Trib HSSN basketball team of the week – Upper St. Clair Panthers boys
Coaches – Danny Holzer (31st season)
Record – 13-1 and co-champions with Central Catholic of Section 2-6A, 24-1 overall
#Earned – In 117 years of WPIAL boys basketball championships, only one team in the league’s highest classification had won three straight district titles.
Until this year.
The John Sarandrea-led New Castle Red Hurricanes won three straight Quad-A championships from 1997-1999. Now they have company.
Fans of Upper St. Clair boys basketball can now freely use the word dynasty after the Panthers captured a third straight WPIAL Class 6A championship and their fourth crown in six years.
However, unlike a 23-point win over Baldwin in 2024 and a 22-point triumph over New Castle a year ago, the Panthers-Red Hurricanes rematch was a dogfight.
Upper St. Clair came out strong and owned a double-digit lead after the opening eight minutes, 17-5.
However, New Castle answered in the second round, outscoring USC 18-7 to pull to within a single point at the half, 24-23.
The ‘Canes were up by two heading into the fourth, but a few minutes into the final quarter, New Castle lost freshman sensation Marino Graham to fouls.
A steal and a layup in the final half-minute of play gave the Red Hurricanes a three-point lead.
Following a timeout out, the reigning champs took over with the following sequence: short shot to pull to within one, a steal, and following a foul, two free throws to go up by one, and getting a piece of a last second 3-pointer to seal the deal.
Upper St. Clair edged New Castle in one for the ages, 52-51.
It is the program’s sixth WPIAL championship, all of them coming under coach Danny Holzer.
Scoring Stars – There were only two Upper St. Clair players returning this year who had played significant varsity minutes.
They were senior guard Jake Foster and junior center Ryan Robbins, while senior guard Luke Marchinsky played a role in last year’s title run once he came back from injury.
All three played a big part in the historic victory over New Castle.
Robbins led the Panthers in all three of their district postseason victories.
He scored 29 in the quarterfinal triumph over Fox Chapel and 15 in the semifinal win over Seneca Valley.
Against the Red Hurricanes, the 6-foot-7 force on the blocks had a double-double, leading the team again in scoring with 16 points while collecting 12 rebounds.
Marchinsky was 4 of 5 from the field and added 14 points.
Foster struggled at times from the field but saved his best plays on both ends of the floor for the final half-minute.
Foster first fed Robbins for a short shot to pull USC to within one point.
The senior guard got the steal and hit both free throws with 11 seconds left to put the Panthers up by one.
Then with time running out, he first deflected a New Castle pass out of bounds with less than two seconds left, and then got a piece of a Red Hurricanes final shot, which ended up short, to give the Panthers another title.
Upper St. Clair has won 20 in a row to improve to 24-1 this season and will open up the PIAA postseason Saturday with a home game against District 3 Cedar Crest.
2026 Trib HSSN Basketball Teams of the Week
Week 6 – South Allegheny Gladiators
Week 5 – Fox Chapel Foxes girls
Week 4 – Quaker Valley Quakers boys
Week 3 – Belle Vernon Leopards girls
Week 2 – Beaver Falls Tigers girls
Week 1 – Knoch Knights boys