Patience pays off for Shaler in win
When McKeesport started the third quarter by making its first five shots, including three 3-pointers, Shaler didn’t panic. The Titans stayed with their mentality of doing things in a pack.
Shaler packed in its defenses all night. Whether it was man-to-man or a matchup zone, Shaler’s defenders spent plenty of time in the paint and were willing to give up outside shots.
McKeesport ended up shooting themselves out of the game and Shaler surged ahead for a win. Yes, Shaler won a playoff game. Shaler knocked off McKeesport, 76-60, in a WPIAL Class 5A firstround game at Fox Chapel Monday night.
“We feel hyped,” said Shaler senior Brennan Fugh.
They should. It was a gigantic win for Shaler when you consider recent history. The Titans had struggled through five consecutive losing seasons. But now Shaler, the No. 8 seed for the 5A playoffs, is 16-7
and has its first postseason victory since 2012. And how’s this for coincidences: In 2012, Shaler also beat McKeesport in a first-round game at Fox Chapel.
“This is big for the Shaler community in general,” said Shaler coach Rob Niedeberger. “You look at Shaler, a lot of the bigger sports programs, like football and basketball, have been losing for years. This is great for these guys. When I came in here three years ago, this program was in dire straits. This is real satisfying for these seniors because they worked their butts off.”
Keeping their cool was big for the Titans against McKeesport. The hot thirdquarter start pushed No. 9 seed McKeesport to a 45-41 lead. But McKeesport (11-10) missed 19 of their next 20 shots. After the 5-for-5 start to the second half, the Tigers shot 21 percent (6 for 28) the rest of the game and 12 percent (2 of 17) from 3-point range.
“We were watching a bunch of film on them,” said Fugh. “We saw each game, they would go on a run, but they would cool down. That’s what they did in this game.”
McKeesport junior forward Deamontae Diggs, who averages 20 points a game, scored 20. But he had only nine points in the final three quarters. He was only 4 of 16 from the field on that span.
“He’s a machine on the boards,” said Niedeberger. “But we watched their games against Penn Hills and Albert Gallatin. Both games, they went on runs. They’re a team that’s extremely athletic, but they’re not a good shooting team. We told our guys in practices to just keep your heads and stick to what we’re doing. “
Shaler went to a packed-in defense the last few games.
“It’s more of a playoff defense,” said Niedeberger.
Offensively, Shaler was much better than McKeesport behind the 3point line. The Titans made 53 percent (8 of 15) beyond the arc. Junior guard Mekhi Reynolds made 5 of 8 3-point attempts and scored 25 points. Senior forward Matt Bendel muscled around the inside for 21 points. He made 9 of 12 shots. Fugh was good all-around for the Titans and finished with 15 points.
After McKeesport took the 45-41 lead, Shaler went on a 10-0 run, fueled by backto-back 3-pointers from Fugh and Reynolds. Shaler took a 56-48 lead into the final quarter and slowly pulled away.