Inside the Program: Beaver Falls Boys' Basketball
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Beaver Falls' Sheldon Jeter puts up a three-point shot against Blackhawk earlier this season.
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Few teams that start a season 3-4 have high hopes of winning a WPIAL championship. But Beaver Falls, the Post-Gazette's No. 2-ranked Class AA team, has recovered well from a sluggish start and is in prime position to compete for a WPIAL crown. Under coach Doug Biega, the Tigers have won 11 consecutive games, dating to Jan. 8, and each of those wins have been by double-digit margins. Beaver Falls (17-5, 12-0) will play the winner of the California-Fort Cherry game Wednesday in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
Beaver Falls has one of the most storied boys basketball programs in the WPIAL. The Tigers have won seven WPIAL championships -- six in Class AAA and one in AA (2005). Beaver Falls also won two PIAA Class AAA championships, one in 1970, the year of the Tigers' first WPIAL title, and one in '94. They also won a Class AA championship in 2005, the year of the Tigers' most recent WPIAL title.
The Tigers struggled early this season -- in part because they played a difficult schedule and in part because their top player, 6-foot-7 junior Sheldon Jeter, was recovering from a bone he broke in his hand in a preseason scrimmage. The Tigers have won all 11 games since Jeter's return. "He has not stopped since the day he broke his hand," Biega said. Jeter took a couple days off after the injury then started an intense rehabilitation program that got him back in action as soon as possible. Biega said Jeter's work inspired his teammates -- not just to play well in his absence but to continue to fight after his return. Jeter is receiving interest from a number of Division I colleges, including Penn State, West Virginia, Rutgers, Indiana, Wisconsin and Duquesne. Biega said he tells college coaches the same thing every time they make a visit to scout the lengthy swingman, who continues to improve. "They ask if Sheldon can compete in Division I," he said. "I tell them the Sheldon you're seeing is the worst Sheldon Jeter you're going to see."
First Published February 18, 2011 12:00 am
