JOHNSTOWN —
“Heroes of the Hardwood” makes its debut in this edition of The Tribune-Democrat.
“Heroes” is the extension of our statistical spotlight on area student-athletes. Our “Legends of the Fall” football stats package has run on Thursdays for the past decade or so.
While some label me a statistics nut and local sports history buff, I must admit that compiling a dual statistical package for 29 area PIAA teams that play boys and girls hoops is a bit more complex project than the football package.
But with the help of area coaches and resources such as team/league websites and the comprehensive MaxPreps.com, the numbers eventually added up.
The goal is to run the compilation weekly, accompanied by a column highlighting some of the players’ accomplishments.
A quick glance across the boys stats reveals the all-around success of Blacklick Valley senior Dalton Cesarz, whose 319 points and 29.0 scoring average led the area entering the week. Cesarz also averaged an area-best 13.6 rebounds a game with 150 boards. His 39 steals were good for 3.5 a game.
Shade senior guard Ryan Fyock averaged 27.9 points a game, but sat out Tuesday’s WestPAC South showdown 48-46 loss to Shanksville due to an injury. Shade 6-foot-5 senior forward Wade Walker averaged 12.9 rebounds a game.
Johnstown senior guard Daniel Barfield paced the area with 5.5 assists a game while McCort junior Billy Hipp averaged 5.4 assists a game. Johns-town senior Phillip Madison’s 38 steals translated into 3.8 a game.
In girls basketball, Shanksville senior Kayla Stockenus scored 387 points for a 29.8 average through Monday’s games. Forest Hills senior Casey Gallaher averaged 19.5 points, and United junior Eden Bloom averaged 18.9.
Johnstown sophomore Tashayla Smith led the area with 15.2 rebounds a game. Richland senior Katie Gehlmann had an area-high 5.1 assists a game (61), while Westmont Hilltop senior Erin Rodgers had 4.7 assists a game.
Ligonier Valley senior Kyra Ludwig’s 49 steals/6.1 average topped the area. Ferndale senior Elizabeth Chobany and Westmont’s Rodgers also had 49 steals for an average of 4.9 a game.
A thank you to all the area coaches and statisticians who update statistics on a weekly basis. A special shout out to Blacklick Valley’s Garry Wurm, who repeatedly pitched this idea and even sent his own ranking of the boys top scorers a couple weeks ago.
Since then, some tweaks were made, a number of categories were added, and the girls also were included in the final product.
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MIKE MASTOVICH | Basketball statistics get their due
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MIKE MASTOVICH: Junior put his stamp on tourney
This year, Junior won’t be on the Point Stadium field for the pregame hoopla associated with opening night of the 69th annual AAABA Tournament.
He won’t watch as dozens of Corvettes and hundreds of baseball players enter through the left-field gate with their respective teams from cities such as Baltimore, New Orleans, New Brunswick and Altoona. -
MIKE KOVAK| Blending schedules a challenge for athletic directors
Bishop McCort basketball gets it. So does Greater Johnstown basketball.
Go ahead and count Somerset baseball among the mix. The same goes for Ligonier Valley softball and Northern Cambria volleyball.
What is it that these different programs from various locations within The Tribune-Democrat coverage area get exactly? -
CORY ISENBERG| Stakes rise as schedules shrink
There are fewer events on the daily high school sports schedules, but the stakes are going up for area athletes as the spring season heads into its final weeks.
In track and field, the three area conferences will hold their championship meets this week.
In Portage today, the WestPAC athletes will gather for their championships while the Laurel Highlands and Heritage meets will be on Tuesday at Somerset and United, respectively. -
MIKE MASTOVICH | Stockenus' scoring feat is impressive
Shanksville senior Kayla Stockenus’ surpassing the 2,000-point mark in Tuesday’s loss to Windber brought a rare milestone back into the area’s spotlight.
While 1,000-point scorers have become fairly common in both boys and girls basketball, 2,000 is a much more rare feat. -
MIKE MASTOVICH | Basketball statistics get their due
“Heroes of the Hardwood” makes its debut in this edition of The Tribune-Democrat.
“Heroes” is the extension of our statistical spotlight on area student-athletes. Our “Legends of the Fall” football stats package has run on Thursdays for the past decade or so. -
CORY ISENBERG| Season coming into focus early
It’s still only the second week of the high school hoops season and already some patterns are beginning to emerge and two players have topped the 1,000-point plateau.
With a strong starting rotation returning, the defending District 5 Class A champion Shade boys have their eyes set high again this season and are currently 6-0. The Panthers emerged with the tournament title from the 35th annual Mountain Cat Tournament at Pitt-Johnstown over the weekend, downing a talented Northern Bedford squad in the title game to win the championship. -
MIKE MASTOVICH | Players benefit from solid foundation
Dalvin Williams and Gap Barbin are two of the area’s most dominating players this football season, but the foundation of their respective success might be traced to last season.
That’s when Williams, Johnstown’s big-play senior linebacker, learned valuable lessons while playing on a unit led by Tribune-Democrat Defensive Player of the Year Alkwan Williams.
“I just watched them in practice and learned from them and how they reacted to plays and how fast they could read them,” said Dalvin Williams, the area’s leading tackler with 91 stops through six weeks. “I picked it up from there.” -
CORY ISENBERG| Lonely Lions looking for company
Chestnut Ridge is courting a new conference relationship for football.
In late September, the Ridge school board voted unanimously to give Lions Athletic Director Mark Clevenger the green light to send a letter of application to the Mountain League for football only, beginning in 2014. -
MIKE MASTOVICH| Shade senior piling up the yardage
Shade’s Brock Medva darted his way to the top of the area rushing statistics and landed in the No. 4 spot in the state, according to MaxPreps.com.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior back gained 338 yards on 22 carries last Saturday at Ferndale. Medva scored three touchdowns in a 35-12 win. - More Local Columnists Headlines
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