Upper St. Clair clamps down on defense, beats Penn-Trafford in Class 6A quarterfinals

By: Mitch Montani
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 | 9:34 PM

Upper St. Clair will play in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals for a third consecutive season, thanks to a 47-32 home victory over Penn-Trafford on Wednesday night.

The Panthers defense shined in the first quarter, holding the Warriors to one point.

Penn-Trafford was held without a field goal for more than nine minutes to start the game.

“We really prepared defensively for them,” Panthers coach Pete Serio said. “They penetrate so well to the basket. That’s where their bread and butter is. We continually worked on stopping penetration.”

The 15-1 lead for the Panthers after the first quarter played a key part in the game. Penn-Trafford was only outscored 32-31 the rest of the way.

“That was the difference in the game,” Warriors coach John Giannikas said. “The second, third and fourth quarters were close to even. In playoff games, that’s sometimes all it takes is one quarter.”

The Panthers were led by sophomore Kate Robbins, who had a game-high 17 points.

Rylee Kalocay scored 14 points off the bench for Upper St. Clair. That total included four 3-pointers from the freshman.

“She’s a player,” Serio said. “She really stemmed the tide with those 3s. It let us play with ease and took the pressure off.”

Sophomore Oliva Pepple led the Warriors with 14 points. Senior Maura Suman, in her final high school game, contributed 12 points.

“She played tonight like she’s played for four years,” Giannikas said. “She played from the beginning until the end. We’re lucky to have her.”

Giannikas was complementary of the soon-to-be graduate’s contributions to his basketball program.

“She’s one of the best players that we’ve had here in my 16 years,” Giannikas said. “She’s an even better person.”

The win clinched a PIAA playoff spot for Upper St. Clair, as the top four teams in Class 6A get to participate. The Panthers will play the winner of North Allegheny/Seneca Valley in the semifinals Saturday, with a trip to Petersen Events Center on the line.

“We’re looking forward to playing another game and preparing,” Serio said. “We had 10 days to prepare for this game, and only two days to prepare for our next game. We have to come ready to play.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford, Upper St. Clair