DAVON HUGER

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-7 1/2, 185-pound senior on the Sto-Rox boys' basketball team, which is ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class AA.

THE PAST WEEK: Huger had 28 points in a 71-35 victory Tuesday against Brentwood and 24 points in a 62-54 victory Friday against Bishop Canevin.

SEASON: Huger is averaging a team-high 22.9 points and 12 rebounds a game for the Vikings (9-1).

MR. VERSATILITY: Although Huger is tall, he is talented in a variety of areas. He shoots well and handles the ball decently for a big player.

"Against Carlynton, he had five dunks, but he also made three 3-pointers," said Sto-Rox coach Bill Minear. "That shows his versatility."

INSPIRED PLAY: Huger was good last year, averaging 14.1 points a game. But both Minear and Huger's teammates say the spindly senior is a different player this season because of what happened in Sto-Rox's final game of last season.

Sto-Rox made it to the PIAA Class AA championship in Hershey but lost to Camp Hill Trinity, 66-49. Huger was thrown out of the game with 2:04 left in the first half after throwing a punch at a Trinity player. This was after a bench-clearing brawl earlier in the game. The PIAA suspended Huger for the first two games of this season.

"He's on a mission to get back to Hershey this season and he's said to the team, 'Come with me,' " Minear said. "Anyone can say that, but he's shown maturity to go along with saying it."

Huger said: "Because of Hershey last year and because of sitting out the first few games this year, it really made me think of how much I care about the game of basketball. I'm playing every game like it's my last this year. Basically, I think I'm just playing harder."

TERRIFIC THREESOME: Sto-Rox senior point guard Adam DiMichele recently scored his 1,000th career point. Huger has 986 and senior John Geiger 780. There is a chance all three of them could score 1,000 by the end of the season.

FORGET FOOTBALL: Huger was a receiver and defensive back in junior high football but gave up the sport after eighth grade.

"I used to be a football dude," Huger said. "I just lost my desire for it and I made the transition to basketball."

THE FUTURE: Huger would like to play college basketball and Minear said Robert Morris has been showing interest.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Greensburg Salem

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-8 point guard on the girls' basketball team.

THIS WEEK: Klimchock scored 17 points Monday in a 72-61 loss to Hempfield, a Section 1 rival and the No. 1 team in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class AAAA rankings. She is averaging 20.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the Golden Lions (7-3, 4-1) and has been their leading scorer in nine of 10 games.

CAREER: A senior, Klimchock has started for four seasons and has compiled 1,225 points, third-best in school history. She could challenge the runner-up, Jessica Greene with 1,586.

TAKE-CHARGE TYPE: Aggressive play is one of Klimchock's trademarks. "I've always been a driver," she said. "I shot over 200 free throws last season and I'm probably averaging 10 a game this year." That mind-set doesn't always serve her well, though. "Laura has tended to initiate contact and get called for charges," said Tim Kimmel, her coach. "She's pulling up and shooting the jumper more now instead of barreling through players. She is more selective with her shots and is stronger this year. She is a complete player."

FOUL PLAY: In an 81-80 victory Feb. 8 against Connellsville, Klimchock spent an inordinate amount of time at the free-throw line, attempting 34 shots. She converted 29, a state record and second-best all-time nationally. Klimchock scored 45 in that double-overtime triumph.

LIKE A COACH: Some point guards are often referred to as being a "coach" on the court. But in Klimchock's case, that cliche is particularly apt. Her father, Rick, is the boys' head coach at Jeannette (9-2). "He's had such a great impact on everything involved in my basketball career," she said. "All of my ballhandling and shooting skills I owe to him."

FUTURE: "I want to play in college," said Klimchock, who has a 3.9 grade point average. She said Division II programs have shown the most interest. "I'd like to play out the season and make a decision in April."

-- By Rick Shrum