Shaler Area Titans visit Altoona and State College...

[WPIAL~Titan]

If you want to watch some good basketball, go to Altoona (tomorrow at 5:30PM) or State College (Saturday at 6:30PM) this weekend and watch Shaler Area play.

One of the best best inside/outside combos in western PA will be playing there in 6-4 200 combo guard Nick Sefscik (19ppg/6apg) and 6-6 215 guard/forward/center Stu Anglum (21ppg/13rpg/4apg). Stu plays any of the 5 positions on the floor, including point guard if he has to, and plays them all well.

Both players are excellent and two of the best players this year in western PA. Stu and Nick have both been offered full scholarships by several D2 and NAIA schools and have drawn recent small D1 interest. More improtantly, they are great kids.

Sefscik and Anglum have led Shaler to a fast 3-0 start and a top 5 Ranking in WPIAL AAAA (Post Gazette and Trib-Review), including wins over NYC Catholic League perennial power All Hallows HS 72-68 (current Pitt starter Ron Ramon attended there, as well as Olden Polynice, Bobby Cremins, and Ken Walker), WPIAL AAAA contender Mount Lebanon 67-61 (Lebo is led by Geoff Kestler, who committed to play at Princeton University next year), and previously unbeaten Franklin Regional of Murrysville, 70-44.

Click on the link below to read more about Stu Anglum, who was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Athlete of the Week this past week:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04344/424170.stm

I'll be there!!!!!


WT

[WPIAL~Titan]

Shaler looked very solid this weekend, beating a scrappy Altoona team 58-41, and surprising Pre-Season PIAA AAAA #2 ranked State College 58-51.

Shaler methodically took apart Altoona, breaking open a close game by nailing 6 threes in the 3rd quarter, including 3 by 6-1 junior guard Craig DeVinney. Shaler led 25-20 at halftime and stretched their lead to as many as 25 late in the game. Sefscik (16) and Anglum (15, also 12 rebounds) led Shaler. The Titans nailed 10 threes for the game.

The big upset win at State College was quite impressive. Shaler battled back from an 8 point 2nd half defecit behind Nick Sefscik's 16 second half points. After being cold the first 3 quarters of the game, Nick went insane the last 5 minutes of the game and totally took control, dominating D-1 signee from State Kevin Kanaskie (East Tenn St.) when Kanaskie had to try to guard him man to man teh last few minutes of teh game. Nick hit 3 consecutive threes within a span of 2 minutes in the 4th quarter stunning the rowdy State College crowd. State College discovered early in the game that they couldn't guard Shaler man-to-man as Shaler jumped to a 9-2 lead early and switched to 131 and 23 zones for the rest of the game. Shaler buried 10 threes again and made them pay for playing a zone.

Most impressive was that Shaler won playing at State College's pace and by defending well, plus they picked up a win in a tough environment on the road against a top team in the state after playing the evening before following a long bus ride, no easy feat. SG Brett Witkowski led Shaler with 17 points, and guard Craig Devinney scored 10. Stu Anglum was held to 9 points, 12 below his average of 21ppg, but grabbed 15 rebounds and played absolutely tremendous defense against D-1 prospect 6'8" Eric Meister.

The Titans are looing like one of the WPIAL's best in AAAA this season. They bring a blalanced team that can take it inside to Anglum or nail the trey (All 5 starters can hit the 3 and are encouraged to shoot it.) They are also improving defensively and feature a variety of full court pressure defenses and sound half court m2m.

[ShortyThePimp]

Sounds like a good team, Titan. Good luck to them this year.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Thanks, shorty. Maybe Mike Harris can lead the 'Rone to the promised land...

WT

[ShortyThePimp]

I don't know about the promised land, but I think we should at least be competetive... hopefully

[WPIAL~Titan]

Just be glad your Golden Eagles don't play the Titans on the hardwood. Someone would need to call Children and Youth Services due to the abuse that would take place.

WT

[WPIAL~Titan]

Here's a copy of the article that appeared in today's Centre County Times, online edition:

Posted on Sun, Dec. 12, 2004





Little Lions suffer first loss

By Todd Ceisner

[email protected]


STATE COLLEGE - For 22 minutes, 49 seconds, Shaler's Nick Sefscik was silent as a caterpillar burp.

Shooters are like that -- they can go long stretches without you even knowing they're there. Then, in an instant, or in Sefscik's case the flick of his right wrist, they burst on the scene and are impossible to ignore.

Sefscik, considered one of the better players in the WPIAL this season, had one of those nights Saturday.

Held scoreless for the better part of three quarters, the Titans' senior solved State College's 2-3 zone defense, scoring 16 second-half points, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:55 remaining which broke a 45-all tie and carried Shaler to a hard-earned 58-51 win over the Little Lions.

"Nick's a (heck) of a good player," said Shaler coach Howie Ruppert, who has his team off to a 5-0 start. "He didn't get down on himself, he didn't pout, he kept playing, he kept taking good shots. We always say good shots are going to go in. He was a good shooter taking good shots."

Shaler, which made 10 3-pointers for the second straight night, was led by Brett Witkowski, who made four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points. Craig Devinney added 10 for the Titans, who defeated Altoona 58-41 Friday.

Kevin Kanaskie and Keith Hardin each had 12 points for State College (3-1). Eric Meister finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Shaler came into Saturday touted as one of the best teams in the Pittsburgh area this season and were fresh off a 58-41 win over Altoona on Friday night. They carried that momentum into Saturday, disrupting the Little Lions' offense just enough with a full-court press the entire game and collapsing on the 6-foot-7 Meister at every chance.

"I think our full-court pressure and collapsing bothered them," Ruppert said. "We did a little something to take (Meister) away."

With Meister bottled up most of the second half, the Little Lions turned to their other scoring options.

Hardin's 12-foot jumper to beat the third-quarter buzzer gave the Little Lions a 37-35 lead and set the stage for a see-saw fourth.

Shaler went ahead 38-37 on Witkowski's fourth 3-pointer of the night in the opening minute. Ian Stringer's two free throws put State College back on top before Sefscik made a free throw to tie it at 39.

State College led 45-42 when Hardin scored from under the hoop with less than four minutes left.

Sefscik then scored Shaler's next eight points, including a 3-pointer over Stringer which tied the game at 45 and the go-ahead 3 from the top of the key.

After Jason Miller made a pair of free throws to draw State College to within one, Sefscik came off a pick and drilled an 18-footer before Witkowski converted a turnover into a layup to cap a 10-2 run that put Shaler ahead 52-47.

The Little Lions cut the lead to 52-49 and had a chance to get closer but Kanaskie had the ball knocked away with 33 seconds left and the Titans sealed the win with six points in the final 27 seconds.

State College is now 8-4 in its last 12 games against WPIAL opponents dating back to beginning of the 2002-03 season.

The Little Lions, rarely tested through three games this season, had their hands full from the start as Shaler built a 9-2 lead midway through the first quarter.

State College then scored the game's next 10 points after switching from their bread-and-butter man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone, forcing Shaler to settle for outside shots on nearly every possession. But Ruppert wasn't discouraged.

"With the line being as short as it is, we shoot it," he said. "We're not backing off, we're shooting it. We have guys who can shoot it. If we get our feet set, we're taking them. Then hopefully, we can extend the defense and we can get it inside."

Witkowski hit a pair from beyond the arc, one of which turned into a four-point play, and Devinney hit another 3 to tie the game at 19.

Kanaskie came off a screen and drilled a 3-pointer to put State College ahead 22-21 before Hardin made it 24-21. Anglum cut it to 24-23 at the half with a short baseline jumper in the closing seconds of the half.