With young lineup stacking wins, Knoch boys ready to face season’s toughest tests

By: Jerin Steele
Thursday, January 11, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Alan Bauman and his coaching staff at Knoch knew they had the talent.

Starting four sophomores and a junior, it was a matter of proving to themselves that they can turn talent into wins.

With a 10-2 record and victories over Quaker Valley, Mars, South Fayette and Deer Lakes, the Knights are building a resume that shows they are a force with which to be reckoned.

Now they’ll have their two toughest tests in Section 1-4A starting with a trip to Hampton for a first-place showdown Friday night.

Hampton and Knoch are both 3-0 in section play. The Talbots are the defending section champs, and playing them on the road will be a stern test for the Knights.

“We’re looking forward to competing at a high level and taking on a great program and a great coach in Coach (Joe) Lafko,” Bauman said. “Coach Lafko coached against me when I was playing at Freeport. He’s been doing it a long time and has won different ways with different teams.”

Following the trip to Hampton, Knoch plays Highlands on Tuesday.

The four sophomores who start are guards Teegan Finucan and Jackson Bauman, forward Derek Lang and 7-foot center Zane Pacek. The junior is guard Kaden Spencer.

Each played a part in Knoch’s strong start, which has seen the Knights surpass last year’s win total of eight.

The resurgence is similar to the Knoch football team, which pushed for a conference title and hosted a playoff game after winning only one game the previous season.

“It’s fun to watch our young guys mature,” Bauman said. “We went through a lot of growing pains last year. As a staff, when you sit down, have a plan and stick to your guns and it starts to show that it could happen is fun. It’s great to sit back and watch it develop like it is.”

Knoch got a win over Quaker Valley in the season’s opening weekend. That was followed by a 67-58 win over Mars on Dec. 12. It was Knoch’s first win over its Butler County rival since 2017.

Lang led the way with 19, Bauman had 15, Pacek scored 13 and Finucan finished with 10.

“I thought the win over Mars was a big one,” Coach Bauman said. “As a staff, we believed in our guys, and it was just a matter of how quickly we were going to figure it out. We still have some things to figure out, but it’s coming along and developing into a good thing.”

Pacek continues to develop into a presence offensively and defensively in the post, learning to use his size as a weapon.

“He’s learning how to affect the game in multiple ways,” Coach Bauman said. “Against Mars, he was scoring in the post. The last couple games, teams have been glued to him, so he’s opened up lanes for our guards. He’s affecting games defensively, too. He might not always get the block, but he’s altering shots and that’s a big deal. He’s starting to rebound better as well, which is huge.”

Bauman and Finucan have progressed in the backcourt. Coach Bauman said the pair “were thrown to the wolves” as freshmen last year, but taking their lumps has helped them.

Bauman scored 27 against Freeport, and Finucan had 26 against Deer Lakes.

Another major hurdle cleared was a road win against South Fayette last weekend. Knoch trailed after three quarters but rallied to win 66-62.

“We closed,” Coach Bauman said. “That’s something, being young, we’ve struggled with. To watch us in the final three minutes go on a run and close the way we did was great to see because it’s something we’ve been talking about since the beginning of the year.”

The Knights will look to do the same Friday night and come home from Hampton with the lead in the section standings.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

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