Seneca Valley boys basketball’s shooting goes cold in season-ending loss in WPIAL tournament
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Seneca Valley's Ryan Priester (23) shoots against Woodland Hills in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Owen Congdon (0) and Ryan Priester (23) double-team Woodland Hills' Calvin Barksdale (21) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Jacob Olkowski (13) attempts a 3-pointer against Woodland Hills in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Nicodemus Santapau (25) defends Woodland Hills' Scoop Smith (1) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Ryan Priester (23) fights to prevent a jump ball in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Cheerleaders perform during a timeout at the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's bench cheers on the team during the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Owen Congdon (0) at the foul line in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Cheerleader Daniela Tyrpak helps pump up the crowd at the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Owen Congdon (0) at the foul lone in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Dance Team perform during halftime at the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley Head Coach Kevin Trost yelling in plays to the team during the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley Head Coach Kevin Trost giving instructions to the team during a timeout during the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley Student Section cheering on their team during the WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Woodland Hills' Amere Brown (2) looks for an open lane as he is defended by Seneca Valley's Andrew Omasits (3) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Andrew Omasits (3) attempts a layup as Woodland Hills' Butch Price (12) has his back to him in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Woodland Hills' Butch Price (12) grabs a rebound as Seneca Valley's Ryan Priester (23) defends him in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Owen Congdon (0) looks shoot from under the basket as he is defended Woodland Hills' Butch Price (12) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Owen Congdon (0) goes for a layup as he is defended by Woodland Hills' Donshae Mosley (23) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Tyler Pepin (11) looks for an open lane as he is defended by Woodland Hills' Landon Akins (5) in a WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball play-in game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Woodland Hills won 43-32. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley played five-and-a-half minutes before registering its first points in a WPIAL 6A boys basketball playoff opener Monday night.
The drought proved a harbinger of things to come.
The Raiders were limited to 32 points — their second lowest output of the season — ending their campaign with a 43-32 home loss to Woodland Hills.
The Wolverines (11-11) led throughout while winning their fifth consecutive game and earning a shot at top-seed Upper St. Clair on the road Thursday. Seneca Valley (10-12) closed its season with six straight losses.
“We weren’t rebounding or defending like we were when we were winning all those games in the middle of the season,” SV coach Kevin Trost said. “That was in our regular season skid. Tonight, we got back to defending and rebounding well.
“We just didn’t shoot the ball well, and that’s what did us in.”
The Raiders sank only 12 field goals all night and shot 26% from the field. Their biggest deficit in the game was 11 points.
“I never felt comfortable with any lead we had,” Woodland Hills coach Steve Scorpion said. “Seneca Valley has some great shooters. A 10-point lead can be wiped out quickly by those guys.”
The Raiders looked like they might make a run when Jacob Olkowski closed the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, pulling SV within 27-21. But the Wolverines upped the margin to 34-23 with 4:57 to play.
A layup by Owen Congdon and two Tyler Pepin free throws got the Raiders within 36-30 with 2:53 to go. Seneca Valley got the ball back, but a steal and transition layup by Scoop Smith got Woodlands Hills’ lead to eight points and the Wolverines closed things out at the free-throw line.
Smith averages 18 points per game, but he was limited to eight by the SV defense. He sank only 4 of 16 shots. The junior guard and Division I football prospect tallied seven steals, five rebounds and a pair of assists.
“There aren’t many WPIAL football players who can score just eight points in a basketball game, yet dominate the game,” Scorpion said. “That’s what Scoop did tonight.”
Smith plays the top of a partial zone the Wolverines deploy.
“They come out and guard your top three shooters, then play zone with the other two guys,” Trost said. “Scoop is effective at the top because he’s quick and fast enough to guard the middle and the right side.
“I should have had us get the ball into the post more often to free up our shooters more, but that’s hard to do against that defense. We had our share of open looks, but we weren’t hitting.”
Landon Akins paced Woodland Hills with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Donshae Mosley tallied seven points and 10 rebounds.
Pepin paced the Raiders with 10 points and four rebounds. Ryan Priester contributed seven points and six boards. Andrew Omasits had six rebounds.
The only time Seneca Valley scored fewer than 32 points this year was when it netted 29 against South Fayette early in the season.
“Defense has been the difference for us,” Scorpion said of his team’s winning streak. “It took a while for our football players to get their basketball legs. Now they have, everyone’s bought in on how we’re playing defensively and we’ve gotten on a roll.”
WOODLAND HILLS 43
Carter Akins 0-0 1-2 1, Scoop Smith 4-16 0-1 8, Amere Brown 0-4 0-0 0, Andre Barlow 0-2 2-2 2, Landon Akins 4-6 6-10 15, Calvin Barksdale 3-5 0-0 6, Donshae Mosley 2-4 3-4 7, Butch Price 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 15-40 12-19 43.
SENECA VALLEY 32
Owen Congdon 2-7 2-4 7, Jaxon Householder 0-7 0-0 0, Andrew Omasits 1-4 0-0 2, Tyler Pepin 4-11 2-2 10, Jacob Olkowski 2-5 0-0 6, Luke West 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Priester 3-12 0-0 7, Nico Santapau 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-46 4-6 32.
Woodland Hills 8 12 7 16 — 43
Seneca Valley 7 4 10 11 — 32
3-point goals: Woodland Hills 1 (L.Akins), Seneca Valley 4 (Congdon, Olkowski 2, Priester)
