Lincoln Park going for ‘one more’
Lincoln Park has warm-up shirts that read “One More.”
A sign in its locker room spells out the same.
It’s a reminder to make one more pass, sometimes giving up a good shot for an even better one.
The Leopards have taken the words to heart, and their ability to share the ball has them looking like they could win one more WPIAL title this season.
High-volume scorers such as Maverick Rowan and Nelly Cummings helped build Lincoln Park into a perennial power, one which has reached the WPIAL final seven times (winning three titles) and the PIAA final four times (winning one) since the program was formed in 2007. But this season it has been a balancing act with five players averaging in double figures.
“We’ve got balance across the board,” Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski said. “On any given night, we have four or five guys who can be our leading scorer. Actually six. There have been a few games where our sixth man has been our top or second-leading scorer. We have a lot more dependable weapons this season.”
Lincoln Park is 11-1 overall and 6-0 in Class 3A Section 1. The defending WPIAL champions are ranked No. 2 in the state. Their only loss was against 6A Pine-Richland, a game the Leopards led by 13 points in the third quarter.
Keeno Holmes, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, is a four-year starter and leads the team with 17 points per game. Holmes averaged 23 points a game last season, but this season has become more of a distributor. Isaiah Smith, a 6-foot junior guard, is second with 15 points a game. He’s followed by 6-3 junior forward Andre Wilder (13 ppg), 6-6 junior forward Tanner Mathos (10 ppg) and 5-9 senior guard Casey Oliver (10 ppg).
Franklin Regional
It’s still left to be seen if Allderdice or a WPIAL team get a shot at District 10 power Kennedy Catholic in the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. Franklin Regional was the only team on Kennedy Catholic’s regularseason schedule, and this past Saturday the host Golden Eagles — ranked No. 2 in the state — beat Class 5A Franklin Regional (11-4), 85-53.
Franklin Regional coach Steve Scorpion came away very impressed with Kennedy Catholic, which features 6-9 West Virginia recruit Oscar Tshiebwe and 6-4 Duquesne recruit Maceo Austin. Franklin Regional played Kennedy Catholic even for a quarter, but Kennedy Catholic took a 12-point halftime lead and broke the game open in the second half. Austin scored 27 points and Tshiebwe had 25.
“They’re very talented. Big, long and athletic,” Scorpion said. “They play very well together. Guys know their roles. Obviously, it doesn’t hurt to have a grown man in Oscar inside.”
How does a high school team defend a player with freakish athleticism who could be in the NBA in a few years? Scorpion started by putting his tallest player on him — 6-7 junior Johnny O’Toole. A few other players took a turn, too, as Franklin Regional bounced between man-to-man and zone. When Tshiebwe caught the ball in the post, he was quickly double-teamed. Scorpion said Tshiebwe scored most of his points off of offensive rebounds and in transition. He had several dunks.
Trinity
Christian Koroly was a star player at Trinity. Brother Joey was, too. Now the youngest of the three Koroly brothers, Michael, is making his mark for the Hillers.
Michael Koroly is a 6-foot junior point guard averaging 19 points per game in his first year as a starter. Koroly scored a career-high 30 points Dec. 27 against Albert Gallatin. He has been excellent from long range, and knocked down six 3-pointers Dec. 18 at Montour.
“He’s been great,” Trinity coach Tim Tessmer said. “He went from being a spot shooter to having his role expand greatly. He’s done a great job. He’s a natural two, but we have him playing the point because he’s one of our best ball handlers.”
Both of Koroly’s brothers were also point guards at Trinity. Christian, a 2013 graduate, played in college at Waynesburg. Joey, a 2018 graduate, was a 1,000-point scorer and 4,000-yard rusher at Trinity. He now plays football at Washington & Jefferson.
Trinity went 21-6 and reached the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in school history last season, but the Hillers had to replace all five starters. Tessmer starts one senior, three juniors and a sophomore. After starting the season 0-4, Trinity (7-6) has won seven of nine and is 4-2 in Class 5A Section 2.