Covid-19 concerns won’t keep Upper St. Clair boys out of PIAA basketball playoffs
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Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 8:07 PM
Upper St. Clair’s Luke Banbury celebrates with David Pantelis after defeating Butler in their WPIAL Class 6A semifinal on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Upper St. Clair High School.
Upper St. Clair’s boys basketball team has at least six healthy players, so the Panthers will compete Saturday in the PIAA playoffs as scheduled.
The school was awaiting results from team-wide covid-19 tests after a case was discovered Sunday, two days after Upper St. Clair won the WPIAL Class 6A title. Athletic director Kevin Deitrick and coach Danny Holzer discussed this week how many players would need to test negative to play the PIAA game.
“He and I came up with six,” Deitrick said. “We’ve got six (negative tests).”
Results were pending on other players and coaches, he said, but by Wednesday they’d already reached the threshold needed to compete.
“Now, we’ll wait and see (who else is available),” Deitrick said. “Even the coaching staff is up in the air, but we’ll be there Saturday.”
District 10 champion Erie will visit USC at 2 p.m. Erie defeated District 6 champion Altoona, 75-21, in a first-round game Wednesday.
“They are very talented and very athletic,” Holzer said of Erie. “This will be a difficult challenge for us. We’re ready to play anybody. We have confidence in our kids.”
It’s possible Upper St. Clair might have eight or fewer players, he said. The team shut down basketball activities through Friday to quarantine.
“I know they want to play,” Deitrick said. “Quite honestly, I think they’ve earned it. The PIAA tournament is something you strive for. This gives them an opportunity to play. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Said Holzer: “I’m thrilled that we can continue, even though we’ll be short-handed.”
Staff writer Don Rebel contributed.
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Upper St. Clair
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