Baldwin celebrates 1st WPIAL playoff win in 21 years with victory over North Allegheny

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, February 24, 2024 | 12:07 AM

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Baldwin boys basketball coach Jeff Ackermann took his team to look at the school’s trophy case before Friday night’s playoff game.

There wasn’t much to see, which was why he wanted them to look.

“It’s barren,” Ackermann said. “There was James Wesling’s ball for 1,000 points and nothing much else. I said, ‘Guys, you’ve got an opportunity to add to this. It’s up to you.’”

They don’t have any new hardware yet, but they did clear one huge hurdle Friday night by winning their first playoff game in 21 years. No. 4 seed Baldwin capitalized on its home-court advantage and defeated No. 5 North Allegheny, 55-49, in a WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal that saw the Highlanders’ student section rush the floor.

But the students didn’t stop there. Some followed the team all the way to the locker room.

“We know the school doesn’t have a good reputation of winning and we want to be a part of something special,” said junior Nate Wesling, who led Baldwin with 19 points. “We want to change that (reputation). Tonight, after 21 years of not winning a playoff game, we started it. We know the job’s not finished, so we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Baldwin (17-6) advances to face No. 1 Mt. Lebanon (19-4) in a semifinal Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. It will be the third matchup between the teams, and Mt. Lebanon won the first two.

The Highlanders last won a playoff game in the 2002-03 season.

“When I thought about that — 21 years — I thought how many playoff wins I had over those years, and for them not to have one, it’s just mind-boggling to me,” said Ackermann, a former coach at Moon and Pine-Richland in his fourth year at Baldwin.

Anthony Sciote led North Allegheny with 20 points and Ty Iwanonkiw had 13. Both are seniors.

This was a season-ending loss for North Allegheny (11-12). Only three WPIAL teams in Class 6A qualify for the state playoffs, so teams that lose in the quarterfinals can’t advance.

“You hate for it to end,” North Allegheny coach Dave DeGregorio said. “I’ve had more fun this year coaching kids because they were great. I couldn’t be more proud of a group. This season was awesome.”

A 9-0 run in the third quarter was the turning point in a game that was tied at half.

Trailing 28-27 in the third, Baldwin junior Matt Schenk took the lead with two free throws, and Wesling followed with a 3-pointer that seemingly sparked the Highlanders. Schenk added two more free throws and sophomore Max Marzina extended the run with a transition layup to lead 36-28 with three minutes left in the third.

Transition baskets after turnovers was a problem for North Allegheny, including two in a row just before halftime.

“We really pressured up on defense,” Wesling said. “We just took our game to a different level. We knew this was a make or break season and we want to knock the door down.”

Baldwin ended the third with a 40-34 lead.

North Allegheny opened the fourth with a 3-pointer by Sciote, but a 3 by Wesling a minute later pushed Baldwin’s lead back to six. Baldwin went 3 for 16 from 3-point range combined but all three makes were by Wesling.

Ackermann said he challenged Wesling and senior Nate Richards at halftime to match North Allegheny’s Joey Dopirak and Iwanonkiw. The NA pair had 17 points in the first half.

“I said, ‘We need you guys to go in the second half. You’re our guys,’” Ackermann said. “’If you don’t go, we’re going to be in trouble.’ … I thought they did.”

Wesling scored 12 points after halftime with seven in the fourth alone.

“Nate said to me, ‘Coach, I’m not going to miss another shot,’” Ackermann said. “He did miss another shot, but he played a great second half.”

With a two- or three-possession lead, Baldwin could slow the scoring pace in the fourth. Combined, the teams went scoreless for more than three and half minutes in one stretch until a driving layup by Wesling gave Baldwin a 47-41 lead with 90 seconds left.

The game’s next 13 points were scored at the foul line. North Allegheny was within three with 50 seconds left, but Baldwin held on by going 8 for 10 from the foul line in the final quarter. Marzina and Richards made four each.

The game drew a near-capacity crowd to Baldwin’s gym.

“It was really special,” Wesling said. “Coming out of the locker room, running out to warm up, it was chills. … As we got close to the end of the game, it was that same energy.”

The WPIAL basketball committee could’ve awarded the home game to North Allegheny instead of Baldwin, but DeGregorio said that wasn’t a concern of his. However, he did say this game increased his desire to see the PIAA add shots clocks to high school basketball.

“With a four-point lead with six minutes left, we’re holding the ball?” DeGregorio said. “I give Jeff and his kids a ton of credit. That’s the way the rules are, so good for them. But get us a shot clock. What are we doing?”

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: Baldwin, North Allegheny