Not turning the page on basketball yet
The weather is turning towards spring as St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness loom, turning our attention to an exciting season where we can get back outside and enjoy the sun.
All but one Mon Valley basketball team has concluded its season at this point which gives us a chance to reflect on the impressive seasons of our area teams.
In all, two of our squads captured WPIAL championships, and both offered glorious storylines in what has been an extremely impressive campaign for South Allegheny and the recently- eliminated Belle Vernon Leopards.
Starting with the Gladiators, the lone survivors in the Mon Valley, as they take on District 3 champ Trinity in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals tomorrow., They picked up their first WPIAL championship in school history in a gutsy 37-35 victory over Aliquippa. The Quips are also alive in state play and have blown out their two opponents with hopes of a state semifinal rematch with SA.
Led by the talented backcourt of Drew Cook and Cam Epps, the Gladiators dominated their entire WPIAL schedule en route to a gold medal. Fellow starters Josh Jackowski, Jake Uher and Camden Lewis have had strong moments of their own throughout the year to ensure their trophy.
Moving forward, the Gladiators will be hoping to add more silverware to the trophy case in the form of a state championship.
The Leopards, which just saw their season come to an end against District 10 runner- up Sharon in the second round of the state playoffs Tuesday, earned their second WPIAL championship in school history and their first since 1978.
In the process, Belle Vernon sent legendary coach Joe Salvino riding off into the sunset of retirement with one last gold medal around his neck. Over 41 years, Salvino compiled a 745-313 record, seven WPIAL championships (six at Monessen) and two state championships (both at Monessen).
Zion Moore, who transferred from Ringgold a few years ago, was one of the biggest reasons that the Leopards were able to get the job done. He was one of the best scorers in the entire WPIAL this year as Trevor Kovatch also made big shots and big defensive plays. Tommy Davis, Dom Ghilani and Curty Wade were also integral in capturing the title for Belle Vernon to break a 47-year streak of no district titles.
In Class 1A, Serra Catholic dropped the WPIAL championship to juggernaut Neighborhood Academy, which won two other games against the Eagles in section play. NA has handled both its opponents in the state playoffs with ease and will be shooting for a PIAA title to couple with its WPIAL trophy.
Making the girls Class 1A title game was Clairton, which dropped the result to Union 51-40 at the Petersen Events Center. Iyanna Wade, Karma Fuqua and Jamiya Childs led the way for them as they also made the state playoffs for their efforts.
The catalyst of the Eagles’ success this year was once again Owen Dumbroski, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer at the beginning of the year.
He was one of many area stars that reached milestones this season.
Cook and Epps shared a special night at Shady Side Academy on Jan. 24 as both of them reached the 1,000-point milestone in the same game, adding to how unforgettable their season has been thus far.
For Clairton, Wade concluded her high-school career with a loss in the state playoffs, but she’ll be remembered in the record books for her scoring.
Not only did she eclipse 3,000 points for her illustrious career, but she moved into second all-time in WPIAL scoring with 3,119 points. She passed Monessen’s Charel Allen by nine points (3,110) and only trails Monessen’s Gina Naccarato (3,364) in scoring.
Out of all the local girls teams, Thomas Jefferson made the WPIAL and state playoffs in Class 5A, bowing out in both at the hands of Peters Township. In Class 4A, Elizabeth Forward made the state and WPIAL postseason, and Belle Vernon and Yough joined them in the district playoffs.
In Class 3A, South Allegheny made it to the WPIAL playoffs. California made it to the postseason in Class 2A while Bentworth lost a playin game to make the bracket. Down in Class 1A, Clairton joined Serra Catholic in the postseason.
On the boys side, TJ made the postseason in Class 5A while Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward and West Mifflin did the same in Class 4A. In 3A, SA and Charleroi matched up in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Clairton and Bentworth made the WPIAL postseason in Class 2A and Serra and Monessen made it in Class 1A.
