Center High School coach Mark Jula doesn't hand out praise lightly.

So, when he mentioned this season's squad is starting to resemble teams he had at Butler and North Allegheny that made it to WPIAL Class AAAA finals, he's saying something.

"I told them that my NA and Butler teams played real hard and that they are starting to scratch the surface," Jula said last week after the Trojans scrapped and clawed their way to a 43-34 victory at Beaver.

Center followed that with a thrilling 60-59 home win against Blackhawk in a game in which the Trojans didn't have 6-foot-2 senior Preston Dawson, perhaps the team's best athlete.

The Trojans had won eight consecutive games going into Wednesday night's non-section contest against Rochester. They were 13-3 overall and 8-1 in Section 2-AAA and tied for first place with Hopewell, who they have beaten once, in the section standings.

It needs to be pointed out that the Trojans are hardly physically imposing when they jog out for pregame warmups. John Pitavino, a 6-foot-5 junior, is the tallest player on the team and until recently he was seeing little varsity action.

Of the starters, Lucas Turley, a 6-3 junior, is the tallest. The rest of the starting lineup includes 5-10 junior Nick Delisio, 6-0 junior Mike Kupper, 5-10 senior Trevor George and 5-9 senior Rob Nohe. Dawson had been the first guy off the bench.

It is a typical Jula-coached team in that it beats opponents with defense and by, well, just outworking and outhustling the other guy.

"It's been my experience in 31 years of coaching that when you play harder than the other team, usually you're going to win," Jula said. "In my seven years at Center we've never put a run together like this.

"This is a confident group. They've won at football and Delisio is the only one of them who didn't play football."

Center's football team tied Beaver Falls and Aliquippa for the Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference title in the fall. Aliquippa went on to play in the WPIAL final.

Defensively, the Trojans use full-court, man-to-man pressure almost the entire game. They might shift to a matchup zone if they get in some foul trouble, but even that is no easy defense to beat since most schools don't use it and Center is just as tenacious when it is playing zone.

Center started its winning streak after losing a section game at Blackhawk, 75-38, Jan. 5.

"The switch went off after that loss," Jula said. "I told them if they were going to win games, they were going to have to play defense. We aren't that big and we aren't going to get any cheap baskets. So, since that game we have just taken to playing good defense.

"When you're not handling the ball well or shooting well [defense] keeps you around and you make some free throws and find a way to win."

That's what happened against Beaver. Outside of Delisio, who had 20 points that night, nobody shot the ball well against the Bobcats. That didn't matter because Beaver's high scorer for the night managed just 10 points.

Jula doesn't care if the Trojans win ugly, just so they win.

"Beaver has given everybody problems down here," he said. "They're big and if you don't shoot it well, like we did, they'll give you problems. Plus, [Beaver coach] Brandon [Ambrose] runs a lot of the same stuff we do, so that makes it hard. It's like going against ourselves."

At home, Center is much more comfortable. It shoots the ball better there and in Delisio, George and Kupper has three players capable of making 3-point shots.

"We make some 3s and spread you out a little, then we've got something going," Jula said. "Nicky has been playing great and Kupper drives to the basket well ... they're our leading scorers.

"Trevor George has a knack for making big shots. He hit a 3 to beat New Castle and two free throws to beat Ambridge. Turley is just a banger and gives you everything he has and Nohe is a tough kid. Dawson has done a little bit of everything ... handle the ball, rebound but he hasn't scored much."

Pitavino, after playing well as a reserve against Beaver, has been seeing more action as has Ben Cobb, a 5-10 junior.

Center has three section games remaining -- at New Castle Friday, home against Ellwood City Tuesday and at Hopewell Feb. 12 -- along with a contest at Aliquippa Monday.

It's difficult to say how far Center might go in the WPIAL playoffs, but one thing is certain -- the Trojans will hustle to the very end.

"This is a different group in terms of personality," Jula said. "They really want to win."

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