‘Special run’ might await Quaker Valley after PIAA 1st-round win over Hickory
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Tuesday, March 8, 2022 | 11:21 PM
Quaker Valley’s Daniel Bartels celebrates with Markus Frank during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Markus Frank scores during a PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Adou Thiero drives to the basket against Hickory’s Jackson Pryts during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Wil Dunda shoots a three-pointer during the first quarter of PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
An official talks with Hickory head coach Chris Mele and Quaker Valley’ head coach Mike Mastroianni during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Markus Frank scores past Hickory’s Jackson Pryts during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Adou Thiero drives to the basket past Hickory’s Joey Fazzone during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
The Quaker Valley student section cheers on the Quakers during a PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Markus Frank steals the ball from Hickory’s Tyler Mele during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Adou Thiero scores past Hickory defenders during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Wil Dunda battles Hickory’s Joey Fazzone for a loose ball during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Adou Thiero blocks a shot by Hickory’s Joey Fazzone during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
The Quaker Valley student section cheers on the Quakers during a PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
Quaker Valley’s Daniel Bartels celebrates next to Wil Dunda during their PIAA Class 4A first round state playoff game against Hickory on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Leetsdale.
The Hickory boys basketball team was in Hershey last winter, playing at Giant Center with a chance to win a state championship.
When this year’s tournament wraps up in a few weeks, Hickory coach Chris Mele won’t be surprised if Quaker Valley finds itself in that same spot, vying for the same prize.
“Not at all,” Mele said Tuesday night after WPIAL champion Quaker Valley opened the state playoffs at home with a 67-51 victory over Hickory in PIAA Class 4A first-round game.
“I’m rooting for them,” Mele said. “I hope they do it. I hope they win it all.”
Markus Frank delivered another barrage of layups and scored a game-high 29 points, inching Quaker Valley (25-0) a step closer to Hershey, a place the team reached in 1999.
The Quakers face Belle Vernon in a PIAA second-round game Friday.
Frank went 12 for 16 from the field with all of his shots coming around the rim. The 6-foot-6 senior’s success in the paint made room for teammates to make six 3-pointers.
“On film, Frank looks good. But I’ll tell you what, he really impressed me,” Mele said. “His ability to finish off the dribble in a variety of ways around the basket is pretty special. We’ve got some bigger kids, too, and he was able to do the scoop moves and reverses. He’s really special.
“And if their guards can shoot like this, they’re going to have a special run.”
Wil Dunda made three 3s in the first four minutes and Frank added a breakaway layup and a dunk as Quaker Valley raced to early leads of 7-0, 15-3 and 25-8.
Hickory didn’t mean to leave QV’s shooters open, but certainly was focused most on Frank and Adou Thiero, who scored 15 points despite fourth-quarter foul trouble.
Dunda finished with 10 points.
The Quakers led 20-8 after one quarter, 38-21 at half and 53-37 after three. QV’s Joey Coyle went 2 for 4 from beyond the arc, and Jack Gardinier finished 1 for 2.
“I think we’re shooting the ball the best we have all year,” QV coach Mike Mastroianni said. “We have five or six guys who shoot the ball well, but we hadn’t hit those (earlier in the season). We’ve hit a bunch here lately.”
The quick start eased any worries Mastroianni had about his team’s energy level. The Quakers were only five days removed from winning a WPIAL title, a celebration that has sidetracked teams before.
But also, the team was dealing with the flu in recent days and hadn’t had the entire lineup together since the WPIAL finals.
“When we got that good start, I think we all took a breath,” Mastroianni said. “We didn’t have a lot of time together, didn’t have a lot of continuity, just little spurts in the last three days. We tried to save our energy, because we had guys who were way under the weather.”
Hickory’s Jackson Pryts, a 6-4 senior, scored 21 points including 13 after half. Hickory (16-9) entered the state tournament as the third-place team from District 10.
The Hornets trailed by 17 points early in the second quarter but outscored the Quakers by one point the rest of the way. A layup by Pryts with less than two minutes left cut QV’s lead to 11 points, but Hickory got no closer.
“When we played with the lead, we sort of changed a little bit,” Mastroianni said. “We wanted to stay out of foul trouble, so we didn’t press as much as we had originally wanted to.”
The Quakers went 6 for 6 from the foul line in the final 78 seconds, and Frank finished off the win with a late layup.
“They’re tough,” Mele said. “If you beat Lincoln Park three times and you beat Montour three times, you’ve got a special group. You just don’t do that. … They’re a really great ballclub.”
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: Quaker Valley
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