South Xtra: TJ hopes to be a factor as WPIAL playoffs begin
-
Thomas Jefferson's Eric Fairman, left, looks to drive around Keystone Oaks' Matt Buckley during a Section 4-AAA game.
Share with others:
Heading into the WPIAL basketball playoffs with a losing record typically doesn't bode well for a team's hopes of making a run at a title, but the Thomas Jefferson boys have accomplished enough during the regular season to suggest otherwise.
The Jaguars (10-12), who open the playoffs Friday at 8 p.m. against Beaver Area at Moon Area High School, finished the regular season tied for second in Class AAA Section 4 with a solid 9-3 record. Combine that with a challenging non-section schedule, and Jaguars coach Dom DeCicco has his team believing they can be a factor in the playoffs.
"Our goal is we want to make a run in the playoffs," said DeCicco.
"We don't want to talk about it. We just want to get it done."
Thomas Jefferson's participation in the postseason comes as no surprise. The Jaguars have finished no worse than second in their section four seasons in a row, and have gone an excellent 41-7 in section play during that span. They have qualified for the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons.
This group of Jaguars is young and hungry. Nine of their top 12 players are underclassmen, a group that includes six sophomores. But that has not stopped them from putting together a solid season. This despite starting the season 0-5.
"We really had some growing pains," DeCicco said. "Those games to start the season, they looked like a bunch of deer in the headlights. But they have come on really strong."
Winners of three of their last four games, the Jaguars enter the postseason with some momentum. Their only loss in that span was a two-point defeat to section champion Keystone Oaks, which is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA.
Among the other standout teams the Jaguars have played are Class AAAA No. 2 Chartiers Valley, Class AAA No. 2 Montour and Greensburg Salem, which earned a split of the Class AAA Section 3 title.
"I'll tell you what, if that didn't get us ready for the playoffs, then nothing will," said DeCicco.
First Published February 16, 2012 12:00 am
