Ligonier Valley boys ride 16-game winning streak into PIAA playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | 4:33 PM

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Funny how a season in sports can change so quickly. And sometimes, change is good.

That's the way it's played out for the Ligonier Valley boys basketball team, fresh from a four-point victory over Richland in the District 6 Class 3A championship game last Friday.

“We lost our first game of the year in overtime (to Greensburg Salem, a WPIAL Class 5A team), and we were 5-4 at one point,” Ligonier Valley coach Todd Hepner said.

The Rams started 2-3 before inching two games over .500 and going on to win the school's first district championship.

Since a 77-51 loss to WPIAL Class 5A Albert Gallatin on Dec. 28 that saw Ligonier Valley's record drop to 5-4 entering its Heritage Conference schedule, the Rams have been on a roll, winning 16 consecutive games.

They'll take that momentum into Saturday's scheduled PIAA first-round matchup with Lancaster Mennonite at Johnstown High School.

“It definitely feels good to be representing the school in states,” said Ligonier Valley junior Marrek Paola, the team's leading scorer and rebounder. “We've been working to get to this day for a long time now.”

Ligonier Valley bowed out of the District 6 playoffs last season with an opening-round loss to Bellwood-Antis.

The Rams' current winning streak started a game after sophomore Michael Marinchak, the team's do-all-things point guard, sat out half of the loss to Albert Gallatin following an ejection for a flagrant foul.

“We've been stressing that we need to keep our composure, especially in the heat of the moment,” Hepner said.

The 6-foot-6 Paola leads Ligonier Valley in scoring (24.4 points per game), rebounding (13.6) and blocks (1.8). He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Rams' 58-54 victory over top-seeded Richland in the district championship game at Mt. Aloysius College.

Marinchak, who scored a team-high 21 points, is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals for the Rams (21-4).

Lancaster Mennonite (17-9), the fourth-place team in District 3, was edged by Steelton-Highspire, 60-59, in the consolation game Feb. 26 at Lebanon High School. Carter Hurst, a 5-10 senior guard, led the Blazers with 26 points.

Following the football team's success in bringing championships in recent years to the school's western fringes of District 6, the boys basketball team at Ligonier Valley got into the act this season by earning another district title.

Has it hit home yet? For the players, the answer is a resounding, “Yes.” For the townsfolk, “Maybe.”

Ligonier, the only Westmoreland County community outside the WPIAL, was mostly quiet this week. Businesses that remained open during evening hours for the most part accommodated locals and some visitors without much fanfare.

As usual, folks stopped at local establishments, such as Ligonier Creamery, in the center of town at Diamond Park, and Gateway Convenience, at West Main Street and Springer Road, near the high school. A woman working at the store said she was not aware of the basketball team's accomplishments this season.

Hepner said there's notable interest throughout the region but figured it might intensify, at least locally, if the Rams continue a path through the state playoffs.

“Saturday, a day after the Richland game, I was getting texts and phone calls from a lot of folks,” said Hepner, who lives in New Florence, 14 miles north of Ligonier. “I went to Walmart in Blairsville and people were coming up and congratulating me. So there's definitely a buzz.”

Even if it appears a bit hushed.

Though a fan bus is being organized for a trip to Johnstown for Saturday's game.

Paola said the student body has noticed the team is still playing, when most other schools have finished their season.

“It feels like when we get this far,” he said, “kids are saying things like, ‘Good luck,' and they're getting into it.”

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Ligonier Valley