Year of the Rockets
J-M’s Robertson, Uniontown’s Ellsworth lead H-S All-Area Boys Basketball Team
When a team with high expectations not only reaches but surpasses its goals, that makes for a special year.
Jefferson-Morgan was such a team this past boys basketball season.
The Rockets not only achieved their quest to earn a section championship for the first time since 2001 and win a WPIAL playoff game for the first time since 2000, they soared even further. Jefferson-Morgan was victorious in a PiAA playoff game for the first time since 2000 and set a school record in wins with a sparkling 24-4 record.
The Rockets are well represented on the Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Basketball Team, led by Small School Player of the Year Jeremiah Robertson and Small School Coach of the Year Brandon Lawless.
The Big School Player of the Year is one of the area’s all-time best long-range shooters in Uniontown’s Isaac Ellsworth, although he showed he could do much more than swish 3-pointers.
The Big School Coach of the Year is John Smith who guided Laurel Highlands into the postseason for the first time since players such as Rodney Gallagher and Keondre DeShields donned Mustang uniforms.
Jefferson-Morgan had a unique group of seasoned senior starters in Robertson, Dayten Marion, Jaymison Robinson, Brayden Ellsworth and John Woodward.
“Usually with high school kids everyone wants to play offense and shoot the ball and score,” Lawless explained. “It’s hard to get most kids to want to play defense.
“These guys were literally the exact opposite, all five of them. They were extremely unselfish and I think that was what kind of made the wheels go. They all played their roles to the best of their abilities and they all loved playing hard on defense.”
The Rockets needed a spark on offense, though, to make their team truly soar.
Robertson provided that.
The quick, slashing senior guard was the area’s fourth-leading scorer at 19.1 points per game and had a knack for delivering in the biggest moments.
In J-M’s WPIAL playoff win over Springdale he poured in 26 points. In the Rockets’ PIAA playoff victory at Redbank Valley he rang up 24 points.
“Jeremiah did provide us what we were missing on offense a little bit in the past,” Lawless said. “When the year began we knew we were going to be really good on defense. I was more concerned about our offense. Jeremiah wound up having a great season. We knew he was a talented player and he rose to the occasion for us.”
While Robertson was the key cog on offense, the 6-foot-5 Marion was the anchor on defense.
“They were like Batman and Robin with one excelling greatly at one end of the floor and one doing great things at the other end,” Lawless said. “Dayten had over 100 blocked shots for the second year in a row.”
The Rockets’ defense was stifling most of the season. Jefferson-Morgan allowed the second-fewest points per game in the entire WPIAL at 36.6.
“Jeremiah averaged about 19 points a game and Dayten was at about 10-11, so when you’re holding teams to around 30-some points a night and you’re getting close to that from two players, I like those metrics a lot,” Lawless said with a laugh.
“It was one of those seasons where the goals we laid out fell right in line and we even exceeded expectations. My guys just executed. They bought into the plan, followed the course, stayed in a good strong routine and had really good chemistry.
“They knew when I first came in that I was a defensive guy and through the course of the four years I could see them really evolve to where they developed a passion for playing defense. They wanted to do it and that made my life a lot easier.”
While Jefferson-Morgan had a slew of starters returning, it was a different story at Uniontown, which went into the season having to replace a stellar graduating class that included 1,000-point scorers Notorious Grooms and Calvin Winfrey III as well as Kelan Milsom.
Isaac Ellsworth stepped up and led the team to within a last-second overtime loss to Laurel Highlands of reaching the playoffs again.
Ellsworth was the area’s third-leading scorer, behind Geibel Catholic’s Evan Strimel (21.6) and Frazier’s Kolby Stewart (20-5) at 19.3 points per game and was again one of the top 3-point shooters in the state.
Ellsworth scored 413 points this season to end his career with 1,070 and drained 79 more 3-pointers to finish with 229. He also shot 84 percent from the foul line.
While Uniontown fell just short of reaching the postseason this year, Ellsworth played a key role on two section championship teams, one WPIAL final four team and took part in 11 playoff games.
Ellsworth has been at his craft a long time.
“Since a young age I’ve worked on my jump shot. I remember in second grade going to camps and working on it and I really got it going in fifth grade,” Ellsworth said. “About then I kind of realized I was in the upper end of shooters. About that time is when I really put my focus on that. I wanted to become a great shooter.”
Ellsworth has had plenty of highlight moments thanks to his deadly shooting over the years.
