Armchair high school boys basketball coaches should stay far away from the WPIAL Class 4A championship game at 9 p.m. Thursday at Petersen Events Center.
Knoch’s Joe Lafko and Quaker Valley’s Mike Mastroianni will have everything covered on the sidelines.
Between them, the two veteran coaches have combined for 1,184 wins, with Mastroianni becoming the 14th coach in WPIAL history to hit 600 wins earlier this season. Mastroianni, in his 34th year leading the Quakers, has won 615 games, while Lafko has 569 wins between his time with Warren, Hampton and Knoch.
“Mike Mastroianni and I have coached against each other for three decades,” Lafko said. “He’s an excellent coach and runs an excellent program.”
Lafko, in his first season leading Knoch, is hoping to help the third-seeded Knights make school history. Knoch has never won a WPIAL title and last played for a crown in 2004.
The Knights lost 63-46 to a dynastic Moon team in their only appearance. The Tigers went on to win three consecutive titles.
Lafko led Hampton to a WPIAL crown in 2009 and has coached in the district final eight times.
“You can feel the excitement,” Lafko said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the schools with the kids and so many of the things that have been going on. The community has come out strong in support of this team. It’s a nice feeling to be around.”
The top-seeded Quakers (20-3) will be seeking their third championship. Quaker Valley also won in 1997 and 2022.
The Quakers reached the WPIAL final by blasting Belle Vernon, 72-41, before surviving a close matchup with Deer Lakes, 44-42.
“We only have two seniors on the roster,” Mastroianni said. “We’re a young team, but we’re a young team that has experience.”
Knoch team is 21-4 and shared the Section 1-4A title with North Catholic. The Knights recorded what may have been their most impressive win of the season when they beat the Trojans, 70-46, in the semifinals.
Knoch has a lineup that features plenty of players with size who can score. Teegan Finucan, a 6-foot-2 guard, leads the Knights by averaging 16.6 points. Vinny DeFelice, a 6-3 guard, averages 12.1 points.
Liam Avon, a 6-5 forward, Derek Lang, a 6-7 guard/forward, and Roman DeFelice, a 6-1 guard, average about 8.5 points.
“I think that there’s been a steady improvement during the season,” Lafko said. “There’s been a lot of new stuff thrown at these kids from the terminology I’ve used to some of the different sets and how to execute them. I’ve seen continuing improvement.”
Mastroianni said the Quakers’ schedule helped prepare them for Knoch’s lineup.
“It’s always a challenge defending size,” Mastroianni said. “But with Knoch, it’s not just about their size, they have five outstanding basketball players. Add in Joe coaching and with how well he understands basketball, and it’s going to be a good matchup.”
Quaker Valley also has plenty of balance on offense. Zachary Washington, a 5-11 guard, leads the Quakers by averaging 18.1 points.
Sophomore guard Nic Cohen contributes 15.6 points per game, and Sam Chapman averages 13.1.
“One of the trademarks of this team is that they play for their teammates,” Mastroianni said.