2018-2019 Boys Varsity Basketball
No team summary for this season.
Glendale looks to improve for 2018-19 season
Updated on 06/10/2022
FLINTON — It was tough sledding for the Glendale Vikings boys basketball team last year, as they finished the season with a 1-21 record.
However, five returning letterwinners and 12 total players will be counted upon to turn things around as head coach Steve Sinclair said practices have been very productive heading into the season.
“The kids are practicing at a high level and it has really shown during the scrimmages we had,” Sinclair said.
The Vikings didn’t lose a single player to graduation, as four of the five letterwinners are seniors this season. They will be led by Jacob Jasper, Josh Potutschnig, Nick Blake and J.J. Kitko. Sophomore Ryan Sinclair is the other letterwinner.
“Jacob Jasper and Josh Potutschnig will lead the offense and both are very capable of taking over any game,” Sinclair said. “They both are good shooters and ball handlers. Both are very good defenders. Nick Blake is a solid defender and rebounder. He will be big in what we do defensively. Ryan Sinclair and J.J. Kitko will lead the offense in the paint. They both will need to control the boards offensively and defensively.
An addition to the familiar Vikings faces will be sophomore Loegen Smeal, who Sinclair said should see a lot of playing time.
“Loegen Smeal will be counted on to contribute both offensively and defensively,” Sinclair said.
With the returning nucleus still intact, Sinclair feels that will be one of the team’s strengths heading into the season. The Vikings also look to use their speed and senior leadership.
“We have overall good height and good perimeter shooters,” Sinclair said.
One of the things that Sinclair said they will continue to work on is the lack of depth outside of the letterwinners. In order for the team to be successful, they will also need to limit turnovers and be consistent shooters.
Sinclair is in his third season and is being assisted by coach Amy Potutschnig.
“Coach Potutschnig is a very good defensive coach and has instilled a solid defensive philosophy,” Sinclair said.
Sinclair — who also has volunteers John Matchock and Jerry Henry on the staff — said his goals for the season are to start off winning games and continually build from there. With the wins means they would be competitive in league play and Sinclair hopes they will play good team basketball.
“This team is ready to get the season underway,” Sinclair said. “These kids come to practice every night and practice hard. They have put the work in and are willing to do the little things to get better. I believe this year we will be much improved and be competitive in the leagues we play. They have been playing very good team basketball.”
Glendale starts its season on Wednesday as they host West Branch.
Roster
Seniors
*Nick Blake, *Jacob Jasper, *J.J. Kitko, *Josh Potutschnig.
Juniors
Jackson Kitko, James Yingling.
Sophomores
Jacob Holes, Justin Monahan, *Ryan Sinclair, Loegen Smeal, Luke Spencer, Mason St. Clair.
*Denotes returning letterwinners.
Schedule
December
12—West Branch. 17—at Moshannon Valley. 19—at Curwensville. 20—Juniata Valley, 7:15 p.m. 26, 27—Cambria Heights High School (Christmas Tournament), TBA.
January
2—St. Joseph’s. 4—at Bellwood-Antis. 10—Claysburg-Kimmel. 11—Williamsburg. 14—at Mount Union. 16—at Harmony. 18—at West Branch. 21—Moshannon Valley. 23—at Northern Bedford. 25—at Juniata Valley, 7:15 p.m. 29—Bellwood-Antis. 30—Curwensville.
February
1—at Williamsburg. 5—at Claysburg-Kimmel. 6—Harmony. 8—Mount Union.
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless noted.
Glendale falters in fourth in playoff loss
Updated on 06/10/2022
Glendale falters in fourth in playoff loss by Rob Longo
FLINTON — After a combined four wins the previous three seasons, Glendale was in uncharted territory in the first round of the boys District 6 2A playoffs Friday against Penns Manor.
And although the Vikings didn’t look lost with their hot start, they couldn’t sustain the success they found in the first quarter, falling to fifth-seeded Penns Manor, 61-55.
“We had a lead early off our motion offense, but give Penns Manor credit; they have some big boys and they play hard,” Glendale coach Steve Sinclair said. “Someone had to lose and it sucks it had to be us, but it is what it is.”
Glendale looked like it belonged in the postseason right from the start. The Vikings controlled the opening tip and Loegen Smeal drilled a 3-pointer eight seconds into the contest to give Glendale an early lead. The Vikings had it up to 11 points early, forcing Penns Manor to call a timeout three minutes into the game. Glendale led 20-12 after the first quarter and took a five-point lead into the locker room at halftime. But with six seconds left to go in the half, Josh Potutschnig picked up his third foul roughly 45 feet away from the basket. By that point, Glendale still had its starting five on the bench.
