Lincoln Park’s Bradford no longer secret

The way Mike Bariski sees it, Lincoln Park’s “secret” is out.

That secret just happens to be 6 feet 5 with a muscular build and lengthy wingspan who oozes athleticism.

His name is Dakari Bradford.

Bradford, a senior swingman, flew under the radar the past two seasons when he was more of a role player, playing in the shadows of standouts such as Keeno Holmes and Isaiah Smith. When the Leopards won a PIAA title in 2019, Bradford missed nearly the entire playoffs due to a torn ACL.

But now, Bradford is in the spotlight, meaning the cat is out of the bag.

Or, more accurately, the “Dak” (that’s his nickname).

Bradford is the leading scorer for a Lincoln Park squad that, as usual, is very talented. Bariski also calls him the team’s best defender. He’s averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game for the Leopards (3-4 overall, 2-0 in Section 2), who are ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class 4A.

“This year is his year to shine,” Bariski said. “He’s always been a great player. He’s long, athletic and jumps out of the gym. His strength is his strength. He’s extremely physical. And he’s such a good defender. It’s very tough to score against him.”

Bradford is a unique athlete with a unique story. He and his twin brother, Daquan, one of the first players off the bench for Lincoln Park, live in Clairton. As you might know, that’s not exactly right down the road from Midland, Beaver County. It’s an hour drive each way. Dakari and Daquan — nicknamed “Bug” — take turns driving back and forth every day. The two transferred to Lincoln Park after attending Clairton as freshmen.

Dakari Bradford helps form what could be the most imposing frontcourt in the WPIAL. Playing alongside him are 6-8 senior Montae Reddix and 6-7 sophomore Joe Scott. Bariski often uses Bradford as the top defender when the team presses, giving the Leopards a longarmed disrupter in that spot, much like they had when former star Maverick Rowan was there.

Brother Daquan isn’t nearly as tall as Dakari, but good luck finding a tougher player around. Bariski called him “a rush linebacker on the basketball court.”

“He’s only 6-foot, but he’s total insanity on the basketball court,” Bariski said. “He causes havoc everywhere he goes. It’s 100% havoc all of the time.”

The Bradfords both had excellent senior football seasons. Lincoln Park doesn’t have a team, so students who want to participate play with Western Beaver through a cooperative sponsorship. Dakari was an all-conference wide receiver, while Daquan, a linebacker, was co-defensive player of the year in the conference.

Bariski said Dakari is good enough to play at the Division I level in three sports — basketball, football and track. The brothers both have Division II offers for football. Lock Haven and Bluefield State are schools that have offered both. Dakari said the two have talked about attending the same school, but added that each is looking for the best fit individually. Pitt and Robert Morris have extended Dakari preferred walk-on offers. Basketball is still in play for Dakari, too. Bariski called him “a high-level Division II” player, adding that he recently told one Division II coach, “If you don’t come and see him, you’re out of your mind.”

As a youngster growing up in Clairton, Dakari Bradford said he idolized players like Tyler Boyd, now with the Cincinnati Bengals. Bradford and his brother would go watch many of the Clairton games when Boyd and his teammates were building what became a state-record 66-game winning streak.

Bradford is now hoping to close out his high school basketball career by making a splash at the state level, as well.

“Our goal is to win a state championship, and we have the potential with all of our size and speed,” he said. “We have a history of winning championships here, and we want to carry on that tradition.”

Greensburg Salem

Greensburg Salem coach Mark Zahorchak was hoping he didn’t jinx his team when a reporter asked him if they would finally be playing their first game Saturday.

“We go back [to practice] Wednesday and play Saturday, but I almost hate saying it out loud,” Zahorchak said.

Entering the week, Class 6A Greensburg Salem was one of three WPIAL boys teams — and the only one in one of the two largest classes — to have not played a game due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Class 1A Mapletown finally tipped off Monday and Class 4A South Park Tuesday.

On Jan. 13, Greensburg Salem was just two days away from playing its first game, but a player tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the school district to shut down the program for two weeks. After three practices this week, Greensburg Salem will host Jeannette in a nonsection game Saturday. The Golden Lions have decided to hold their senior night festivities then, too.

“We’re all going nuts,” Zahorchak said. “We scrimmaged Monessen and Belle Vernon, but other than that, we’ve only practiced.”

Beginning Saturday, Greensburg Salem is scheduled to play 14 games in 28 days.

Butler

Defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Butler is playing without two of its starters. Charlie Kreinbucher, a 65 junior forward, and junior guard Raine Gratzmiller are out indefinitely because of injuries, coach Matt Clement said. Kreinbucher injured his thumb and Gratzmiller his ankle.

Kreinbucher and Gratzmiller both missed last Saturday’s game, an 86-78 win against Erie. Butler shot 62% from the field and got 39 points from junior guard Devin Carney. Senior Mattix Clement (20 points) and sophomore Madden Clement (15 points) combined to score 35 points and knocked down eight of Butler’s 12 3-pointers.

Butler dropped to 4-4 Tuesday after a 63-58 non-section loss at Norwin. The Golden Tornado is still in search of its first Section 1 win, but will try to change Friday when it hosts North Hills.

Eden Christian

The Eden Christian Warriors have emerged as one of the top teams in Class 1A, and it has been a pair of brothers who have fueled their rise.

Oh, man, the Manges siblings have been outstanding for No. 3 Eden Christian, which is 6-1 overall and sits atop Section 3 with a 4-0 mark. Elijah Manges, a 6-0 senior guard, is averaging a team-best 15.4 points a game. Brother Malachi, a 6-0 sophomore guard-forward, is right behind him at 14.9.

Brothers making impacts for top teams seem to be a theme in Class 1A. No. 1 Bishop Canevin features Trey and Shea Champine, while No. 2 Union boasts Anthony, Mark and Matt Stanley.