Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Ligonier Valley sharpshooter joins 1,000-point club
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Thursday, January 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Ligonier Valley has a hoop-a-Hollick.
“I have loved basketball since middle school,” said senior guard Parker Hollick, who this week became the boys basketball program’s latest 1,000-point scorer.
Hollick needed 29 to reach the milestone and netted 33 on Wednesday in a win over Brownsville.
Twenty-seven boys have now scored 1,000 between Ligonier and Laurel Valley, schools that were consolidated in 2010 to form Ligonier Valley.
Reaching 1,000 points was once a pipe dream for Hollick, but the sharpshooter was confident he could place his name among Rams greats.
He is the first to accomplish the milestone since Matthew Marinchak, who is now a standout junior guard at Pitt-Greensburg.
Hollick has respect for Marinchak and his game.
“To have the opportunity to get 1,000 is amazing,” Hollick said. “I always liked watching Matt Marinchak play. I always liked his game, the way he shot the ball and drove to the rim.”
Which are traits he sought to attain as his high school career matured.
Hollick has the program record for 3s in a season with 60 and came within a point of breaking current assistant coach Michael Marinchak’s single-game scoring mark. Hollick scored 43 last year against Valley, just shy of Marinchak’s 44.
Hollick’s 11 3-pointers in the game is a school record.
With teams keying on him from behind the arc more, Hollick has adapted his game.
“Last year, 80% of my points came on 3-pointers,” he said. “Offensively, I wanted to get to the rim more. I’m making a lot less 3s, but it’s helping us win.”
First-year Rams coach Dante Porter said Hollick puts in the time.
“The buy-in from July until now, Parker didn’t miss a workout,” he said. “He can score now at all three levels. It’s great to see that from him. He’s tough to guard.”
Playoff teams
Latrobe (16-3) is having one of its better regular seasons, with two of its losses coming to title-contending Uniontown.
The Wildcats are one of five Westmoreland County teams to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs with just more than a week left in the regular season, making the Class 5A field.
The others that have clinched are Belle Vernon (16-4) and Derry (10-8) in 4A, Southmoreland (14-4) in 3A and Greensburg Central Catholic (15-2) and Jeannette (14-1) in 2A.
Unlike past years when the WPIAL took the top four teams from each section, this season, sections with eight or more teams will qualify the top five teams, and sections with seven or fewer schools will send the top four.
If teams tie for the final playoff spot in a section and the head-to-head tiebreaker does not separate them, all the teams tied will qualify.
Norwin (8-9, 4-6) and Hempfield (8-9, 3-7) are battling for the final playoff spot in Section 2-6A. The teams were set to meet Thursday night in a makeup game and are scheduled to play again Feb. 7 at Norwin.
One of them will qualify, but both could get in if they split and tie in the standings.
Monessen (9-6, 3-4) is trying to get into the Class A field to extend its WPIAL-record playoff streak to 44 consecutive seasons.
Wild one
The second Uniontown-Penn-Trafford matchup last week in Section 1-5A turned into a track meet.
Uniontown won 100-85 with the teams exchanging baskets in the second half.
Some head-turning side notes from the highest-scoring game in 5A this season:
• Uniontown only had four players score. Isaac Ellsworth had 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, Calvin Winfrey added 29, Notorious Grooms 21 and Kelan Milsom 20.
• In all, eight players scored double figures. For Penn-Trafford, it was Tyler Anthony (21 with five 3-pointers), Brayden Stone (19), Evan Gross (13) and Jack Weishaar (11).
• The teams combined for 93 points in the second half, including 56 in the fourth quarter.
• They hit 23 3s, including 12 for Penn-Trafford.
Rajkovich injured
Derry 6-foot-7 sophomore Stanley Rajkovich injured his ankle Tuesday in the Trojans’ 72-63 loss to West Mifflin. It appears he will be all right to play Friday at Yough, coach Tom Esposito said.
Derry was winning 54-48 with 5 minutes, 20 seconds left in the third when the injury occurred.
Chasing 1,000
Southmoreland junior guard Noah Felentzer is getting closer to 1,000 career points. He needs 51 to become the 10th boys player to reach the milestone for the Scotties.
Layups
Some local games to check out Friday night include Central Catholic at Norwin and Hempfield at Canon-McMillan in Section 2-6A, Latrobe at Franklin Regional and McKeesport at Penn-Trafford in 1-5A, East Allegheny at Belle Vernon in 3-4A and Waynesburg at Southmoreland in 4-3A. … Franklin Regional guard Connor Crossey spent a lot of time at the free-throw line Tuesday. He made 13 of 14 free throws in a 49-44 win over Laurel Highlands. … Hempfield has lost twice to Imani Christian, a 6A top-five team, by a combined six points.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Penn-Trafford
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