Penn-Trafford basketball teams looking to make runs in PIAA playoffs

By: Ted Sarneso
Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 2:46 PM

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As a 15th seed in the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs, Penn-Trafford surprised some people with a first-round win against No. 2 seed Baldwin.

The Warriors hope to repeat that same magic in the PIAA first round as they take on District 3 champion Hershey (21-3).

“It’s going to take an incredible effort, just like against Baldwin,” P-T coach Doug Kelly said. “It’s going to take some shots not falling for them and our ability to rebound, but there will be some things we need to do better than we have the last three games.”

After the upset win, Penn-Trafford (14-12) lost to Mars in the WPIAL quarterfinals and was handled by Moon in the consolation bracket.

Kelly said the main culprit in those losses — and even in the game against the Highlanders — has been the struggle to defend in transition.

“We haven’t turned it over a ton, but when we have, teams have really capitalized on our live ball turnovers or on long rebounds off missed 3s,” Kelly said.

The 3 is something the Warriors rely on, and they are confident in their shooters — namely Tyler Anthony, Tyler Boss and Evan Gross — to be able to hit shots when needed.

The Warriors’ offense runs through junior forward Zach Feldman, who is the team’s pivot guy in the middle.

“Zach is a 6-foot-4 swingman, is a really good passer and distributor,” Kelly said. “He can score and has great footwork in the post and is very good at defending. We’re a little small compared with Hershey, but that’s been the case most of the season for us.”

Out of the quartet of Gross, Feldman, Brayden Stone and Anthony, three are averaging double figures, and the other is pretty close.

Finding points will be a premium based on what Kelly saw on film. Hershey is a tough defensive team with plenty of length and has active hands when the opponent drives with the basketball, he said.

“Junior Cameron Sweeney is an incredible athlete,” Kelly said. “He’s very solid defensively and can shoot. He’s most effective when he’s in the open floor and can drive to the hoop. He leads them in scoring with 20 points a game.

“James Campbell, who is a 6-foot-6 senior, scores 12 a game and does nearly everything for them. Point guard Aidan Miller is their motor guy, and although he stands at 5-9, he plays a lot bigger. Drew Gana is also a really good pop-and-catch shooter.”

Kelly said it’s all going to come down to “rebounding, playing better on the ball and having better gap positioning.”

“They’re also the best defensive team we’ve seen on film, and we played a tough Moon team who was also good in their gap support,” Kelly said. “Despite how tough they’ll be in their D-zone, we still have to take open shots when they’re there.”

The boys will take on the Trojans at Hershey at 6 p.m. Friday.

They will have a supportive fan base when they get there.

Penn-Trafford girls

When both Penn-Trafford basketball teams found out where and when they would be playing in the PIAA tournament, the Lady Warriors saw they were set to take on District 3 runner-up Middletown at 1 p.m. Saturday.

With Hershey and Middletown being neighboring towns, the boosters, parents and school set the girls up with an earlier departure time.

“Instead of getting up at 6 in the morning on Saturday and catching the bus at 7,” girls coach John Giannikas said. “we’re getting on a bus Friday after school, and we’ll get there just as the boys tip off.”

Not having to get up so early will be a huge benefit to a Penn-Trafford team that will count on its defensive play to score a first-round win. It has been what worked all year and catapulted the Lady Warriors to a 25-1 overall record, with their only loss coming against Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

“In that playoff journey, they learned how every game has its own identity,” Giannikas said. “They won some games defensively, and others they won by scoring a lot of points. The one thing that stands out in that loss against TJ is we were down nine with two minutes left and came back to tie it and almost won at the buzzer.”

Penn-Trafford also came back from 13 down in the fourth quarter against Baldwin in a consolation game. Although the trend isn’t what Giannikas wants to see, he believes in his players’ ability to fight through adversity.

“That’s the one thing we’ve known about this group all year,” Giannikas said. “They have no quit in them and always believe they have a chance to win the game, no matter the situation.”

Saturday’s situation will be to try to shut down a pair of Middletown players who can score.

“One of those girls is a good-sized point guard, and the other is quick on her feet,” Giannikas said. “They also have a girl inside that controls the paint very well, and every one of their role players knows her job and is good at it and that’s why they have the record that they do (22-3).”

The Warriors will counter with numbers, as they have plenty of depth, with up to 10 players in the rotation, led by guard Torrie DeStefano and forwards Lauren Marton and Kamryn Pieper.

“But we have the Weishaar twins, Olivia and Hannah, Isabella Fontana, Raya Johnson, Ava Ruane, Paige Temple and Bella Klobucar who all can step up and make plays,” Giannikas said.

All of them can run in the open court as well. Giannikas wants his team to play solid defense, secure the rebounds and get up and out of their own zone quickly.

“Every one of our girls also has the green light to shoot the 3,” Giannikas said. “When they all play freely, they’re more dangerous than when they don’t.”

If the Warriors play freely, they not only could secure a first-round upset but also make a legitimate run.

“That’s the tough thing about these playoffs — or any playoffs for that matter — is you have that belief to make a run, and if you don’t it’s just another game and you want it over to pack up your season.

“Our girls believe they can have success. The excitement and belief is there.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford