The best of what you missed from Shaler Area Sports
Boys Basketball
Over the break, the boys basketball team continued its dominance. The team won five of its most recent games by 20 or more points to begin the season with 11 straight wins.
12/16
One of those games was a 68-47 throttling of North Hills at the Harry Jenkins Classic, even without starting guard Kaden Orga. Julian Vizzoca led the way with 20 points, Keegan Smetanka had 17, and Brandon London had another double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
12/19
The Titans took revenge over the Talbots in the Route 8 Rivalry, vanquishing Hampton 53-34. In a game that was sluggish at first, Shaler Area controlled the game with its stifling defense and eventually found its rhythm on offense, knocking down jumper after jumper to put the game away. Keegan Smetanka led all scorers with 15 points and Kaden Orga had 13 points for the Titans.
1/3
After winning the State College Tournament in convincing fashion, the Titans returned home to Shaler and took care of business in their 71-55 victory over the Plum Mustangs in their section opener. The Titans took a 13-5 lead in the first quarter and did not look back. Keegan Smetanka led the Titans with 14 points, and Brandon London and Julian Vizzoca each had 11. Plum’s Will Beckner led all scorers with 23 points.
1/5
The Titans lost their first game of the season to Woodland Hills, 52-46. Brandon London led the Titans with 20 points. However, the Titans collectively had an off night shooting and were no match for the dynamic play of Scoop Smith and the Wolverines.
The Shaler Area Boys Basketball team looks to continue its winning ways into 2024 as they vie for a top seed in the WPIAL 5A playoffs and fight for their first section title since 2012.
Girls Basketball
Since the 12th of December, Girls Basketball has gone 4-4.
12/14
The Titans got a huge section win over the #2 ranked team in 5A the Armstrong Riverhawks by a score of 48-39. The Titans were led by Bayleigh Perez with 16 points, Hilary Quinn with 13 points, and Jorja Bernesser with 11 points.
12/18
Girls Basketball took a last-second win against the Butler Golden Tornadoes by a score of 43-42. The Titans started off strong with a 26-15 lead at halftime. The Golden Tornadoes battled back to make it a three-point game going into the 4th quarter. Shaler was down two points with 12 seconds left when Bayleigh Perez hit a three to secure the win for the Titans. The Titans were spotlighted by Perez with 15 points and Hilary Quinn who held Butler’s leading scorer to eight points.
Holiday Break
Over the Holiday Break, the Titans traveled up to State College for a tournament. The Titans went 1-1 in their two games. The Titans won their first game against North Schuylkill by a score of 46-28. The Titans were led that game by Reese Smetanka with 17 points and May Engel with 13 rebounds. In the championship game, the Titans fell short to the State College Little Lions 44-37. The game was tied at half 22-22, but a 12-7 run by the Little Lions in the 3rd quarter propelled State College to the win. The Titans were represented in the All-Tournament Team by Bayleigh Perez and Reese Smetanka.
1/4
Girls Basketball would improve their section record to 2-1 with a 52-33 win against New Castle. In a game that started off slow in scoring, the Titans would go on a 26-13 run in the 2nd and 3rd quarters that sparked their victory. The Titans were led by Reese Smetanka with 14 points and Emily Berger with 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Boys Bowling
12/14
The boys bowling team won all three matches over Deer Lakes 975-762, 903-753, and 881-741 for the 7 point sweep. Sophomore Tyler Woistman led the Titans with scores of 215, 223, and 177 (615 total).
12/20
The Titan boys bowlers dominated against Riverview at Perry Park Lanes. They took all 7 points with scores of 992-434, 973-443, and 1054-592, finishing with 3019 points total. Junior Liam Creagh led the way with games of 225, 234, and 191 (650 3-game series).
1/6
At the Bearcat Challenge, the boys bowling team finished 7th out of 19 teams. The team scored 937 and 847 points, and for the seven baker games the total was 1151 (164 points per game). Senior Braden Scott was the top individual with games of 191 and 235 (426 2-game series), placing 9th out of 120, just outside of the all-tournament team.
Girls Bowling
12/14
Girls Bowling took a 7-0 loss to Deer Lakes. The Lancers won all 3 games by scores of 842-606, 841-592, and 769-652. Leading the Titans was Sophomore Brooke Callahan with scores of 224, 169, and 209 (602 3-game series).
12/20
Girls Bowling won against Riverview by a score of 7-0. The Titans won each game by a score of 685-618, 695-579, and 655-625. The Titans were led by Sophomores Brook Callahan (698) and Chloe Maurer (469) in their three game totals.
1/6
In the Bearcat Challenge, the team bowled games of 633 and 605, while bowling a 7-game baker total of 876 for a total of 2114, finishing 7th out of 8 teams. Brooke Callahan led the Titans with a high game of 181 (316 2-game series) placing 24th out of 64 bowlers.
Wrestling
12/13
Wrestling lost to North Hills in a non-section matchup 43-21. The Titans had victories from Anthony Jones, Jonah Cable, Alex Weber, Jacob Cable, and Vito Barravecchio.
12/15
Wrestling traveled up to Central Mountain High School for a tournament. The Titans placed 30th in the tournament. Shaler had great performances from Anthony Jones, Michael Ulery, and Vito Barravecchio who made it to the Championship Quarterfinals in the tournament.
12/20
Wrestling lost to Armstrong 43-29. The Titans had victories from Anthony Jones, Braylon Ronel, Cater Tunstall, Jonah Cable, and Vito Barravecchio.
1/3
Shaler took a win against Pittsburgh Central Catholic 37-28. The Titans had victories from Anthony Jones, Dustin Corefield, Jonah Cable, Alex Weber, Jack Begg, Michael Ulery, and Zac Ehrenberger.
Hockey
The Shaler Hockey team had some tough games over the holidays. On December 14th, the Titans took a 6-4 loss against North Catholic. The Titans would then lose two heart-breakers 5-4 in shootouts against Indiana and 3-2 against Quaker Valley.
