It's all in the eye of the beholder, really.

For most basketball fans, the beauty of the game is found on offense: a slick pass, a fast-break lay-up, an emphatic dunk, a long-range "3" ... they're easy attention-getters.

For purists who appreciate the sport for its less obvious, defensive allure, however, consider the gritty Burrell Buccaneers.

This season, no team in Class AA -- or perhaps the entire WPIAL -- has derived as much pleasure in making opponents so miserable. As coach Mark Ziemianski's club tips off the final full week of its regular season Friday at Riverview, the Bucs (11-7 overall, 7-2 in Section 1-AA) find themselves in second place behind Freeport in the section standings with a WPIAL playoff berth already clinched.

"Defense isn't a skill you have to work on," explained Ziemianski, now in his fourth season on the Bucs' bench. "To be a good shooter or dribbler, you have to work on those things in the summer. But to be a good defensive player, you just have to want to play hard, and my guys are playing hard for 32 minutes. I can't ask much more from them."

The numbers back him up. Thinking of running and gunning against Ziemianski's veteran squad? Good luck.

With three games remaining, Burrell's smothering man-to-man defense has yielded only 315 points in nine section games, a chintzy 35.0 per game average that ranks first among all Class AA programs in section play.

Ironically, when it comes to statistics, Ziemianski sheepishly admits that since Christmas break, he can't tell you exactly what his leading scorer is averaging, or who's leading the way in rebounding, or what his team is shooting from the field.

For the man entrusted with leading Burrell back to the playoffs after last year's first-round exit to New Brighton, the only numbers that matter are wins and losses. To that end, this year's team has already eclipsed last season's nine total victories.

"It's a team thing," said Ziemianski. "I know it sounds like a cliché, but they know how I feel. It's not about 'me' -- it's about 'we.' That's the truth."

Clearly, it's also a philosophy the Bucs have bought into. Although 6-foot senior point guard Brandon Nichols is averaging a solid 15.0 points per game, Ziemianski said the rest of his team has shown a general indifference toward individual statistics ... not that he wouldn't mind a little bit of selfishness once in a while.

"They're the consummate team, but I get mad at them because they're so unselfish at times," he said, chuckling. "Some of the kids, I'm begging them to shoot. We actually shoot the ball pretty well from 3-point range, too.

"With Brandon, he's our leading scorer, but if he took a few more shots he'd be averaging in the 20s. He's that good."

In fairness to Nichols -- who was an all-section choice last season -- he is part of a 10-deep rotation that features seven seniors. Other players who see a lot of court minutes include: Steve Betza, a 6-2 forward who poured in 33 points last month against Class AAA contender Highlands; Chad Trozzi, a 5-9 senior guard who earned all-section honors in soccer; and freshman Cole Bush, a promising 6-0 guard/forward.

Given his team's personality, however, it's no surprise that Ziemianski also credits a large part of the Bucs' success to Chris Linden, a wiry 6-0, 155-pound defensive specialist and two-year starter regularly charged with neutralizing the other team's leading scorer.

"Chris exemplifies what we do on defense," noted Ziemianski. "No matter who I put him on, his goal is to make sure his guy doesn't score. I could put him on a 5-8 guy or a 6-2 guy, it doesn't matter."

Linden, who lettered as a cornerback on the Bucs' football team, relishes the challenge.

"I'd rather shut someone down to give us a better chance to win than score points," he said. "Brandon is definitely our best player, but there are times when we have to pick each other up."

As Burrell's season reaches a crescendo, it not only marks the conclusion of the careers of Ziemianski's first full senior class, it also signals the end of the program's designation in Class AA. For the next two seasons, the Bucs are slated to compete in Class AAA because of an increase in male student enrollment.

"I think we exceeded the cut off by only two boys," said Ziemianski. "That's fine, though. We've played [in Class AAA] before."

But that's down the road. For now, Burrell will concentrate on doing what it does best -- going on the defensive and giving opponents all they can handle.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.