on defense down the stretch.
With Mars leading, 50-46, senior guard D.J. Loveland buried a corner 3-pointer for the Rams to make it a one-point game. After a scramble for a loose ball, Highlands then got the ball back while trailing, 51-49, and Kunst nailed the deciding 3pointer with 21 seconds remaining.
“I knew I needed to make a big play,” Kunst said. “My teammates kept me positive the whole game. I think it was just
staying positive and staying confident that I was going to knock it down.”
The Planets still had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Sfanos’ shot off the backboard went in and out as time expired, giving the Rams a thrilling win.
“It was a game of centimeters,” Stoczynski said. “It literally came down to, that ball went in and out, and I held my breath for a good second there, because I thought it was in. And then somehow, it just popped out.
“That’s two really good teams battling, and we’re just happy we came out with the win today.”