Shady Side Academy boys take section showdown with Burrell

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 9:08 PM

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All Saturday afternoon the intensity was palpable between the Shady Side Academy and Burrell boys basketball teams, and it nearly boiled over after the buzzer.

With both teams seemingly playing out the final seconds uncontested, Shady Side senior Eli Teslovich dribbled in and dunked the ball as time expired in a 65-50 win for the Bulldogs.

The dunk caused both benches to clear, but coaches stepped in to separate the players and keep the scene from escalating any further.

Both teams eventually went their separate ways.

“We can’t dunk it there, and that’s what we just talked about (in the locker room),” Shady Side coach David Vadnais said. “I don’t think any of that happens if we hold the basketball and walk off the court. He’s emotional and excited because we won, but you can’t do that. I know those guys (from Burrell) and their players too well, and I apologize to them. I spoke to their players and let them know that’s not how we want to go about things here. Eli’s not a bad kid. He made a mistake in an emotional game and one that we really needed. He was excited and did something that I’d prefer him not to do.”

The dunk finished off a game-high 25 points for Teslovich. It also drew the ire of the Bucs, but cooler heads prevailed.

“I know (Vadnais) will handle it,” Burrell coach Mike Fantuzzo said. “There’s really nothing else to say.”

Teslovich’s performance helped Shady Side (7-6, 4-2) earn a season split with Burrell (9-5, 4-2) after the Bucs took the first meeting 46-41 on Dec. 15. Both teams are tied for second in the Section 3-3A standings for second behind Deer Lakes.

Shady Side pulled away late to secure what was a tightly contested game for most of the way.

The lead never grew past six points for either team for the first three quarters.

Ryan Frohlich and Landon Mauser hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Bulldogs a 53-42 lead midway through the fourth.

“I wasn’t sure if it would ever get to double digits,” Vadnais said. “It felt like it was going to live between three and six points the whole way. Once we got to 10, I started to feel a little bit better. We made shots when we needed to. When they went to pressure, I thought we handled it well outside of one or two possessions.”

Burrell had an 8-3 run late, highlighted by an Esau King-Buchak 3-pointer that cut the lead to 56-50, but Shady Side scored the last nine points.

The Bucs came out strong and led 13-12 after one but hit only two shots from the field in the second. They trailed 25-21 at halftime.

“We struggled to shoot,” Fantuzzo said. “I thought we had some really good looks, and they didn’t fall today. We have to figure out a different way, if our outside shots aren’t going in, to score points.”

Tucker Bitar led Burrell with 17 points, and Macky Bennis scored 15. Seamus Riordan had 15 for Shady Side.

It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Bucs as they play Valley on Monday as part of a three-game slate against section opponents next week.

“There’s no time to sulk,” Fantuzzo said. “We have to make some changes and be ready to go.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Burrell, Shady Side Academy