Brothers swimming in postseason glory
The story of two-sport athletes and brothers Alexander and Joseph Roth already was a good one this winter. But their story got even better Saturday.
“And I think it still could get even better,” Joseph Roth said.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say the Roths have provided one of the most unusual two-sport stories in WPIAL history. You’ll have a hard time coming up with many high school basketball players in WPIAL history who also were swimmers. Or are the Roths swimmers who are basketball players? Whatever, what really makes these “Splash Brothers” unusual is that they excel in both sports. And Saturday, the Roths put a golden touch on their story.
The Roths attend Ellwood City High School, but swim for Riverside under a cooperative sponsorship agreement because Ellwood City doesn’t have a swim team. At the WPIAL Class 2A championships Saturday, Joseph Roth, a freshman, won the 100-yard backstroke and set a WPIAL meet record. Alexander Roth, a junior, finished second in the 100 freestyle. And both Roths were members of two relay teams that won gold medals.
And get this —on Sunday, the Roths were at Ellwood City basketball practice, as the Wolverines prepared for their WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Monday night against Shady Side Academy. The Roths are both starters and have helped the Wolverines reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 23 years.
“We’re confident,” Joseph
Roth said of the basketball quarterfinal. “Shady Side has two freshmen guards, the same as me. Maybe they’ll be nervous. We think we have a chance.”
Joseph is a 6-foot-4, 185pound forward who has been a force for Ellwood City on the inside, averaging 17.8 points and 16 rebounds a game. Alexander, a 6-2 guard, averages 13.5 points and 8 rebounds. In a first-round WPIAL game, Joseph scored 33 points against Valley. In a second-round upset of Avonworth, Alexander had 16 points and Joseph 13.
If Ellwood City would win Monday in basketball, the Roths will continue to practice swimming and basketball every day. It’s been that way all winter. It’s just a way of life for the Roths. When asked what would be a dream finish to this court-pool story, Joseph said, “For us to win the basketball championship. And our swim coach thinks we could possibly have a chance at winning a state championship as a team.”
The PIAA swimming championships are March 1920 at Cumberland Valley High School. That’s the same days as the PIAA basketball quarterfinals. It would be a good thing for the Roths if they had a scheduling dilemma that day.
Butler-USC again
Before their team’s WPIAL quarterfinal game Friday night, the Upper St. Clair Panthers were in their locker room, watching a live stream of the Butler/PennTrafford quarterfinal game that Butler won in overtime on Devin Carney’s last-second shot. The Upper St. Clair players were rooting for Butler.
Butler has defeated Upper St. Clair three times in the past two postseasons. Two years ago, Butler beat Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Last year, Butler made two great comebacks to beat Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA second round.
The two teams will meet again in the WPIAL semifinals Tuesday night at Upper St. Clair. David Pantelis is a senior guard for Upper St. Clair who endured all three of those losses. He didn’t want to give Butler any bulletin board material, but said, “We wanted to play Butler, just to try and beat them. I know I do.”
Luke Banbury is a senior forward for Upper St. Clair who also played for the Panthers last year. But he was ineligible for the postseason under PIAA rules, after transferring from Seton LaSalle.
“I didn’t get a chance to play Butler, so I definitely would like to play them,” Banbury said.
Turnaround Rams
Has there been a bigger turnaround story in WPIAL basketball in recent history than the Rochester Rams boys team? Rochester was 141 over the past two seasons. Now, the Rams are 13-4 and play Tuesday against Leechburg in the Class 1A semifinals.
Leechburg is in the playoffs this year for the 29th time. But the Blue Devils are in the semifinals for only the third time in school history. The others were 2007 and 1966.
Section surpremacy
The Class 3A girls semifinals turned into a party for Section 1.
All four semifinalists are from Section 1. Laurel plays North Catholic in one semifinal, while Beaver Falls meets Mohawk in the other. Laurel, Mohawk and North Catholic all played in WPIAL championship games a year ago in three different classifications. But Beaver Falls hasn’t been to a title game in 36 years.
The previous time was 1985 when a Beaver Falls team led by Joy Jeter beat Seton LaSalle at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House. A year earlier, Beaver Falls lost to Seton LaSalle in the title game.
20-something Bobcats
One of the most amazing team statistics in the WPIAL playoffs belongs to the Beaver girls team. The Bobcats are allowing only 25 points a game this season and their first two playoff opponents have scored 20 and 36 points. Only two teams have scored in the 40s on Beaver this season.
Championship sites
The WPIAL has set sites for eight of the 12 championship games. The remaining four sites will be announced Tuesday. The championship games will be played March 12, 13 and 15.
On March 12, the Class 4A girls championship (5 p.m.) and the Class 6A boys championship (8) will be played at Peters Township’s new AHN Arena, which opened only a month ago. The same night, the Class 2A girls championship (5) and the Class 1A boys title game (8) will be played at North Allegheny.
On March 13, Peters Township will play host to the Class 2A boys championship (5 p.m.) and the Class 6A girls final (8). North Allegheny will play host to the Class 3A girls title game (5) and the Class 5A boys championship (8).
Tickets will be available through the participating schools. The gyms will be cleared out after each game and 15% of capacity will be allowed. That means about 375 people will be allowed to attend each game.