Shady Side Academy happy to extend season into PIAA playoffs
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Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 11:01 AM
South Allegheny’s Drew Cook pressures Shady Side Academy’s Willis Price Wheeler in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals Feb. 25. (Kyler Cecil | Mon Valley Independent)
Shady Side Academy’s Kai Lamberson yells toward his sideline after making a 3-pointer Feb. 17 during a WPIAL Class 3A playoff game against Bishop Canevin. Lamberson finished with 32 points in a 61-48 win. (Josh Rizzo | For TribLive)
Shady Side Academy’s Kai Lamberson kicks the ball out to a teammate in the corner during the second half of the Bulldogs’ 61-48 win over Bishop Canevin in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs Feb. 17. (Josh Rizzo | For TribLive)
The Shady Side Academy boys basketball team was happy to reap the rewards that come with advancing to the PIAA Class 3A playoffs. The Bulldogs wish they had a little bit more luck with having players available to participate in everything that comes along with it.
Shady Side Academy, which earned the No. 4 seed out of the WPIAL, opened the state playoffs against District 6 runner-up Forest Hills last Friday.
In the leadup to their game with the Rangers, first-year Shady Side Academy coach Jim Dudas had a hard time keeping everyone on the floor. Cam Mallory missed practice time with a knee injury, BJ Mallory had an ankle injury and Kai Lamberson was out sick.
“I was more concerned about the health of our team than our opponent,” Dudas said. “It’s tough to have a good practice with three components of your team out.”
Shady Side Academy was happy to extend the season after it lost seven of its first games to start the campaign.
“I think it’s always helpful to have extra time with the kids,” Dudas said. “It’s good, especially for the younger kids, to get more reps and acclimated to playing varsity.”
Forest Hills reached the state quarterfinals for the first time last season. The Rangers returned top scorer junior guard/forward Dylan Stohon, who hit the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore.
The Bulldogs (10-16) were a surprising entrant into the state tournament. Shady Side Academy, seeded 13th, upset Bishop Canevin and Southmoreland to reach the WPIAL semifinals.
Shady Side Academy had a lead against defending WPIAL champion South Allegheny in the fourth quarter, but lost the lead and dropped into the consolation bracket.
The Bulldogs also had a lead in the fourth quarter against South Park, but lost 50-45 in the third-place game.
“It was rewarding for them,” Dudas said. “You could see that we were trending toward what we ended up doing. In the games we lost to South Allegheny and South Park, the games were close in the fourth quarter.”
The Bulldogs were hoping to use their defense to surprise some opponents at the state playoffs. Shady Side Academy has already shown it is capable of catching people off guard. During the loss to eventual WPIAL runner-up South Allegheny, Cam Mallory scored 30 points.
The Bulldogs, however, know that their success comes when they are able to play well defensively. During the playoffs, no one has scored more than 50 points against the Bulldogs.
“I think our defense is most important,” Dudas said. “On offense, we have to move the ball with great pace. We need to make sure we are finding the open person and attack bad closeouts. We need to make good decisions.”
Tags: Shady Side Academy
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