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KITTANNING, Pa. – The Forest Hills boys basketball team achieved its best season in program history during the 2024-25 season.
The Rangers captured the program's first District 6 title in 30 years, won two state playoff games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament for the first time.
At Armstrong Junior-Senior High School Saturday, the Rangers met their match. Perennial power Aliquippa (23-5) jumped on Forest Hills from the opening tip and rolled to an easy 73-34 victory to advance to the state semifinals next Saturday.
"We can't simulate that athleticism in practice," said Forest Hills coach Dom Vescovi. "They're good and we knew going in that (Josh) Pratt was a playmaker and scorer, but they had it everywhere."
Pratt delivered a game-high 27 points, with his teammate Qa'lil Goode right behind him with 25. The Quips scored off the opening tip, and then Forest Hills answered with a Brandon Gregovich layup, but that is right when the onslaught started.
Aliquippa gets a rematch with South Allegheny, a 76-62 winner over Trinity, in a state semifinal. South Allegheny beat Aliquippa 37-35 in the District 7 title game.
Aliquippa's intense full-court press bothered Forest Hills, with turnovers leading to layups. All told, the Quips went on an 18-0 run and eventually led 22-6 after the first period. It was a game-defining run that Forest Hills could never really bounce back from Saturday.
"We did not handle their pressure like we should have and I'll take the ownership of that," Vescovi said after his team finished the year with a 25-3 record. "Props to them, they are a really good team and they dictated their will in all aspects of the game."
The Rangers, with four underclassmen starters, settled in slightly in the second. Aliquippa outscored Forest Hills 19-13 in the frame, but still held a commanding 41-19 lead at the break.
The second half was an extension of the first, as Aliquippa eventually ballooned the lead to over 30 points with five minutes left in the game and kept its foot on the gas until the final buzzer.
Vescovi admitted Aliquippa was the best team his group faced this year, with Bishop Guilfoyle Academy and Greater Johnstown as the only other opponents that really were in the Quips' league.
"I think settling in was a good thing, and hopefully we get to see these guys again next year," Vescovi explained. "That's the positive you take from it is that we have experience with them and hopefully we know some of their tendencies."
The Rangers' future optimism starts with talented 6-foot-5 sophomore Dylan Stohon, who paced his team with 15 points Saturday and already has over 1,000 for his career. Forest Hills will bring back three more starters and a supporting cast that now has state playoff experience.
Forest Hills will lose one senior starter in Chase Williamson, which is not a loss Vescovi is taking lightly.
"Chase does a lot of things that don't show up in the scorebook," the Forest Hills coach said of his lone senior starter. "He's like a father figure on the team."
Williamson embraced that role, and was happy to defer to Stohon and Koy McGough in the scoring department all season long, while providing leadership and energy for his teammates.
"I love it," Williamson admitted on being the elder statesmen. "Being older than all of them, they are kind of like my kids I feel like, so I just love the relationship I've built with all of them and it's really been an honor to play with them."
The Rangers do not expect this to be their last run with this group, and there will be no bigger fan cheering them on than Williamson.
"They're going to be really good for a couple of years here, and I'm really excited to watch it," the Rangers senior said.
Continue reading...
The Rangers captured the program's first District 6 title in 30 years, won two state playoff games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament for the first time.
At Armstrong Junior-Senior High School Saturday, the Rangers met their match. Perennial power Aliquippa (23-5) jumped on Forest Hills from the opening tip and rolled to an easy 73-34 victory to advance to the state semifinals next Saturday.
"We can't simulate that athleticism in practice," said Forest Hills coach Dom Vescovi. "They're good and we knew going in that (Josh) Pratt was a playmaker and scorer, but they had it everywhere."
Pratt delivered a game-high 27 points, with his teammate Qa'lil Goode right behind him with 25. The Quips scored off the opening tip, and then Forest Hills answered with a Brandon Gregovich layup, but that is right when the onslaught started.
Aliquippa gets a rematch with South Allegheny, a 76-62 winner over Trinity, in a state semifinal. South Allegheny beat Aliquippa 37-35 in the District 7 title game.
Aliquippa's intense full-court press bothered Forest Hills, with turnovers leading to layups. All told, the Quips went on an 18-0 run and eventually led 22-6 after the first period. It was a game-defining run that Forest Hills could never really bounce back from Saturday.
"We did not handle their pressure like we should have and I'll take the ownership of that," Vescovi said after his team finished the year with a 25-3 record. "Props to them, they are a really good team and they dictated their will in all aspects of the game."
The Rangers, with four underclassmen starters, settled in slightly in the second. Aliquippa outscored Forest Hills 19-13 in the frame, but still held a commanding 41-19 lead at the break.
The second half was an extension of the first, as Aliquippa eventually ballooned the lead to over 30 points with five minutes left in the game and kept its foot on the gas until the final buzzer.
Vescovi admitted Aliquippa was the best team his group faced this year, with Bishop Guilfoyle Academy and Greater Johnstown as the only other opponents that really were in the Quips' league.
"I think settling in was a good thing, and hopefully we get to see these guys again next year," Vescovi explained. "That's the positive you take from it is that we have experience with them and hopefully we know some of their tendencies."
The Rangers' future optimism starts with talented 6-foot-5 sophomore Dylan Stohon, who paced his team with 15 points Saturday and already has over 1,000 for his career. Forest Hills will bring back three more starters and a supporting cast that now has state playoff experience.
Forest Hills will lose one senior starter in Chase Williamson, which is not a loss Vescovi is taking lightly.
"Chase does a lot of things that don't show up in the scorebook," the Forest Hills coach said of his lone senior starter. "He's like a father figure on the team."
Williamson embraced that role, and was happy to defer to Stohon and Koy McGough in the scoring department all season long, while providing leadership and energy for his teammates.
"I love it," Williamson admitted on being the elder statesmen. "Being older than all of them, they are kind of like my kids I feel like, so I just love the relationship I've built with all of them and it's really been an honor to play with them."
The Rangers do not expect this to be their last run with this group, and there will be no bigger fan cheering them on than Williamson.
"They're going to be really good for a couple of years here, and I'm really excited to watch it," the Rangers senior said.
Continue reading...
