Down the final stretch
A preview of the boys and girls PIAA semifinal matchups this week.
Upper St. Clair will have its coach back for the PIAA semifinals, as well as some more players.
Although coach Danny Holzer isn’t sure how many players the Panthers will have for Tuesday’s game, it will certainly be more than the six who beat Erie in the quarterfinals Saturday.
Due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the team, Holzer, three of his assistants and a number of players were not able to attend the victory against Erie. Three starters played — David Pantelis, Luke Gensler and Ethan Dahlem — and the Panthers pulled out a 62-57 victory. Now, Upper St. Clair (21-1) plays in the state semifinals for the first time in school history. The Panthers play Reading (24-2) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Altoona High School.
“I’m not allowed to say who will be back because of privacy reasons,” Holzer said. “But generically, I can say we anticipate having potentially 10 players.”
Upper St. Clair’s players and coaches started to quarantine for 10 days after a player tested positive March 13. On March 17, all players and coaches were supposed to take a rapid test, and those who tested negative could participate in the game against Erie.
When Holzer was asked who would be at practice Monday, he said, “I’m not sure. It’s different for everyone, depending on the first day of your symptoms.”
Reading could present a tougher challenge than Erie. Teams from eastern Pennsylvania in the largest classification can be extremely strong. This Reading team might not be as good as the 2017 team that beat PineRichland, 64-60, in the very first PIAA Class 6A championship. That Reading team featured a future NBA player in Lonnie Walker.
But this Reading team still is formidable. It features 6-foot-6 senior forward Moro Osunamu, a West Chester University recruit who averages 13.8 points. But Osumanu is not the leading scorer for Reading. That is Ruben Rodriguez, a sophomore who transferred from Muhlenberg and averages 14.6 points a game. Daniel Alcantra, a 6-4 junior guard, averages 13.6.
Holzer knows Reading presents a big challenge, but says his team is not intimidated.
“I say this confidently and not arrogantly,” Holzer said. “I really like my team and the way we can compete. If we play our game, we feel we can play with just about anybody.”
In the other semifinal, Archbishop Wood ( 18- 0) meets Lower Merion (11-4). Archbishop Wood has a powerful team that has four Division I recruits. Rahsool Diggins, a 6-3 point guard, is rated the No. 46 senior in the country by Rivals.com and is a University of Connecticut recruit. Jaylen Stinson (6-foot guard) is going to James Madison, Marcus Randolph (6-4 forward) is headed to Richmond and Daeshon Shepherd (6-5 forward) is a La Salle recruit.
Lower Merion won its first District 1 championship since Kobe Bryant’s senior year in 1996. Gregg Downer, who coached Bryant, is still Lower Merion’s coach.
Lincoln Park faces size
Lincoln Park (19-5) has enjoyed a size advantage over just about every team this year.
But the Leopards will face a big team when they play host to Hickory (22-3) Monday night in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal. Hickory starts three 6-5 players, a 6-2 guard and a 6-3 guard.
Hickory’s leading scorer is Peyton Mele, a 6-3 senior guard who averages 17.6 points. Connor Evans, a 6-5 senior center, averages 15.2.
A victory will put Lincoln Park into a title game for the fourth time in eight years — and would be in the third different classification.
The Leopards played in the 2014 Class 1A title game, and the 2017 and 2019 Class 3A finals.
OLSH meets family act
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (22-0) has made it to the PIAA semifinals for the third time in four years and will play a Portage team that certainly has a family atmosphere to it.
Portage (21-2) is a team from Cambria County that is coaches by Travis Kargo, who is in his 21st season. Two of Kargo’s sons, senior Koby and sophomore Mason, start for the Mustangs. Kaden Claar is Travis Kargo’s nephew and one of the team’s leading scorers at 15 points a game. He had 24 in a quarterfinal victory against Kennedy Catholic. Preston Rainey also averages 15.
Portage’s program has been on an upswing. The Mustangs were only 5-18 three years ago and are in the semifinals for the first time in school history. But judging from last year, Portage would have to be considered an underdog against OLSH. Portage lost to OLSH, 84-56, in the PIAA second round a year ago.
Why home games?
Many fans are wondering why some teams are playing home games this year in the PIAA tournament. That has never happened before, but it’s just another COVID-19 effect.
In order to cut down on travel for some teams during the pandemic, the PIAA decided to give teams home games who were at the top of the bracket, provided they were playing against a team from a contiguous district. The WPIAL is District 7 and all WPIAL teams have been at the top of the brackets. So, any WPIAL team gets a home game if it is playing against a team from District 5, 6, 9 or 10.
If teams meet that are from districts that are not contiguous, the game will be played at a neutral site. Five of the eight WPIAL teams — boys and girls — in the semifinals are playing home games. The other three are playing at neutral sites.