Senior-led Bethel Park tops North Allegheny, celebrates 1st playoff win since 2016

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 | 12:08 AM

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The similarities to two years ago had crossed their minds — same gym, same playoff round — but Bethel Park’s seniors made sure the similarities ended there.

Ryan Meis scored 24 points and Thomas DiRienzo finished one rebound short of a double-double as No. 6 seed Bethel Park defeated No. 11 North Allegheny, 53-50, Tuesday night in a WPIAL Class 6A first-round game at North Hills.

This was a long-awaited first playoff win for Bethel Park’s five senior starters, who’d come close here two years ago before losing a late lead to Pine-Richland.

“A playoff game at North Hills against an opponent from the same section as Pine-Richland, it was just kind of weird how things lined up,” said Meis, a three-year starter.

“We were definitely ready.”

Bethel Park (14-8) advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 behind a strong rebounding effort that included 13 offensive boards. The Black Hawks face No. 3 Mt. Lebanon on Saturday.

North Allegheny (11-12) had a size advantage, but was outrebounded 28-16 by Bethel Park.

DiRienzo added 14 points and led the Black Hawks with nine rebounds, seven on the offensive end. Those second-chance points let the Black Hawks build a 13-point lead in the third quarter.

“Rebounding has been a weak spot for us all season,” Bethel Park coach Josh Bears said. “We’ve gotten beat on the boards. North Allegheny, we scouted all of their games, and that’s where their strength was. We really knew that matchup-wise, this might be a struggle today.”

Instead, all five Bethel Park starters had at least one rebound.

Three of those starters — Meis, DiRienzo and Anthony Chiccitt — all played significant minutes as sophomores, gaining a taste of playoff experience that helped them this time around, Bears said. Two years ago, the team wasn’t ready for the physicality of the playoffs and was “manhandled” in the fourth quarter.

This time, Bethel Park showed its strength late.

Meis scored the team’s final eight points, including a tough shot in the lane after NA had cut the lead to four with less than 3 minutes left. The turnaround jumper gave Bethel Park a 47-41 lead and swung momentum back to the Black Hawks for the final 2½ minutes.

Meis went 6 for 6 from the foul line in the final minute.

“We talked about rolling our sleeves up and getting ready for a fight,” Bears said. “Mentally, we were more prepared for that style of game this time than we were two years ago.”

North Allegheny had three scorers in double figures.

Zach Andreykovich led NA with 14 points, Khalil Dinkins scored 12 and Grant Timmerson added 11, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final 8 seconds. Timmerson was 0 for 3 from the arc before making his last two shots.

“Grant Timmerson, who had a great year for us, didn’t have his typical game,” NA coach Keith Noftz said. “When he doesn’t score, we’re going to struggle.”

The Tigers were seeking their first playoff win since reaching the finals in 2015. The first-round exit was their third in four years under Noftz — all by three points or less.

“There were so many times during the season that they could have packed their bags and said it’s not worth it, but they hung in there,” said Noftz, pointing out that the team’s leading scorer and the team’s starting point guard both were lost midseason. “Through all that, they came to work every night.”

North Allegheny had a two-point lead in the second quarter and trailed by only one at halftime, but Bethel Park started the second half with a 17-6 run.

Put-back baskets by Bethel Park’s Ronnie Zeiler and DiRienzo sparked the run. It peaked with consecutive baskets by Meis, the second after stealing a pass, giving the Black Hawks a 43-31 lead with less than 2 minutes left in the third.

North Allegheny answered with a 10-2 run that stretched into fourth but couldn’t get closer than four points.

“It’s the first playoff win with my best friends,” Meis said. “It can’t get any better.”

Meis shot 8 for 16 from the field, 2 for 5 from 3-point range and was perfect at the foul line. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 15 points in the second half, determined to not let another late playoff lead escape.

“At one timeout … Ryan grabbed me and said, ‘Coach, draw something up. Give me the ball,’” Bears said. “So that’s what we did and you see the result. He’s that kind of player.”

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: Bethel Park, North Allegheny