PT Pulls Off Upset Victory Over Rival USC

This win might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but for now the glory of defeating a bitter rival is all that matters to the Peters Township Indians.

Fans from both Peters Township and Upper St. Clair ventured through the icy roads and into the gym to watch the Indians square off against the Panthers in the first game of the new year.

Entering the game, the Indians were clear underdogs with a losing record and without any wins against conference opponents (losses to Baldwin and Bethel Park).

The Panthers, however, had enjoyed success this season with a 6-2 record and one win in two games against conference opponents (win over Baldwin and loss to Chartiers Valley).

After warm-ups, player introductions, and the playing of the National Anthem by the Peters Township Pep Band, the first quarter was finally set to begin.

The first few minutes of the game were scoreless due to multiple turnovers and sloppy play execution by both teams. The first quarter was largely uneventful, with the Panthers dominating play while the Indians struggled to find ways to score points. USC took advantage of Peters Township's slow start by setting up a 10-point lead that they would maintain for most of the game.

During the second quarter, both teams were plagued by foul trouble.

Many crucial Peters plays resulted in turnovers due to personal fouls. However, the Indians were able to stay within reach as Upper St. Clair also encountered foul trouble, allowing Peters to attempt 10 free throws in the first half.

The truly dominating factor for USC in the first half was their ability to control offensive rebounding. The majority of their points came from second- and third-shot opportunities. The physical and athletic play of USC resulted in a halftime score of 29-18 in favor of the Panthers.

Following a stellar performance by the , the teams emerged from their lockerrooms to continue the battle. Peters Township coach Gary Goga made some key adjustments during halftime that led to a momentum shift in favor of his Indians. Goga altered his strategy to prevent USC from retrieving as many offensive rebounds, as well as increasing the amount of shots taken by his team, especially from 3-point range.

During the third quarter, both teams displayed clean, solid play. They each posted 12 points, so USC was able to maintain their 11-point lead.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the Indians came alive and rallied back to steal the game away. Until this point, the Peters crowd had been mostly silenced by the dominant play of the Panthers. After a string of miscues led to Peters Township points, the hopes of a comeback didn't seem so slim after all.

The Indians opened the fourth quarter by scoring 6 unanswered points.

This cut USC's lead to only 5 points and forced them to utilize a timeout. After trading baskets, the score was brought to 43-38. With about 5 minutes remaining, Peters Township junior Dakota Norton drained a 3-pointer to bring the Indians within just 2 points, the closest margin of the game to that point.

The Peters crowd erupted, as the fans were brought to their feet.

However, they were quickly forced to reclaim their seats as USC responded with 3 points of their own. The Indians were stunned, but did not lose focus. After bringing the score back to 46-42, Indians junior Trent McPherson nailed a long three to reduce USC's lead to just one point. After the Panthers failed to respond, Peters Township junior Gabe Pritz scored with 2:50 remaining to give Peters their first lead of the game. Peters was able to hold off the Panthers for the next few minutes. With 20 seconds remaining, Peters held a 51-49 lead, but USC had called a timeout and had an opportunity to shoot 2 free throws and potentially tie the game.

After sinking the first, USC missed on the second attempt and was forced to send junior Gabe Pritz back to the free throw line for his 19th FT of the game. Successful foul shots by both Pritz and senior Kevin Glod solidified the Peters come-from-behind victory over rival USC.

After being silenced for nearly three and a half quarters, the Peters Township student section finally exploded as they stormed the court in celebration of their amazing comeback victory over hated rival USC.

This victory marks the first time Peters has defeated USC since Jan. 12, 2010.

KEY STAT: Junior Gabe Pritz was 14-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line.

Note: All statistics were unofficially recorded by Ryan Duane.