Upper St. Clair Boys Basketball Wins In PIAA Quarterfinals With Depleted Roster Due to COVID-19 Protocol

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

UPPER ST. CLAIR (KDKA) -- The Upper St. Clair boys basketball team took on Erie in the PIAA 6A State Quarterfinals on Saturday.

But because of COVID-19 protocol, most of Upper St. Clair's roster and coaching staff weren't available for the game.

The team's interim coach? A volunteer assistant who's a sophomore in college.

But the Panthers fought through adversity and won the game.

The team only had six eligible players for the game.

Upper St. Clair made 13 of 17 shots from the free throw line in the 4th quarter to seal the victory, winning 62-57.

With the win, the Panthers will advance to the PIAA semifinals.

"I got the call like 10 minutes before the game, and Coach (Dan) Holzer was like 'Right now you're the coach,'" USC Volunteer Assistant Coach Tanner Gensler said.

"I looked at the guys and was like, 'Honestly, I don't know what to say but you guys have done it. You know how to do it,'" Gensler said.

"I've played with most of them and they did. They played a great game and had the best effort I could ask for," Gensler went on to say.

Upper St. Clair will face Reading in the semifinals on Tuesday.