Beaver Falls is determined to end season on high note
Like the rest of his teammates, Beaver Falls star Josh Creach was stunned by the news.
Doug Biega, the school’s highly-successful boys basketball coach for two decades, took a chair onto the court during a practice last week, sat down, and informed his players that he would be retiring at the end of this season. The team stayed silent during Biega’s talk, as he explained to them he made the decision because he wants to spend more time with his family. Biega, 46, is married and has a 7-year-old son.
It might have lit a fire under the Tigers, who have been in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since Biega’s first season (1999-2000). They have made the WPIAL playoffs 16 years in a row and the PIAA playoffs 15 consecutive years.
This current group would love to send their coach out on a high note.
“Yeah, we have something more on our backs going forward,” said Creach, one of the team’s two seniors.
Upsetting Class 4A No. 1 Quaker Valley on its home court Tuesday was a statement win. Quaker Valley won at Beaver Falls by 20 points last month. It was the first of what turned out to be four losses in six games. The Tigers are 3-0 since Biega relayed his news. They are tied for third place in Section 2. The Tigers and Beaver are 65, Central Valley is 5-6, and Blackhawk and Ambridge are 4-7. The top four teams make the playoffs.
Beaver Falls is probably much better than its 9-7 record indicates. Five of the losses have been by a combined 16 points. The Tigers have remaining section games against Beaver, Hopewell and New Castle. Creach and fellow senior
Bryce Strati have taken their game to another level the past week.
“I think it’s all in our heads — do it for coach,” Creach said.
The news of Biega’s imminent departure spread all the way to the Netherlands, where a player Biega has called the best he coached at Beaver Falls is playing professionally. Lance Jeter led the Tigers to WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2005. Jeter said he hopes this team relishes their remaining time with Biega.
“This year’s team should be thankful and grateful to have him and that coaching staff because there won’t be another like them,” Jeter said. “Cherish this last year with them because that coaching staff has done some amazing things and that community has seen some great basketball under him and the coaching staff. It saddens me that it’s coming to an end.”
Mt. Lebanon
The most talked about teams in Class 6A hail from Section 1 (Pine-Richland, North Hills, North Allegheny) and Section 3 (Fox Chapel, Penn Hills, Latrobe), but what’s up with the other section? The best team in Section 2 might be Mt. Lebanon. The Blue Devils (12-7) were in first place in the section with a 8-1 record and have won six games in a row. Not bad for a team that starts just one senior.
“We’re doing OK. We’re still fairly young. The guys are getting better as the season has gone by,” coach Joe David said.
Senior point guard Mark Lamendola is a four-year starter and leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 14 points per game. The other starters are sharpshooting junior guard Antonio Garofoli, sophomore guards Sean Loughran and Mike Palmer, and 6-foot-6 junior center Caden Hinckley.
Albert Gallatin
Albert Gallatin has not had much success the past decade. Since reaching the WPIAL final in 2007, the Colonials have not qualified for the playoffs and have finished in last place in their section nine consecutive seasons. They are 7-12 this season.
The Colonials do have a prolific scorer, though, and he had one of the most impressive performances in school history last Wednesday. Senior guard Tavian Mozie scored a schoolrecord 45 points and surpassed 1,000 points for his career in a 101-72 win at Frazier. Mozie ranks in the top 20 in the WPIAL in scoring with 23.8 points per game.
Since Albert Gallatin, Fairchance-Georges and German Township high schools merged in 1987, Mozie is the second player to score 1,000 points. The other was 2007 graduate Jawaan Alston, who went on to play at the University of Buffalo.