Coming off a strong season that ended in a disappointing first-round playoff exit in the spring, Shaler coach Rob Niederberger and his players had one thing on their minds entering this season — respect.
The undefeated Titans (7-0) might not be blaring Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits through the speakers in their locker room — they seem to prefer YG and NBA Youngboy — but if they hadn’t earned that respect before a blowout Tuesday night against previously unbeaten Hampton (5-1), they certainly have now.
Playing host to the Talbots in front of a packed house for a highly anticipated clash of two of the area’s hottest teams, Shaler’s suffocating defense and balanced offensive attack proved to be too much for star senior Peter Kramer and his Hampton teammates. Senior guard Keegan Smetanka led all scorers with 15 points for the Titans, and fellow senior Kaden Orga chipped in with 12 points in an eye-opening 53-34 win. Kramer, a Lehigh recruit, led the Talbots with 14 points.
“It’s the old Route 8 rivalry,” Niederberger said. “Kramer is honestly one of the best players I’ve seen. … We face-guarded Kramer. We did not want to give him any space. If you give that kid a foot, it’s up and it’s going in. So we had to make everything difficult.
“It was a team effort. That’s the thing about our guys. We have eight seniors, and they’re all unique.”
Smetanka is a standout quarterback at Shaler who passed for 3,967 yards and 43 touchdowns over the past two seasons, but he looked equally comfortable on the hardwood while calmly knocking down 3-pointers and setting up teammates for open looks. He is one of eight seniors who comprise the Titans’ main rotation, and seven of them also play football. They all have grown up playing both sports together for as long as they can remember, and the impeccable teamwork and unselfish tendencies they share on the court was as evident as ever Tuesday.
“It just really helps our chemistry,” Smetanka said. “Most of our dudes are receivers, so I’m working with them every day, and it helps with our practice for basketball, too.”
Along with Smetanka and Orga, it was another solid effort in the paint for Shaler big man Brandon London. A 6-foot-2 senior and Saint Francis football recruit, London finished with 9 points while cleaning up on the glass and keeping Hampton’s 6-8 forward Liam Mignogna scoreless for the entire game. It’s the second time this season London has gotten the better of a 6-8 foe after having similar success against Penn recruit Bradyn Foster and Highlands in a 55-46 win Dec. 2.
“Brandon is a monster. In every way,” Niederberger said. “We’ve shown up every game. They’re not scared of the limelight. We just come out and play. We’re an experienced, mature team.”
It was an extremely frustrating game for the Talbots, who entered the contest averaging 69 points per game while scoring at least 61 points in each of their first five games. Hampton scored only 17 points in the first three quarters Tuesday before finally showing signs of life in the fourth, but it was too little, too late, as the Talbots finished below half of their season scoring average while being handed their first loss of the season.
Playing in a packed gymnasium that Niederberger estimated to be the largest crowd for a home game at Shaler in nearly 30 years, the Titans fed off the fans’ energy and never allowed Hampton a chance to get going. Niederberger believes his team was likely the underdog in the eyes of many going into the game, but that won’t be the case much longer after the statement Shaler made Tuesday.
“No doubt [we were the underdogs]. They’ve got the star player,” Niederberger said. “They beat us last year. They embarrassed us last year. And they’re good. They’re really good. I just thought that we were better.”
On top of the win over Hampton, the Titans also hold impressive non-section victories over Highlands (55-46, Dec. 2), South Fayette (55-53 in overtime, Dec. 8) and North Hills (68-47, Saturday). Of course, the section games are the ones that really matter, and Shaler figures to be right in the mix for the Class 5A Section 2 crown alongside defending WPIAL champion Penn Hills when it’s all said and done.
For now, Niederberger is only concerned with making sure his team is improving day by day, and when it comes time for the WPIAL seeding committee to determine their playoff pairings, the Titans will accept their fate and play whoever is in front of them. But if they keep up this level of play the rest of the way, the WPIAL committee and each of their future opponents will have no choice but to give them the R-E-S-P-E-C-T they deserve.
“We expected this. We expect to win every game we have this year,” Smetanka said. “It’s just on to the next. We just try and stay humble. Don’t get too high and don’t get too low. … We should be [talked about as a leading title contender], but we probably won’t. And that’s fine.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
