High school basketball is over and the memories from games, players and coaches are many. So for the 2017-18 season, “I’m Just Sayin …”
• One shining moment: When Tess Myers drove the length of the court in the WPIAL 4A girls championship and hit a shot at the buzzer to give Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic a 50-49 victory against Beaver. And it was priceless seeing Myers run to get hugs from her grandfather courtside after the game. It was like a Sister Jean moment.
• Best individual performance: Mars’ Robby Carmody, for one half of the PIAA Class 5A final against Abington Heights. Carmody scored Mars’ first 24 points of the second half and finished with 27 of Mars’ 30 points in the final two quarters of a tough loss to Abington Heights. This year was the 30th anniversary of the greatest individual performance in a state championship game and Carmody’s performance brought back memories of that March night in 1988, when Carlisle’s Billy Owens scored a record 53 points in the 4A title game against Central Catholic. Owens scored 27 points in the first half.
• Most memorable performance in a short period: We hate to be repetitive, but Carmody is a double winner. What he did late in 30 seconds of a game against West Allegheny is a finish for the ages. West Allegheny led Mars by 10 points before Carmody scored 10 in the final 30 seconds to tie the score. Mars eventually won in overtime. Carmody hit three 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds and was fouled on one attempt. He made the free throw and eventually finished with 43 points.
• Players of the year: Ahhhh, we’ll let the Post-Gazette announce those in the April 15 and April 20 editions.
• Best coaching jobs: On the boys side, it’s New Castle’s Ralph Blundo, Quaker Valley’s Mike Mastroianni, OLSH’s Mike Rodriguez and Mars’ Rob Carmody. How in the heck did Blundo win his fifth WPIAL title this year with that team?
On the girls side, how about Beaver’s Greg Huston, North Allegheny’s Spencer Stefko and Mars’ Dana Petruska? In the cases of Carmody and Stefko, their teams were expected to be strong this season. But sometimes it takes a masterful coaching job to have a team live up to lofty expectations.
• Most underrated player: James Ellis, Westinghouse. Sure, it’s hard to not notice this 6-foot-11 senior center and he received some “pub” this season. But many don’t realize exactly how good Ellis is — or his potential for the future. He has signed with Allegany, a junior college in Maryland. But don’t be surprised if he ends up at a Division I college and sits out the 2018-19 season. He could be a major factor at a major college in a few years.
• Best comment: Dave Long, the boys coach at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in Cranberry, after the school fired him recently: “I had open heart surgery while I coached and I’ve been through a heart attack. I knew they would either carry me out of Cranberry some day or they would run me out of Cranberry. Well, the latter is true. I kind of got run out. But I guess it’s better than the first option.”
• Best comment II: When the Washington boys season ended after a WPIAL quarterfinal loss, longtime coach Ron Faust remarked after the game that he felt bad for highly-successful Aliquippa football coach Mike Zmijanac, who was fired one day earlier. When asked whether he would return to Washington for his 33rd season, Faust said, “Unless the Aliquippa school board moves to Washington.”
• “Take That” award: To Mars girls coach Dana Petruska. Mars fired Dana Petruska as girls coach 13 years ago. She came back to the place that fired her in 2015 and won a PIAA championship this year.
• Saddest moment: When North Allegheny standout junior guard Rachel Martindale went down with a knee injury in the WPIAL 6A championship victory against Peters Township. It turned out to be a torn ACL and Martindale never played again. I’ll say the injury cost North Allegheny a state championship. The Tigers lost in the PIAA semifinals. With Martindale, they win it all.
• “Watch me” players: Butler sophomore Ethan Morton and Peters Township junior Makenna Marisa. Morton’s future is so bright, he needs to wear shades. He’s a 6-5 point guard, a player with a versatile skill set and he already has scholarship offers from major colleges, such as Ohio State and Wisconsin. The best part of his game might be his unselfishness and passing. Marisa is a 5-11 junior who might be the best point guard to come out of the WPIAL in recent years.
• “Watch us” teams: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart boys played in WPIAL and PIAA championships and didn’t have one senior on the roster. The Sewickley Academy boys had only one senior starter and beat OLSH in the WPIAL final. OLSH and Sewickley played four times this season and every game was close. They play in the same section again next year. The anticipation of their matchups already has started.
• Rookie of the year: OLSH’s Dante Spadafora. A freshman point guard, Spadafora averaged 15 points for a WPIAL and PIAA runner-up team. With his tough attitude and leadership abilities, he thought nothing of getting on an older player to set him straight. And I never saw anyone who wanted to mess much with Spadafora. Good thing. His uncle is Paul Spadafora, former IBF lightweight champion of the world, and his father, Harry, also was a boxer. “My dad and uncle made sure I was tough. They never let me be soft,” said Dante.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: April 5, 2018, 11:00 a.m.
