Net gains for basketball coaches at banquet
It was a season of successes on the basketball courts.
Some teams made incredible runs while others went far beyond expectations.
Six coaches in particular need recognized.
Rick Bell of Canon-McMillan, Dan Bosnic of Monessen and Rob Kezmarsky of Uniontown will be honored on the boys side and Bert Kendall of Peters Township, Bob Miles of Trinity and Jordan Watson of West Greene on the girls side will be honored at the Coach of the Year Banquet at 6 p.m., Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are on sale at Washington High School, 201 Allison Avenue, Washington, PA 15301. Reservations can be made by calling athletic director Mike Bosnic at 724-223-5085, ext. 2091.
All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.
Bell, after 31 seasons combined at Peters Township and Canon-McMillan high schools, announced his retirement after the season. Bell finished his career with a 428-316 record. This year’s team went 16-10, advancing to the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals before falling in the first round of the state tournament.
Bosnic led Monessen to the Section 2-A title and a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. The Greyhounds advanced to the semifinals, where Vincentian stopped the run. Monessen pushed its way to the state semifinals, where Vincentian beat the Greyhounds again. Monessen finished with an 18-10 record.
It was another playoff effort for tradition-rich Uniontown. Kezmarsky guided Uniontown to the Section 3 title in Class 4A with a 10-0 record. Uniontown won 15 straight games before Highlands ended the Red Raiders’ season at 19-4 in the WPIAL quarterfinals.
Kendall had a dream season at Peters Township. The Indians became the first girls basketball team from Washington County to win a state basketball championship, defeating Garnet Valley, 62-49. The Indians became only the fourth Washington County school to win a WPIAL girls basketball title and finished the season 30-0.
Miles maneuvered Trinity through turbulent waters without top player Riley DeRubbo, who was injured for most of the season. The Hillers finished third in Section 1 of Class 5A and, with DeRubbo back, made it to the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs. The Hillers (12-13) lost to Thomas Jefferson in the first round of the state tournament.
A 17-game winning streak highlighted West Greene’s run to the Section 2-A title and WPIAL finals, where Vincentian stopped the Pioneers. Kennedy Catholic ended the season for West Greene at 22-4 in the first round of the state tournament.