Upper St. Clair girls carry momentum from WPIAL title win into PIAA 1st round

By: Don Rebel
Friday, March 7, 2025 | 11:36 PM

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The Manheim Township girls basketball team’s bus made a pit stop on its four-hour journey from Lancaster to Upper St. Clair for a PIAA Class 6A first-round playoff game Friday.

The team stopped at an arcade for some afternoon fun before arriving an hour before tip-off.

It didn’t take long for the Blue Streaks’ hoop game to go tilt.

WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair scored the game’s first 20 points and never looked back, cruising to victory over District 3 No. 8 Manheim Township, 65-37.

“Best way we could start off,” Upper St. Clair senior guard Rylee Kalocay said. “Coach Pete (Serio) had warned us about the WPIAL hangover enough to the point where I don’t think it could get to us. Everyone contributed and gave us big minutes.”

Manheim Township was very deliberate to start, winning the tip and passing around the perimeter for the first 68 seconds of the game before a steal by USC junior guard Ryan Prunzik led to a free throw and a lead the Panthers never relinquished.

“We watched enough film where that’s what their offense does and it keeps them in games,” Serio said. “They’ll take 45, 50 seconds off the clock or more if you don’t give them a shot and they will keep working it.

“So we talked about that, and that’s why I started to press and trap, which we haven’t done in a while, because I wanted the game to get up and down, which I thought that would be in our favor.”

The Panthers spread the wealth and were hitting lights out in the opening quarter, especially beyond the 3-point line.

USC had five 3-pointers, two field goals and a free throw in building up a 20-0 lead.

The Blue Streaks didn’t dent the scoreboard until there were 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Kalocay and senior guard Olivia Terlecki each hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and senior Meredith Huzjak also added one behind the arc.

“It gives us confidence and the carryover is there,’ Serio said about his team’s shooting. “When you start banging 3s, especially when you get an offensive rebound and kick it back out and make a 3, it’s kind of deflating to the other team.”

Manheim Township started having some success on offense in the second quarter, but Upper St. Clair kept scoring as well and led at the half, 37-18.

When the Blue Streaks scored five of the first seven points in the third quarter, they pulled to within 16 points; however, the Panthers finished the third quarter on a 17-2 run to put the game with the mercy rule for the fourth quarter.

Upper St. Clair finished the game with 13 total 3-pointers for 39 of its 65 points.

“We knew we had to shoot it well against them,” Kalocay said. “They’re a team that contests drives and knows how to limit penetration. They’re a good defensive team, but we figured out how to play through it.”

Manheim Township was led by senior guard Brooke Weaver, who scored 15 points.

The Blue Streaks finish their season 19-10 with four straight losses.

Upper St. Clair has won five straight and eight of its last nine to improve to 20-6.

For the fourth straight game, Kalocay, a Kent State commit, led the Panthers in scoring, this time dropping 21 points.

“Over the last four or five weeks since that three-game losing streak (in late January), Rylee has been a completely different player,” Serio said. “She has focused on winning and focused on her teammates when they’re open. She knows she’s the conductor and she’s driving it. She has really involved her teammates, and I really think she has grown. I’m really proud of her.”

Huzjak chipped in 12 points for USC, which moves on to the second round to play section rival Canon-McMillan on Tuesday.

The Panthers and Big Macs split in the regular season with Upper St. Clair winning at home by 22 points in December and Canon-McMillan claiming a home victory in late January by seven points.

Tags: Upper St. Clair