2023 WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball championship breakdown: Peters Township vs. Penn Hills

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 12:12 AM

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WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball final

No. 1 Peters Township vs. No. 2 Penn Hills

9 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center

On the air: Video livestream: TribHSSN.TribLive.com; Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM); WJPA (95.3 FM)

WPIAL titles: Penn Hills 5 (2018, ’03, ’00, 1994, ’87), Peters Township 1 (2009)

Peters Township (22-3)

Projected starting lineup

Coach: Joe Urmann

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

2, Brendan McCullough, 5-11, sr., G

3, Nate Miller, 5-11, jr., G

14, Cam Mills, 6-1, jr., G

15, Jake Ziegler, 6-4, sr., F

45, Jack Dunbar, 6-2, jr., F

Notable: Peters Township has a 15-game winning streak. … The Indians average 73.1 ppg as the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL 5A. Dunbar is a 18-point scorer and McCullough averages 15. … The Indians reached triple digits in a 105-100 triple-overtime loss to Thomas Jefferson on Jan. 3. Dunbar scored 37. The team hasn’t lost since. … The defense on average allows 56.1 ppg. … This was a breakthrough season for the Indians, who went 8-14 last winter and missed the playoffs. …The team makes its second all-time appearance in a WPIAL championship game after defeating Mt. Lebanon, 60-54, in the 2009 Class 4A final. … Urmann is 36-26 in three seasons. He previously coached Baldwin. … Peters Township is coming off a 62-55 semifinal win over Gateway. Dunbar scored 29 points.

Penn Hills (20-3)

Projected starting lineup

Coach: Chris Giles

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

1. Noah Barren, 6-0, sr., G

2. Julian Dugger, 6-3, jr., G/F

3. Daemar Kelly, 6-5, sr., G

5, Robert Thomas, 6-4, jr., G/F

23, Lamire Redman, 6-0, jr., G

Notable: Penn Hills has won 17 of the past 18 games. … The Indians allows the fewest point in WPIAL Class 5A at 44.1 ppg. They held first-round playoff opponent Trinity to 29. … The offense averages 58.9 ppg. … Giles is 53-14 in three seasons as coach. … Kelly and Dugger are both Division I college recruits but in different sports. Kelly is headed to Quinnipiac for basketball. Dugger, a quarterback, lists football offers from Pitt, Howard, Toledo and UMass. … Kelly averages 16 ppg and Barren averages 12. … The Indians are coming off a 67-51 semifinal victory over North Hills. Redman made five 3-pointers in the win.

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: Penn Hills, Peters Township