Derry boys clinch playoff spot for 5th time in past 6 seasons with win over Valley

By: Dave Mackall
Friday, February 2, 2024 | 10:11 PM

Derry made a trip to Valley and came away with a big boys basketball victory Friday night.

Huge, in fact.

The Trojans clinched a WPIAL playoff berth for the fifth time in the past six seasons, beating the Vikings, 78-51, behind four double-digit scorers, led by Nate Papuga’s 20 points.

Now, Derry wants more.

“We clinched tonight,” coach Tom Esposito said, “but there’s an opportunity for us to get to that 2-spot (in Section 3-3A) with our game at Shady Side Academy (Tuesday night).”

John Wasnick added 17 points, Stan Rajkovich contributed 14 and Brady Angus finished with 10 for the surging Trojans (12-5, 6-4), who won their fourth straight game and sixth of their past seven.

Derry climbed into a tie with idle Burrell for third place in the section race with two regular-season games remaining.

“We’re on a good roll,” Esposito said. “Really, it started with the two-point loss to Deer Lakes, when we had a good chance of winning it.”

The Trojans dropped a heartbreaking 55-53 decision to the top-ranked Lancers on Jan. 23 on the road and since then have strung together some impressive performances.

But Derry is winning the games in which its been heavily favored and playing as a spirited underdog in the others. Second-place Shady Side Academy, whose only two section losses have come against Deer Lakes, poses the next test for the Trojans.

“Hopefully, we continue to roll and get to that second spot,” Esposito said. “Hopefully, it can get us a home playoff game.

“We’re doing a lot of good things a lot better right now. We’re playing a cleaner game on offense. We’re moving the ball very well. We’re passing up good shots for great shots. In fact, we’re preaching that in practice.”

Derry carried the first three quarters to take a commanding 66-34 lead, scoring 30 points in the second quarter to turn a 14-10 advantage into a 44-21 bulge.

The loss was the eighth in the past nine games for Valley (5-13, 3-7), which ended a seven-game skid Tuesday by nearly doubling-up last place Apollo-Ridge, 63-32.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle so far, but we’re learning,” first-year Valley coach Ed Jenkins said. “There’s really nowhere to go but up. It’s both frustrating and a blessing. It’s frustrating because you want to have success on the scoreboard, but it’s a blessing in a sense that we’re a team with a lot of upside.

Jenkins, a Tarentum native who attended Highlands and played for the Golden Rams’ 1995 WPIAL championship team, wasn’t discouraged with the Vikings’ latest effort. He’s been gauging a young team’s pulse in hopes his players will mature over a year’s time and come back next season ready to take a step forward.

“Our ceiling is high over the next few years,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting the program in place, more so in the off-season, so that we can start to address some of our skill-development needs and become a better basketball team.”

Jake Staraniec led Valley with 24 points. Mickael Allen added 10 for the Vikings, who were eliminated from playoff contention.

Tags: Derry Area, Valley