Boys' varsity basketball: Season successful, exciting, says Davies
by Dan Rzewnicki, Editor in Chief
May 18 , 2011
The boys’ basketball team ended its thrilling season in the playoffs this year, the team’s first playoff berth since the 2007 season.
The seniors who guided this team into the playoffs this season were the screaming fans that cheered the 2006-2007 team onto the WPIAL championship. Next, that same group of players lined the bench of a first round playoff game against Lincoln Park the following year.
Having come full circle by finishing their basketball careers in the playoffs, seniors Jacob Oberdorf and Will Salem agreed that their second playoff experience was more memorable. “As a senior, I felt like I was a more important factor,” Salem said.
However, head coach Damian Davies said that an important lesson that the seniors will leave behind is the idea that the entire team is important. He added that the seniors learned to enjoy each other’s successes and that every player on the bench is an important contributing factor that made the team the success that it was.
The Devils’ playoff outlook seemed bleak as they approached the end of the season with just one conference win. The team faced Serra Catholic, the undefeated powerhouse of the section, on Senior Night. The Devils needed a win, and many agreed that this would have to be the place to pick it up.
With emotions running high, the Devils’ 3-point shooting ran the bigger Serra team straight out of the building and left Leechburg with a chance to make the playoffs.
The Devils then went on to beat Elderton and Geibel to seal their playoff spot, but seniors Salem, Oberdorf and Dylan Romaniw agreed that beating Serra Catholic was the highlight of the season.
In the playoffs, the Devils rolled over Jefferson-Morgan in a consolation game and went on to face top seeded Rochester.
While the team fell short, Oberdorf said that the loss was not as difficult to cope with as previous season-ending losses. He said, “It felt like we had gone farther than we were supposed to and it was good to be a part of.” Salem added that not knowing when the last game will be gives players an extra incentive to give it their all on every play.
Davies called the season a “successful and exciting one,” and added that the Serra Catholic upset ranks among the best basketball games in the gym, ranked right up with the 2-point win over Duquesne that propelled the WPIAL championship team to the playoffs.
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