Quaker Valley boys take stock after strong start to season

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Plan A for many high school basketball teams in late-December is to play in a holiday tournament.

Quaker Valley’s boys team chose Plan B.

The Quakers opted to instead spend their time in their gym at practice, preparing for the grind of their Section 2-4A schedule.

QV posted a 6-1 record in the first month of the season, including a 68-36 win Dec. 19 against Ambridge and a 66-52 win Dec. 28 against Farrell.

QV coach Mike Mastroianni assessed his team’s December performance.

“We continued to adapt to our roles and built our continuity as a team on both ends of the floor,” he said. “I’m proud of our team’s daily approach and work ethic.”

Against Ambridge, five QV players attained double figures paced by 16 points from sophomore guard Sam Chapman and 14 from freshman guard Nic Cohen.

Junior guard Zach Washington and senior forward Dana Kromah had 13 points apiece; senior forward Dom Cox-Giles pulled down 13 rebounds.

Kolton Johnson, a sophomore forward, also chipped in with nine points.

The Quakers were led offensively against Farrell by Washington with 21 points, Cohen with 16 and Chapman, who added 11.

In early season action, QV swept through the Lake Ethel Classic held Dec. 6-7 at Derry, beating Class 5A Laurel Highlands, 65-29, and Class 4A Derry, 58-27, in the two-day event.

“We had good balance both games throughout our lineup and from our bench play,” Mastroianni said.

Chapman led QV against Laurel Highlands with a career-high 28 points. Washington was the team’s leading scorer against Derry with 18. Cox-Giles pulled down 25 rebounds in the two tournament games.

Mastroianni praised the performance of Cohen and Johnson.

“Nic and Kolton played well on both ends of the floor in both games,” Mastroianni said.

QV tipped off season with a 50-28 win over Class 3A Beaver Falls at the Geneva College/Lincoln Park tournament at Geneva College.

The Quakers lost a 49-48 decision in overtime to Class 5A Franklin Regional at the Mike Rettger Memorial tipoff tournament at Franklin Regional.

The round-robin tournament included top teams from Class 6A, 5A, 4A and A.

QV will participate in the PBC Hall of Fame Classic at Ambridge. The Quakers will play at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 25 against Lincoln Park.

Then, hopefully, it’s on to the WPIAL postseason tournament.

Tags: Quaker Valley