Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week for Feb. 26, 2023

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 9:58 PM

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The numbers are impressive. The Penn Hills boys basketball team has allowed a Class 5A-best 44.2 points per game this season.

That number puts the Indians at fifth overall in the WPIAL in team defense.

But if you need more proof, just go to a Penn Hills game. The Indians may be the only team that doesn’t do traditional layups when they first hit the floor for warmups; they come out and do a defensive drill.

“I give all the credit to our seniors, Daemar Kelly and Noah Barren,” Penn Hills coach Chris Giles said. “They are defensive minded guys and they’ve been like that their entire life. They take pride on the defensive end.

“I’m an offensive guy, I like to score the ball, but inheriting those guys, they do a really good job and when your leaders are defensive minded, and then everybody else just falls into line.”

The Indians’ outstanding defense was on display against two of the top offensive teams in the classification in the playoffs this week.

In the quarterfinals Wednesday, No. 2-seeded Penn Hills faced Mars. The Fightin’ Planets beat Bethel Park in the first round by 36 points.

“Mars is a really good team, they’re really well-coached and it was a great win for our team,” Giles said. “Their guard play is phenomenal. They can really shoot the ball. We are really good on the fundamentals and I told our guys, when you’re doing that, you don’t have to change who you are for every single game.”

Barren led the Indians with 18 points as Penn Hills rolled past Mars, 60-41.

That set up a battle of the Indians in the 5A semifinals with No. 2 Penn Hills facing No. 3 North Hills.

Following a tight first quarter which Penn Hills led by two points, the “eastern Indians” took control from the “northern Indians” with a dominant second quarter in which Penn Hills outscored North Hills, 24-11.

Once again, the Penn Hills defense was the difference. It limited North Hills junior star Royce Parham to only seven shots and 15 points, well below his average of 29 points per game.

“Royce is a really good player, he has great touch around the basket, is extremely athletic, he has great footwork and skill,” Giles said. “It was a challenge for us, especially on the help side. I take nothing away from that kid, he’s going to be really good for a long time.”

Giles likes some of the special weapons he has as well.

“Our kids take pride on the defensive end. They just put their feet on the ground and guarded. It wasn’t one guy guarding Royce, it was multiple guys. Plus one thing that might get lost under the rug is there were three Division I athletes on the floor. Daemar’s a Division I athlete and (Julian) Dugger is a Division I athlete, so from an athletic standpoint, those guys were able to hang with them.”

At the start of the third and fourth quarters, North Hills started hot and looked like it would make a run to get back in the game, but Penn Hills responded to Giles’ timeout calls and took control each time.

In the third quarter, three straight 3-pointers by junior Lamire Redman helped Penn Hills stave off a North Hills threat.

“Those kids go in there and shoot every single day before practice,” Giles said. “It’s not like our guys can’t shoot it, that’s just not our philosophy. Every team is different. When you have some size, shooting a lot of 3’s doesn’t play into our hands, but we do have guys capable of making shots.”

Penn Hills last won a WPIAL boys basketball title five years ago when it defeated Pine-Richland in the 2018 Class 6A finals. The Indians also won a championship 20 years ago in 2003, along with 2000, 1994 and 1987.

Now they face top-seeded Peters Township at 9 p.m. Thursday for a WPIAL championship.

“They’re extremely well coached and can shoot the ball,” Giles said of Peters Township. “They play extremely hard, they’re physical, they’re strong and they have good athletes. It will be a battle of wills. They’re going to come out and do what they do and we’re going to come out and play Penn Hills basketball.”

2023 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 7 – Monessen Greyhounds

Week 6 – Seton LaSalle Rebels

Week 5 – New Castle Red Hurricanes

Week 4 – Hampton Talbots

Week 3 – Mohawk Warriors

Week 2 – Central Catholic Vikings

Week 1 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars

Tags: Penn Hills