West Xtra: South Side Beaver, Gentile enjoy this season's different results
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Justin Gentile remembers that 12 months ago when South Side Beaver High School was playing out the end of the 2010-11 boys basketball season, there were few fond memories.
And maybe fewer fans were in the stands. There was little in the way of production on the court to excite spectators.
The Rams had suffered 14 consecutive losses, won two games, then finished the season with a five-game losing streak, ending with an unenviable record of 2-19.
That was then.
This year, South Side Beaver has won 11 games and is tied with Fort Cherry for third place in Section 5-AA with 4-5 records heading into Friday night's section finale at Burgettstown (7-14, 3-6). The Rams have clinched one of the section's four spots in the WPIAL playoff.
Sto-Rox has clinched the section title with a 9-0 record, 17-2 overall. The Vikings are followed by Chartiers-Houston (13-7, 6-3), South Side Beaver and Fort Cherry (6-15, 4-5). If Burgettstown can knock off the Rams, it will also qualify by virtue of a season series split.
It was a 57-52 section loss to Chartiers-Houston on Jan. 27 that made the Rams' next two practice sessions a little more intense. Despite revving up the intensity level, the Rams sandwiched two section losses to Fort Cherry and Sto-Rox around a non-section victory against St. Joseph of Natrona Heights.
A 65-31 victory against last-place Carlynton Tuesday, however, clinched a playoff berth.
"This [turnaround] wasn't unexpected," said Gentile, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Clinton who averages a little less than 20 points a game this season for South Side Beaver. "But [the season we're having] makes the games a lot more fun. This whole season means something -- every game means something."
Robert Harrison, who is in his first season as the Rams coach, can vouch for his team's focus on a season that resulted in a WPIAL playoff berth for the first time since 2006.
"That loss [to Chartiers-Houston] was a tough one," he said. "The one thing I've emphasized to the team is protecting our home court. Right now we're 7-3 [at home] but we're still learning how to win as a lot of these guys lack a winning experience. So they're still struggling a bit when it comes to learning how to win in [crucial] situations. It's a big learning experience for them -- and for me also."
But his team is learning. And Harrison could not be happier with his players' attitudes.
"I couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids," he said. "They are understanding how important it is for them to play together, and they are having fun. They are getting along, and all of us are seeing success. People at the school are paying attention to our team."
All game experiences -- both positive and negative -- are more meaningful this season. Gentile points to the Rams' 58-48 victory against Fort Cherry on Jan. 10 as the season's most memorable one to this point.
"That was a big section win," he said. "It was exciting to win that game and move up in the section [standings]."
Harrison, who played for South Side Beaver in the 1990s, said Gentile, Travis Konopko, Travis White and Dyllan Price have provided solid senior leadership.
"They are close friends and have played summer ball together," he said. "They've gotten everyone on the same page, and they are playing together. They do believe in each other and are playing together."
Gentile, a four-year starter who wants to be a pharmacist and plans to study at Duquesne, has noticed a lot more interest in the team on campus from his fellow students and the faculty.
"When we play on the road, people will be asking us questions about the game the next day at school," he said. "And when we play at home, a lot more people are coming to our games.
"They are getting into the games, making a lot of noise, and we are feeding off their excitement."
A big reason for fans' excitement is Gentile's scoring.
"He's one of our taller players, so we need him inside," Harrison said. "He runs the baseline really well, and his teammates are able to get him the ball underneath. That's where he makes things happen."
Harrison said Gentile will find an open teammate if he's being double- or triple-teamed.
"He has no problem finding the open man," the coach said. "The whole team is like that. All of them are unselfish."
That unselfish attitude has led the Rams to work with younger players in the community.
"We're trying to lead by example at this point," Harrison said. "They're going to work hard after they see our example."
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