In his first playoff game as a sophomore Ellsworth came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and spark the Red Raiders to victory over Quaker Valley. As a junior, Ellsworth made 10 3-pointers in a game against Thomas Jefferson. This year he scored his 1,000th point in spectacular fashion, nailing an NBA-range, buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before halftime in a win over McKeesport on Jan. 28.
While everyone knows him as a sharpshooter, sometimes his jump shot overshadows Ellsworth’s many other contributions to his team.
“I think it does. I think my shooting helps open up the rest of my game,” Ellsworth said. “When it comes to playmaking, I’m always going to trust my teammates, if somebody is open I’m always going to make the right pass. I always try to be gritty on the defensive end, looking to make that stop, and hoping to force a turnover and get an easy bucket. I try to help the team in any way I can.”
Ellsworth, who is looking to extend his basketball career in college at either Seton Hill or PennWest California, lauded head coach Rob Kezmarsky and the Red Raiders entire coaching staff, along with his teammates, for helping him in all his success.
“I want to give credit to my coaches for all they’ve done for me, helping me get better, calling the right plays,” Ellsworth said. “And also my teammates for having my back and always finding me with the right pass at the right time.”
The team that edged out Ellsworth and Uniontown for the final playoff spot in their section was the Mustangs, who improved from 5-16 to 13-9 in their third year under John Smith.
Laurel Highlands had to almost start from scratch when Gallagher and DeShields left three years ago, but Smith has gradually built the Mustangs back up and they closed the regular season with four consecutive section wins, including gutsy victories over the Red Raiders by two points and Penn-Trafford by three points.
Laurel Highlands was led by H-S First Team players Kayden Smith, John Smith’s son, and Luke Martin.
Smith beat out Belle Vernon’s Ricky Tyburski, who guided the Leopards to a playoff win in his first season replacing the legendary Joe Salvino.
In addition to Lawless, Smith and Tyburski, other area coaches who led their team into the postseason were Frank Muccino of Southmoreland, who guided the Scotties to a section championship and a playoff win for the second year in a row, Scott Bower of Beth-Center, Mike Juliano of Waynesburg Central, and Billy Becker of West Greene, in his first season taking over for the renowned Jim Romanus.
The complete Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Basketball Team follows:
SMALL SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jeremiah Robertson, senior, Jefferson-Morgan
BIG SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Isaac Ellsworth, senior, Uniontown
SMALL SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Brandon Lawless, Jefferson-Morgan
BIG SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
John Smith, Laurel Highlands
FIRST TEAM
Isaac Ellswroth, senior, Uniontown; Jeremiah Robertson, senior, Jefferson-Morgan; Dayten Marion, senior, Jefferson-Morgan; Noah Felentzer, senior, Southmoreland; Cole Headlee, junior, Waynesburg Central; Kayden Smith, junior, Laurel Highlands; Luke Martin, senior, Laurel Highlands; Kolby Stewart, sophomore, Frazier; Evan Strimel, senior, Geibel Catholic; Jason Zellie Jr., senior, Beth-Center.
SECOND TEAM
Dane Woods, Waynesburg Central; Cameron Jenko and Luca Ghilani, Belle Vernon; Cam Dugan, Uniontown; Jaymison Robinson, Jefferson-Morgan; Seth Dolan, Geibel Catholic; Austin Stewart, Frazier; Jaiden Praster, Brownsville; Tyrone Burton, Laurel Highlands; Brock Pritts, Southmoreland.
THIRD TEAM
Darrin Ford, Albert Gallatin; Ty Whoric, Southmoreland; Jackson Dean, Waynesburg Central; Nolan Baker, Uniontown; Brayden Hull, Beth-Center; Jude Packrone, Laurel Highlands; Landen Hill, West Greene; Christian Thomas, Connellsville; John Woodward and Brayden Ellsworth, Jefferson-Morgan.
HONORABLE MENTION
Elijah Majors and Dane Daugherty, Belle Vernon; Gage Valone and Andrew Brodak, Mount Pleasant; Payden Fitzgerald and Anthony Sheffey, Uniontown; Austin Surber and Ace Litwinovich, Waynesburg Central; Sevi Vecchiolla, Laurel Highlands; Silas Patterson and Cam Phillips, Brownsville; Parker Amos, Beth-Center; John Hess, Eahn Stevenson and Tony Nickisher, Geibel Catholic; Brant Alekson, Frazier; Stephen Lewis and Chase Ankrom, Carmichaels; Alan Dennis and Weston Monticelli, California; Matt Wassil and Darren Knight, West Greene; Kaleb Evosevich, Mapletown.