Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Team of the Week for March 15, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Monday, March 15, 2021 | 11:00 PM

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History was made when Our Lady of the Sacred Heart defeated Greensburg Central Catholic on Saturday to win the 2021 WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship with a perfect 21-0 record.

The Chargers became one of the few WPIAL boys basketball teams in history to win a district crown with an undefeated record.

OLSH became only the fourth school to win three straight Class 2A boys basketball district titles and the first to three-peat since Sto-Rox in 1991-1993.

“Still surreal,” OLSH coach Mike Rodriguez said. “I’m so happy and proud of the boys. They remained focused on the goal of returning to the WPIAL final. They remained grounded throughout the season. We (coaches) never discussed our overall record with the team.”

The Chargers’ historic week began with a 69-41 victory over Jeannette in the semifinals.

“We focused on taking away their dribble penetration and limiting second-chance opportunities on the boards,” Rodriguez said. “Speeding them up to make them play at a faster pace was also key.”

The 20th win of the season was like the 18 before it, a double-digit victory. The closest margin of victory for OLSH all season was in its first game, a 80-74 win over North Catholic.

In the title game against GCC, it was a back-and-forth game for most of the first half before OLSH took a seven-point lead into the locker room.

The Chargers took control and pulled away in the third quarter.

“We changed and extended our press from a three-quarters court tempo control press in the first half to a full court trapping press in the second half in an attempt to speed them up into quicker shots,” Rodriguez said. “GCC played exceptionally well.”

The speed and length of the OLSH defenders in that pressure defense forced plenty of turnovers that led to points off the fast break.

“Quickness certainly is the key to how we like to apply pressure on the perimeter, but it’s wonderful having both,” Rodriguez said.

The Centurions tried to limit the damage of Chargers scoring machine Jake DiMichele, who was averaging over 30 points per game this season.

GCC came out in a diamond-and-one defense with one defender guarding DiMichele exclusively while the other four defenders played a zone.

It helped as DiMichele was “limited” to 19 points. However, it opened the door for the Chargers’ other senior standout guard, Dante Spadafora, who scored a game-high 25 points.

“Certainly Dante and others stepped up their performances on the offensive end,” Rodriguez said. “Dante not only scored but controlled the tempo of the game. Although below his average, Jake still had 19 points and was key on the boards and in controlling GCC’s pressure in the full and half court. It was a wonderful performance by all.”

The championship victory capped a season in which OLSH never budged from the top spot in the district and state rankings in Class 2A.

“While the players welcomed the challenge, the coaches always tried to keep them focused on one game at a time,” Rodriguez said. “The experience Dante, Jake and Mark Polar brought to the team this year from previous championship games was immeasurable. It kept the team grounded.”

Now it’s time for some unfinished business in the state playoffs for OLSH.

After winning the last two district crowns, the Chargers went on to lose in the PIAA semifinals in 2019 and had their season end like all of the other teams that had won the first two rounds of the state basketball postseason because of the global pandemic shutdown.

OLSH will open up Saturday at home against the winner of the Wednesday game between District 9 champion Karns City and District 5 champion Conemaugh Township.

“It should be a difficult task in this tournament of champions,” Rodriguez said. “I honestly have not seen Karns City yet, but I do know that Conemaugh Township is an athletic, very well-coached team.”

2021 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Team of the Week

Week 8 – Ellwood City Wolverines

Week 7 – Sewickley Academy Panthers

Week 6 – Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions

Week 5 – Gateway Gators

Week 4 – Frazier Commodores

Week 3 – Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Week 2 – Fox Chapel Foxes

Week 1 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars

Tags: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart