Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Team of the Week for Jan. 16, 2023

By: Don Rebel
Monday, January 16, 2023 | 6:49 PM

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Central Catholic was even in section play and a game below .500 after the first six days of 2023.

Then the Vikings engineered one of the most impressive weeks of basketball the district has seen in a long time.

The team went 3-0 against two top-ranked and undefeated opponents and a No. 2-ranked team that had only lost twice all season.

What do the Vikings do now for an encore?

“New Castle is a great team, as is Butler, as is Lincoln Park,” Central Catholic coach Brian Urso said. “All three are well coached, prepared, all of it. But on Monday afternoon at practice, they were ready. When they were in the gym, they were locked in.”

The Vikings began the wonderful week with a trip to New Castle on Tuesday to battle the Section 1-6A leaders, the unbeaten, top-ranked Red Hurricane.

Senior Debaba Tshiebwe led the Vikings with 18 points while senior Tommy Kristian added 17 points in the big road win for Central Catholic, 56-45.

“We enjoyed the moment, enjoyed and atmosphere and brought the aggressive fight to New Castle,” Urso said. “That program is historic, and it was a packed house. Our guys knew what kind of challenge it would be and approached the game with a fighter’s mentality. They stuck to the game plan, which was an inside presence and win the boards.”

There was no letdown Friday when Central Catholic returned home for a section battle against Class 6A second-ranked Butler.

Defense was the name of the game for the Vikings in holding the Golden Tornado to 32 points below their 6A-leading 65 points per game.

“You get back to practice on Wednesday and the kids are on that high,” Urso said. “Practice was super competitive as we wanted to keep that focus Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for a high-scoring machine in Butler. We had to make sure we stuck to a defensive-minded approach.”

It worked perfectly as Central Catholic jumped out to a 22-11 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in the 55-33 win.

The Golden Tornado were limited to only 12 points in the second and third quarters combined, while junior Cole Sullivan led the Vikings with 16 points and senior Dante DePante added 15 points.

Participating in the Ron Galbreath Classic at Westminster College on Saturday, Central Catholic knocked off another unbeaten team, beating Class 4A top-ranked Lincoln Park, 54-49.

Sullivan had 18 points, DePante 14 and Tshiebwe added 13 points for the Vikings, as the incredible week improved them to 3-1 in the section and 7-5 overall.

“It’s a team right now,” Urso said. “We have great individuals who are really good at what they do. From the guards like Dante DePante, (senior) Randy Wilkerson and (junior) Payton Wehner, who is a leader in two sports (football quarterback). Then our inside guys, (Debaba) Tshiebwe. Cole Sullivan, (senior) Patrick Newell, different guys, but as a group, we are super effective.”

Central Catholic will close out the first half of section play with a visit to North Allegheny on Tuesday.

2023 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 1 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars

Tags: Central Catholic