The previous time Thomas Jefferson won a section title in boys basketball, one of the Jaguars’ top players was a senior who would go on to play football for Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick.
It has been a decade since Chase Winovich suited up for the Jaguars. And while the team might still technically be chasing the elusive title, their latest win should go a long way in ending the drought.
Noah Prosser’s 17 points led a trio of Thomas Jefferson players scoring in double-figures as the Jaguars went on the road and defeated host Peters Township, 70-58, in a battle for first place in WPIAL Class 5A Section 1.
Thomas Jefferson (13-3, 6-0), which won its most recent section title in 2014, took a two-game lead after beating reigning section champ Peters Township (12-5, 4-2) for the second time this season. Every other team has at least two section losses. The Jaguars’ four remaining section contests will come against teams they beat by margins of 36, 25, 12 and 64 points the first time around, so barring a late collapse, the Jaguars will become section champs.
“This is huge,” said Thomas Jefferson senior guard Evan Berger, who scored 15 points. “Peters has been our rivals for so many years now in metro till now, and it just feels great to get that two-game lead over them in the section.”
In a matchup of two of the WPIAL’s top five scoring offenses — Peters Township came in averaging 73.6 points and Thomas Jefferson 71.1 — it was Thomas Jefferson’s ability to play defense that was the storyline. The Jaguars limited Peters Township to its second-lowest point total of the season after holding the Indians to 36% shooting (21 of 58) and two 3-pointers. The Jaguars also held Peters Township’s top scorer, Jack Dunbar, to 12 points, 6 below his average.
“I thought we gave them a lot of problems defensively tonight,” said Thomas Jefferson coach Dom DeCicco, whose team topped Peters Township, 90-74, Jan. 3 at home. “I thought we had hands in their faces. They didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from 3, and they usually do. And I thought that was the difference in the game.”
Known more for its offense, Thomas Jefferson now has held six of its past seven opponents to 60 points or fewer. The lone exception was Tuesday’s 71-56 non-section home loss to South Fayette that ended Thomas Jefferson’s eight-game win streak.
“We just locked in on defense,” Berger said. “Last year, that was our problem all season. We couldn’t play defense. We couldn’t rebound. But I feel like we improved a lot in the offseason in those aspects of the game.”
Of course, Thomas Jefferson was very impressive offensively, as well. The Jaguars shot 58% from the field (27 of 46) and showed off their depth as eight players scored by the time the game was 10 minutes old. The Jaguars led by 7 points after just one quarter, held a 10-point edge at the half, and saw their lead grow to as many as 14 late in the third quarter.
Berger, Thomas Jefferson’s top scorer at 17 per game, scored 7 of his points in the third quarter, while Prosser, a senior guard, scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. DeCicco said of Prosser, “He really stepped up tonight.”
The Jaguars also got big contributions from two of their younger players, sophomore guard Nick Trklja and freshman guard Kane Eggerton. Trklja made two 3-pointers and scored 15 points, while Eggerton moved into the starting lineup for the game and contributed 9 points. Eggerton might just be the next big thing at Thomas Jefferson. The freshman also started at linebacker for the school’s football team.
“Those guys are huge,” Berger said. “They take so much pressure off of me and Noah, and they just play their butts off every time they step on the floor.”
Mickey Vaccarello, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, scored 17 points off the bench to lead Peters Township, a WPIAL finalist a season ago. Vaccarello helped the Indians win their first WPIAL football title in the fall.
Following a massive section win, Thomas Jefferson now must quickly shift its focus to non-section foe and defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Central Catholic, which it faces at noon Saturday at North Hills.
“We’ve got Central Catholic tomorrow. Thanks, Cherp!” DeCicco exclaimed, his light-hearted jab directed at Thomas Jefferson athletic director Bill Cherpak. “We will probably get the Lakers on Monday.”
Thomas Jefferson has not officially won a section title and the Jaguars have never won a WPIAL championship, but if they continue to play defense like they did Friday, they soon might just accomplish both.
“The key for us is what you saw tonight,” DeCicco said. “If we can defend like that, we’ll be OK.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.