“I would put Jacob (Jasper) and Josh up against anyone we played all year; they’re phenomenal guards,” Steve Sinclair said. “When one goes off, it puts a lot of pressure on the other kids.”
The foul trouble didn’t subside in the second half, as Potutschnig picked up his fourth foul on a charge midway through the third quarter. The senior had to sit for the rest of the period, which allowed Penns Manor to gain momentum.
“It was pretty tough; I was pretty down on myself,” said Potutschnig, who finished with 11 points, nine coming in the first quarter alone.
Despite Glendale not using a substitution until two minutes into the third quarter, the Vikings kept Penns Manor at bay. However, the Comets used an 8-2 run to start the final stanza, and took the lead with under six minutes to play thanks to Brandon Baird, who stole the inbounds pass and finished with a dunk at the other end of the floor, igniting Penns Manor.
Glendale committed a travel at the other end of the court, and the Vikings called a timeout to stop the bleeding. Glendale kept it close late, but could never retake the lead down the stretch. Penns Manor was led by Garrett Grimaldi, who finished with a game-high 23 points. Tommy Hamilton also chipped in with 17 and Baird finished with 14 points.
But after a 1-21 record last season, the only way up this year was up for Glendale. The Vikings finished 14-9, and can thank Jasper, Potutschnig, Nick Blake and JJ Kitko for their contributions as seniors, all of which played valuable minutes. Potutschnig credited baptism by fire his freshman year to get the program where it is today. The Vikings went 0-14 that season.
“We brought the program up from there,” Potutschnig said. “We got thrown out there as freshmen; we got our butts handed to us every night. As we worked up we got better and better.”
As four seniors graduate, the future still looks bright for Glendale. Steve Sinclair’s son Ryan is a sophomore and led the Vikings with 17 points.
“I just try to work the post and get rebounds and score,” Ryan Sinclair said. “(The seniors) are great leaders, they taught me how to win.”
Penns Manor (61): Baum 0 0-1 0, Lieb 0 2-2 2, Hamilton 6 4-7 17, Grimaldi 8 7-10 23, Baird 7 0-2 14, Hill 2 0-0 5, Chiodini 0 0-0 0, Lightner 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 13-22 61.
Glendale (55): Jasper 1 2-4 4, Potutschnig 5 0-0 11, Blake 3 0-0 8, Smeal 3 0-0 7, Sinclair 8 1-5 17, Kitko 3 0-1 8. Totals 23 3-10 55.
SCORE BY QUARTER:
Penns Manor 12 15 14 20 — 61
Glendale 20 12 14 9 — 55
3-point goals: Penns Manor 2 (Hamilton, Hill); Glendale 4 (Potutschnig, Smeal, Blake 2).
Records: Penns Manor (12-11); Glendale (14-9).
Officials: Keith Redfoot, Jim Cushion, Lynn Smith.
2018-19 Progressland High School Boys Basketball All-Stars announced
Updated on 06/10/2022
2018-19 Progressland High School Boys Basketball All-Stars announced
By Jackie YinglingThe 2018-19 season was a good one for three teams in Progressland, while the other four struggled through a lean year.
West Branch finished the season at 18-8, making the District 6 Class AA title game for the first time since 2016. The Warriors fell in the first round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs to Lakeview. The Warriors also won the Moshannon Valley League title for the sixth time in seven years.
Clearfield also made a run to the District 9 Class AAAA title game for the fifth straight year, toppling Bradford 63-61. The Bison finished the year at 13-10, falling to Quaker Valley 66-51 in the first round of the state tournament.
Glendale also had a great year, finishing at 14-9. The Vikings fell in the first round of the District 6 Class AA playoffs 66-51 to Penns Manor.
Clearfield Alliance, Curwensville, Harmony and Philipsburg-Osceola all finished the year with four wins or less.
Once again the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year come from one of the top teams in Progressland.
Several players had a shot at the coveted title, but when you talk all-around stats, West Branch’s Larry Cowder came out on top again and wins the Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. He becomes the third Warrior to win multiple POTY awards, following Kody Trude (four-time) and Tyler Ferguson (two-time). Austin Krise and Sean Coble have also won the award.
The Coach of the Year award goes to the Warriors’ Danny Clark, who took a team that finished 13-10 and was bounced from the first round of district playoffs in 2018 to a team that made the district title game and the PIAA playoffs.
The selections for this year’s all-star team were based on observations by The Progress Sports Department and not solely on scoring ability, but all-around performance.
