Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 1, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Monday, February 1, 2021 | 10:16 PM

On the final Friday in January, many fans double-checked the result of a stunner in Section 2-2A boys basketball.

It’s safe to say more than a few eyebrows were raised when Jackson LaRocka and his Burgettstown teammates laid the smackdown on first-place Sto-Rox.

He may not be the people’s champion, but junior LaRocka is helping to save the season for the once-struggling Blue Devils.

“Jackson is a well-rounded player,” Burgettstown coach Tim Murray said. “I think his ball-handling ability is what brings the most value to our team. It allows him to create scoring opportunities for himself as well as his teammates. He can drive the ball to the basket, and he’s able to finish through contact. If the defense takes that away, he can knock down open threes. On top of all of that, he’s a solid defender.”

While the week began quietly for LaRocka, it ended with a bang.

Burgettstown began last week 1-6. On Monday, it beat Freedom without a lot of production from LaRocka, who finished with eight points.

“It was his first game back after being quarantined for 17 days,” Murray said. “We brought him off the bench since he had not been practicing for so long.”

LaRocka started making up for lost time the next day when he scored 23 points in a nonsection victory over Avella.

“We brought Jack off the bench again on Tuesday because he still hadn’t practiced in nearly three weeks,” Murray said. “I think at some point during the second quarter, he really embraced the spotlight and started playing with a lot of confidence. We were really stressing that we needed him to attack the basket, and once he had some success with that, he just took the game over and he was able to ice the game away with six straight free throws in the final couple of minutes.”

Then, on Friday, suddenly surging Burgettstown welcomed Sto-Rox for a section contest. LaRocka took control, and the Blue Devils used a big second quarter to pull off the upset, handing the Vikings their first section loss.

“What’s bigger than huge?” Murray asked. “It was just an incredible performance. Even more impressive than his stat line was the poise he showed in the fourth quarter when Sto-Rox cranked up their pressure. He made sure we had productive possessions and basically refused to let us lose.”

The perfect week for LaRocka and the Blue Devils ended Saturday with a 17-point victory at Waynesburg Central. He scored 31 points to set a career high for the third time in three games.

Murray said LaRocka coming back after missing so much time and still playing at a high level had a domino effect on his entire team.

“There are many contributing factors to our recent success, but Jackson’s play is certainly a large part of it. After playing without him for a couple of weeks, getting him back on the floor has really allowed other key players like Nathan Klodowski and Austin Nease to settle into their roles and thrive. Caleb Russell and Nate Kotouch had to step up and handle the ball a lot while Jack was out, and now that he is back, the experience they gained is paying off exponentially. We feel like all of our guys are totally bought in and playing for each other right now.”

Going from 1-6 to 5-6 in one week is huge for Burgettstown, but it still has work to do in the section. That starts Tuesday when the fourth-place Blue Devils visit third-place Fort Cherry.

For now, a perfect week is just the booster shot the doctor ordered and has Burgettstown beaming with confidence.

“Absolutely, I think that is already evident,” Murray said. “We just finished a 4-0 week, and we’re looking forward to keeping it rolling. Right now, our focus is on trying to go 1-0 in our next game.”

2021 Trib HSSN Player of the Week:

Week 2 — Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy

Week 1 — Jackson Juzang, Winchester Thurston