2022 WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball championship breakdown: Shady Side Academy vs. Avonworth
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Friday, March 4, 2022 | 10:28 AM
Shady Side Academy’s Eli Teslovich exits the game during the fourth quarter against Laurel during a WPIAL Class 3A playoff game on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, at Fox Chapel High School.
Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael brings the ball upcourt against OLSH on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, in Moon.
Avonworth Peyton Falukner (22) celebrates after scoring with Rowan Carmichael (2) and Jordan Kolenda late in the fourth quarter of their WPIAL Class 3A semifinal against South Allegheny on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, at UMPC Events Center in Moon.
No. 3 Shady Side Academy vs. No. 8 Avonworth
5 p.m. Friday, Petersen Events Center
On the air: Video livestream: TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL titles: Avonworth 1 (1959), Shady Side Academy 1 (1999)
Avonworth (18-6)
Coach: Mike Mancuso
2, Rowan Carmichael, 5-8, fr., G
3, Jordan Kolenda, 6-2, sr., G
5, Colin Crawford, 6-0, jr., G
10, David Kujawinski, 6-1, sr., F
22, Peyton Faulkner, 6-3, jr., F
Notable: Avonworth reached the WPIAL finals by upsetting No. 1 seed Ellwood City, 66-55, in the quarterfinals, and No. 5 South Allegheny, 46-43, in the semifinals. Ellwood City and South Allegheny met in the WPIAL finals last season. … Avonworth defeated No. 9 Ligonier Valley, 64-36, in the first round. … The Antelopes have three double-digit scorers in Kolenda (19 ppg), Carmichael (17) and Faulkner (17). Faulkner averages eight rebounds. … Carmichael is the son of La Roche men’s basketball coach Hermie Carmichael. … Faulkner is a Division I football recruit with offers from Bowling Green, Kent State and others. … Avonworth finished third in Section 2 behind Aliquippa and Seton LaSalle. … The Antelopes have reached the WPIAL finals three times. They defeated McDonald, 77-63, in the 1959 finals. They were runners-up in 1954 and ’62. … This is Mancuso’s second season as coach.
Shady Side Academy (18-6)
Coach: David Vadnais
1, Ryan Fitzgerald, 6-1, sr., G
3, Eli Teslovich, 5-10, so., G
4, Ethan Salvia, 5-11, jr., G
21, Thompson Lau, 6-4, sr., F
24, Peter Kramer, 6-2, sr., G
Notable: Shady Side’s top scorers are Teslovich (16.5 ppg) and Kramer (15.7). The two combined for 35 points in a 56-51 semifinal win over No. 2 Aliquippa. … The Bulldogs defeated No. 6 seed Washington, 57-50, in the quarterfinals, and No. 14 Laurel, 66-28, in the first round. … Shady Side competed in the first WPIAL basketball championship game in 1913, losing to Wilkinsburg in a three-game series. Wilkinsburg took the final game, 27-24. … Shady Side won its lone WPIAL title in 1999 by defeating Farrell, 49-46. The team was WPIAL runner-up in 1995, ’96, ’98 and 2001. … Vadnais is in his ninth season as coach.
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: Avonworth, Shady Side Academy
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