Penn Hills boys welcome challenge of physical section battles

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, January 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Chris Giles is welcoming of the Penn Hils boys basketball team’s position in the black-and-blue division of WPIAL Class 5A. Only one team in Section 2 allows more than 51 points per game, while no team scores more than 60 points per game.

The Indians are ready to dig in and fight in the trenches.

“It’s a physical game,” Giles said. “A lot of these guys have been playing against these other kids since they were in middle school. I say this all the time: It comes down to fundamentals. You need to establish an identity on defense and offense and never waver from it, no matter what trials and tribulations you face.”

Penn Hills won four straight games to move the top of the section with a 7-2 overall record, including a 3-0 mark in section play. The Indians beat Shaler, 54-46, on Jan. 10, which marked the first time Penn Hills scored more than 50 points in a section game.

In Penn Hills’ first three section games, the Titans (46), Armstrong (41) and Fox Chapel (37) were all limited to fewer than 50 points.

“We’ve had a tough schedule,” Giles said. “We’ve played some good teams. We’ve had a tough schedule and played a tough Moon team in a packed gym against Central Catholic to open the season. It’s helped the team.”

Despite the low-scoring games, the Indians have three players that are averaging double figures in scoring. Quinnipiac commit Daemar Kelly leads the team with 18.5 points per game. Robbie Thomas and Noah Barron each average 11.2 points per game for the Indians.

Julian Dugger leads Penn Hills in rebounding by pulling down 7.7 per contest.

Despite leading the section, Giles said the Indians still have a long way to go when it comes to improving. Penn Hills is hoping to find a path back to the PIAA playoffs.

“If we are playing how we are in March, we won’t be playing well enough to win in the playoffs,” Giles said. “I’m hoping we can make improvements to be playing twice as well. We want to keep challenging the kids so that we can be a good team.”

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