Penn Hills notebook: Fate brings Indians, Gateway together again

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, February 18, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The Penn Hills and Gateway boys basketball programs may have been separated when the WPIAL realigned the sections, but the neighbors and rivals still found that fate couldn’t keep the pair apart.

The Indians finished the regular season with a 14-7 overall record and were 6-4 in Section 2-5A play. Penn Hills opened this season with a six-point loss at Gateway at the Jack Twyman Tournament. The Indians got revenge on the Gators with a 55-48 overtime win on Jan. 23 on the road.

Penn Hills and Gateway were set to face off for a third time Feb. 19 at Gateway in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoff in a game played after the deadline for this edition.

Indians coach Chris Giles said playing twice during the regular season wasn’t intentional. They already had a home-and-home scheduled from the previous year and Penn Hills happened to draw the Gators at the Central Catholic tournament.

Ultimately, Giles didn’t think having seen Gateway twice would be a factor either way. Both teams have seen significant changes since they’ve played.

“Like I tell other coaches, you have to play who is in front of you in the playoffs,” Giles said. “You can’t pick and choose who we play. We are a completely different team. There’s some familiarity. The kids know each other. As the seasons go on, we get better, and I’m sure they feel the same way.”

Robby Thomas has stepped into a big role for Penn Hills this year. The defending WPIAL champions were hit hard by graduation and had a lot of new faces in the starting lineup.

Thomas leads the team by averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. Lamire Redman, Darien Roberson and Amon Hawthorne have also filled essential roles for the Indians.

“Our young guys have come on lately,” Giles said. “We knew that we had basically an entire new starting lineup. We practiced and preached fundamentals. We want to get guys better, and our starting lineup is completely different from when we matched up last time. We have two sophomores in the starting group and are playing some good basketball. There are good guys coming in and giving us a spark. There isn’t much drop-off when we go to the bench.”

Walker picks next school

Penn Hills senior Kenyana Walker has found a home for her future athletic career. Walker committed to play women’s volleyball and join the cheerleading squad at Penn State New Kensington next year.

Hoolahan hits qualifying time

Penn Hills senior swimmer Luke Hoolahan has added another WPIAL cut. He qualified in the 50 freestyle. He is also a member of multiple relay teams that have already qualified.

Indoor track finds success

Achan Green won the 60-meter hurdles at the TSTCA Meet No. 5 at Edinboro. Green won the event with a time of 8.51 seconds.

Tymere Alston finished in fourth place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.81 seconds. Mackenzie McIntyre finished in fourth place in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

Kennedy leads Penn Hills bowling

Indians sophomore Logan Kennedy has put together a strong season thus far for the Penn Hills bowling team. He has a team-high average of 188.04 so far this season.

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