Dec 21, 2015 5 min read

The advantages of having a 6-8 post player in WPIAL basketball cannot always be measured in inches or feet. Contesting shots with a long wing span or boxing out in the lane don’t show up on a stat sheet, but there was no denying John Arnold’s impact on Charleroi boys basketball last season.

Arnold averaged 13.8 points and 12 rebounds per game to help Charleroi earn a share of the Section 4-AA championship last season as a junior.

The season ended with a preliminary round playoff loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and as the Cougars attempt to improve upon that finish, they are once again leaning on Arnold’s defense.

Unlike last season, when Charleroi’s offense stalled with Arnold in foul trouble or he had an off night, the Cougars (3-0, 5-1) are now more difficult to defend.

The program’s strong start to the season has coincided with junior Sam Miceli’s development into one of the area’s best shooters. Through almost three weeks, he is leading all area players with 26.3 points per game. Opponents can no longer scheme to just stop the 6-8 post player with the Cougars’ other four starters excelling.

Miceli, who is one of three returning starters for the Cougars, had 41 points in a win over Frazier and 26 against Waynesburg last week to help keep the Raiders unbeaten in section play.

“Sam is shooting the ball really well,” Charleroi head coach Bill Wiltz said. “He’s getting a lot of points in transition also. Waynesburg tried to go box and one on him and he was still able to open it up for (Arnold) in the middle. He’s been a key to what we’re doing.”

Charleroi is averaging 66.5 points a game and its only loss came against Ringgold – a Class AAA opponent. Miceli has taken attention away from Arnold in the post, and when opponents try to limit him like Waynesburg did, it creates opportunities for his teammates.

Eric Tedrow chipped in 18 points, senior Brock Shannon added 11 and Arnold finished with 16 in the 78-63 win over the Raiders last Friday night. It elevated Charleroi to the top of the section standings with a matchup against Brownsville, which it shared the section title with last season, looming Jan. 5.

The Cougars are allowing the fewest amount of points in the section with Arnold’s shot blocking and contesting midrange shots playing a role, but that comes with a price: Arnold can get into foul trouble and there’s no replacing his ability to rebound.

Charleroi’s first player off the bench, who replaces Arnold when foul trouble comes, is 5-11 sophomore Caleb Carson. Two players who were expected to join the program are either injured or decided to not play, so depth is a problem.

That means trying to get Arnold to make adjustments down low.

“We’re trying to get him to play a little more intelligently, but he likes to block shots and he’s very good at it,” Wiltz said. “He can get double-digit blocks. You hate to take away that aggressiveness, but you hate to see him get in foul trouble.”

The Cougars will need to do that if they’re going to hand Brownsville its first loss of the season and take control of first place in Section 4-AA.

That will opportunity will come at Brownsville. The Falcons’ speed and post presence with 6-3 forward Noah Brown will be a stiff test, but Wiltz is confident in a starting five he believes is as talented as any he’s had. That includes his 1996 team that qualified for the state playoffs.

“This is one of the best teams we’ve had here in a long time,” Wiltz said. “Our ultimate goal is to repeat as section champs. That’s what we talk about constantly. You can’t have a letdown against some of the teams in the section and you have to beat Brownsville.

There are several holiday basketball tournaments across the area over the next week during the winter break for high school.

The Stocking Stuffer Tournament for boys basketball at Avella begins this weekend – Saturday, Monday and Tuesday with four games per day – and features four local teams: the Eagles, Burgettstown, McGuffey and Fort Cherry. The first game each day begins at 2:30 p.m.

Other holiday tournaments include the California University Hoopfest this weekend, which will feature the Canon-McMillan and Ringgold girls this weekend, and there are ones at Bentworth, California, McGuffey, Peters Township, Charleroi, Trinity and the Carmichaels King Coal Lions Tournament beginning next Monday.

The PIAA released the final list of athletic programs in each sport that decided to voluntarily play up in classification during the next two-year cycle.

The only local athletic program to upgrade was Waynesburg wrestling, which will continue to compete in Class AAA despite having the enrollment numbers of a program in 2A.

In football, notable moves were Aliquippa and Seton-La Salle deciding to compete in 3A. Additionally, Quaker Valley and Cornell eliminated their cooperative sponsorship for football.

The board also accepted the Football Steering Committee’s recommendation to schedule the 2016 PIAA football championships spread across three days. The 4A title game will be played Thursday night, with A and 5A Friday; and 2A, 3A and 6A Saturday.

West Shamokin’s move out of the WPIAL and to District 6 was also finalized.