Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan takes Valley News Dispatch Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors
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Saturday, April 2, 2022 | 8:45 PM
Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan scores past Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner during their game on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, at Alumni Hall in Oakland.
Highlands’ Jimmy Kunst drives past Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher during their PIAA Class 5A second round state playoff game on Friday, March 11, 2022, at Norwin High School.
Burrell’s Brandon Coury steals the ball from Deer Lakes’ Nathan Buechel on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Armend Karpuzi looks for help as Highlands’ Brayden Foster presures in the first half of the final game of the Highlands tournament Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021.
Leechburg’s Braylan Lovelace scores past River Valley’s Andrew Baker during the Apollo Trust Company Basketball Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Apollo Ridge High School.
Kiski Area’s James Pearson grabs a rebound away from Woodland Hills’ Delrius Robinson on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 at Kiski Area High School.
Eli Yofan
Fox Chapel, 6-2, Sr., Guard
Eli Yofan averaged 19.3 points throughout the 2021-22 boys basketball season, but he was limited for most of Fox Chapel’s WPIAL Class 6A title game against North Hills early last month at the Petersen Events Center.
But as he did all season, the Foxes senior came up big when his team needed a clutch play.
Yofan canned a 3-pointer with six minutes left to break a 28-28 tie. It gave Fox Chapel a lead it never lost as it went on to knock North Hills from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 43-36 victory.
“It was an experience like no other, playing on that court in front of a lot of people,” said Yofan, who had gone to Pitt camps in his younger years and attended about a half-dozen Pitt games this year.
“Even though I didn’t have my best game, we as a team had a great game and did what we needed to do to win. I’ve been playing with all of these guys since third or fourth grade. We worked really hard for that moment. Celebrating on the court with my coaches and teammates was something that I will never forget.”
Yofan again led his team in scoring. He also led the way with 5.9 rebounds per game and produced 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals a contest. He scored more than 20 points 14 times and tied a career best with 34 to go along with a season-best 12 rebounds in a 77-67 come-from-behind WPIAL quarterfinal victory over Pine-Richland.
For his efforts throughout the season, which included helping lead the Foxes to the PIAA semifinals, Yofan has been selected the Valley News Dispatch Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the second time.
“When scouting reports a lot of the time were focused on me, considering I had a great year last year, it was more of a challenge to perform and play at a high level,” Yofan said. “I also was always looking to get my teammates involved and get them going just as they wanted to do that for me. That created opportunities all over.
“(The WPIAL title game) showed what this team was capable of offensively and defensively and how much depth we had as a team. If one guy has an off night, anyone can step up and play well and impact the game.”
Yofan, who has Division I offers from Army and Navy and also interest from Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Radford, Duquesne and West Virginia, impacted many Fox Chapel games throughout his four years.
He surpassed 1,000 points as a junior, and among his 17 points against Norwin this season were the ones on an alley-oop layup that gave him the all-time school scoring record.
Yofan surpassed the mark of 1,437 points scored by Matt D’Amico from 2010-2014.
D’Amico was on hand to congratulate Yofan on breaking the record.
“Last year, when I scored 1,000 points, that was pretty cool, and I never really knew what the all-time scoring record was until probably 10 games into this season,” said Yofan, who will play in the Roundball Classic on May 21 at Geneva College.
“I saw that it definitely was in reach. It probably won’t hit me until a couple years after high school that I scored the most points ever in Fox Chapel history. It’s amazing to think about how many (at Fox Chapel) have played and how many played this game so well. To do it at home was pretty special, and it was pretty cool to have Matt there, too.”
First Team All-Stars
Brandon Coury
Burrell, 6-1, Sr., Guard
The veteran Bucs performer was a consistent presence on the court as Burrell continued its rise up the ranks in and out of Section 1-4A play. Coury fronted the team in scoring at 21.9 points per game, added 4.5 rebounds a contest and hit 31 3-pointers as the Bucs went 9-3 in the section, finished 14-10 overall, reached the WPIAL quarterfinals and secured a berth in the PIAA tournament.
Armend Karpuzi
Deer Lakes, 6-3, Sr., Guard
Karpuzi was a force all over the court for the Lancers as they reached the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals and made a trip to the PIAA playoffs. He averaged 17 points and tallied a team-best 24 in the dramatic WPIAL first-round home victory over Blackhawk. He scored 20 and added 11 rebounds in Deer Lakes’ 66-63 season-ending loss to Penn Cambria in the PIAA first round.
Jimmy Kunst
Highlands, 6-3, Jr., Guard
The Golden Rams made another deep postseason run and Kunst was at the heart of it all. He averaged a team-best 20.9 points and helped Highlands finish 19-8 overall and qualify for the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals. He also tied Carter Leri for the team lead in 3-point field goals with 51. For his efforts, Kunst was selected a Section 4-5A first-team all-star.
Braylan Lovelace
Leechburg, 6-3, Jr., Guard/Forward
Lovelace started the year with a standout football season, and he didn’t let up when he reached the hardwood. His versatility helped the Blue Devils to a runner-up finish in Section 3-A, an 18-4 overall record and a trip to the WPIAL quarterfinals. Lovelace paced a strong Leechburg offense at 18.5 points per game and was a force on the boards at both ends of the court.
James Pearson
Kiski Area, 6-2, Sr., Guard
Pearson was a key cog in the machine for the Cavaliers who finished 15-8 overall — tripling their win total from last year — and earned a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. He averaged 14 points and eight rebounds and hit for 20 in a key late-season victory over PIAA semifinalist Gateway. Pearson picked up second-team all-star honors in a deep pool of players from Section 3.
Second Team
Isaiah Gonzalez, Kiski Area, 6-2, So., G
Gage Johnston, Apollo-Ridge, 6-3, Jr., G/F
Ryan Lang, Knoch, 6-1, Sr., G
Eli Rich, Leechburg, 6-5, Sr., F
Bryce Robson, Deer Lakes, 6-0, Jr., G
Third Team
Ben Aftanas, Valley, 5-8, Sr., PG
Vinnie Clark, Freeport, 5-10, Sr., G
JP Dockey, Fox Chapel, 6-1, Sr., G
Bradyn Foster, Highlands, 6-8, So., F
Jimmy Giannetta, St. Joseph, 6-0, Jr., PG
Cameron Moss, Plum, 6-3, Sr., F
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Plum, St. Joseph, Valley
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