Here is how the team breaks down:
Coach of the Year: Danny Clark, West Branch — Not many people would have picked the Warriors to make the District 6 Class AA title game this year, but Clark’s team put out a solid effort in the playoffs.
The Warriors defeated United and Bishop McCort before falling to Bishop Guilfoyle in the championship game. West Branch headed to the PIAA playoffs where they fell to Lakeview to end the season at 18-8.
Clark was able to use his team’s strengths to get the most out of his bench when he needed them. He also helped make the Warriors one of the most dangerous teams from the 3-point line as they drained 201 on the year. He also won his 200th game at the helm of the Warriors, just the second coach in school history to do so, behind mentor Bill Etchison.
Player of the Year: Larry Cowder, West Branch — There would be few coaches around that wouldn’t want Cowder on their team. The senior finished the season with a Progressland leading 469 points, good enough for a 18.0 points per game average. He also averaged 10.7 rebounds per game for a total of 277.
In addition to being one of the top scorers for the Warriors, Cowder also had 73 steals and 49 blocks. He added 41 assists as well. Cowder had a double-double in 25 of the 26 games he played, including a 33-point, 13-rebound performance against Claysburg-Kimmel.
Cowder scored had nine 20-plus point performances on the year and only scored in single digits once. He was named the Moshannon Valley League MVP and was an Inter-County Conference first teamer.
First Team: Christian Bakaysa, Curwensville — Bakaysa had a big year for the Tide. The senior averaged 16.2 points per game and finished the year with 324 points. Bakaysa also averaged 8.2 rebounds per game with a total of 164.
Bakaysa’s best game came against Brockway on Jan. 25 where he scored 30 points, including going 14-for-18 from the free throw line. He had eight 20-point performances during the season and scored in double digits in all but five games.
The Tide senior was an Allegheny Mountain League first team all-star and a Moshannon Valley League first teamer. He was a Progressland second teamer last year.
First Team: Josh Potutschnig, Glendale — Potutschnig had a breakout year for the Vikings, averaging 19.1 points per game this season. He had a total of 439 points and 100 rebounds, along with 95 steals.
He hit double digits in 20 of 23 games and had his best effort on Jan. 11 against Williamsburg, where he dropped 35 points. He had a total of 11 games of 20-plus points and only scored in single digits three times.
Potutschnig was also a threat from the 3-point line, finishing the year with 50. He was a Moshannon Valley League and Inter-County Conference first team all-star. He was a second team Progressland selection last year.
First Team: Ryan Sinclair, Glendale — Sinclair has continued to become more dominant as his career has come along, finishing the year as the second leading scorer on the Vikings as a sophomore. He averaged 17.3 points per game for Glendale, for a total of 399 points. He also had 217 rebounds for just under 10 per game, along with 36 steals.
Sinclair had nine games of 20-plus point performances, including a 29-point effort against Williamsburg on Feb. 1. He scored in double digits in 20 of 23 games this season.
The sophomore was named as an Inter-County Conference second teamer this year. This is his first appearance on the Progressland all-star team.
First Team: Cade Walker, Clearfield — Things are never easy in the Mountain League, but the Bison were sure happy to have Walker on their side this season. He averaged 18.0 points per game for 415 points total. He also had 154 rebounds for a total of just over seven per game.
Walker had six 20-plus point performances, including a 32-point game at Bellefonte on Jan. 15. He scored in double digits in every game but one this season.
Walker was a first team Mountain League all-star this year. He was a second team Progressland last season.
First Team: Ryan Whitehead, Philipsburg-Osceola — Whitehead entered his sophomore year as one of the leading scorers for the Mounties. He continued that in 2018-19, averaging 15.0 points per game in the always-tough Mountain League. He also pulled down 192 rebounds for a total of 8.7 per game. At the free throw line, he had a 65% success rate.
Whitehead had five games with 20-plus points. His best game came against Clearfield on Jan. 25 when he scored a career-high 29 points. He scored in double digits in 17 of 22 games.
Whitehead was a Mountain League second teamer. He was also a Progressland second teamer last year.
This year, second team selections went to Clearfield Alliance’s Bryce Shaw and Aaron McCloskey; Clearfield’s Karson Rumsky; Curwensville’s Avery Francisco and Ty Terry; Glendale’s Jacob Jasper; Harmony’s Daniel Rorabaugh and Adam McGarvey; Moshannon Valley’s Alex Kitko and Joe Bacher; Philipsburg-Osceola’s Carson Jones and West Branch’s David Guerra.