Seneca Valley boys basketball has turned season around with Tyler Pepin, Andrew Omasits healthy
JACKSON TWP — Tyler Pepin and Andrew Omasits are in lockstep, not just on the hardwood, but with their words.
“Roll Raiders,” Pepin and Omasits said, almost at the same time, after Seneca Valley’s 58-52 home win against Butler on Tuesday night.
With both on the floor together, the Raiders (7-6, 4-1 WPIAL Section 1-6A) have charged downhill at opponents, winning six straight boys basketball games. That streak includes a hard-fought conference triumph against previously undefeated New Castle.
“I haven’t felt it before at Seneca, that’s for sure,” Pepin said of the newfound momentum. “It was to be expected, to be honest. I believe that if we were healthy to being the season, we’d have one or two losses, max. We’d been working very hard all offseason. ... It feels really good that it’s now coming to life.”
“When we’re all healthy, we’re 6-0,” Omasits said matter-of-factly.
Pepin, the team’s starting shooting guard and lone senior, sprained his right ankle about a week before the season began. He’d just recovered from the same issue with his left ankle. Pepin was an all-conference performer in 2023. He hadn’t dealt with injuries in 13 years of playing basketball before that, and, on top of the pain, he had to watch his team limp to a 1-4 start.
During the final three games of that tough stretch, Omasits, a junior, was out sick with “a fever, strep (throat), headache, all of that,” he said. That absence included Pepin’s return, a 52-41 loss at Fox Chapel on Dec. 13.
“Our ball handling was really limited when we didn’t have them,” Seneca Valley coach Kevin Trost said. “He (Pepin) is just a calming effect on the team. He defends, he scores, he handles the ball. He’s kind of our glue guy and somebody that we can lean on and count on no matter what the situation is.”
“We both work hard,” Omasits said. “We want to play together, obviously, on the court. Seeing one of us being out, then one of us out after that, it was tough.”
Pepin said he probably could have gotten back on the floor a game or two earlier but wanted to treat the injury with caution.
“We really wanted to make sure I was healthy for section (play),” said Pepin, who through seven games is averaging 15 points. “That’s worked out so far.”
Pepin said he could “put up 30 a night” but feels a more selfless approach is better for the team.
“The first game I came back, I had 26 of our 41, and we lost that one,” Pepin said. “I kind of had to be like, ‘Is this a winning recipe? I don’t know.’ I’m taking what I can get, but I’m also trying to create more for others (with) the way I can get downhill, hit an open guy.”
Pepin’s most impressive assist against Tuesday the Golden Tornado came with time winding down on the first quarter. He took a pass on the left wing and promptly worked to angle past Butler’s Andrew Gettinger to get to the rim. As Gettinger stuck to his hip, Pepin stuttered as he stepped into the key, creating some space. Instead of taking the shot himself, he dished it the ball to Nico Santapau, who nailed a corner 3-pointer and drew a foul that led to a four-point play.
“I know when a taller guy is on me, if I’m gonna get to the lane, it’s probably not the smartest idea to go for a lay-up — because he’s just going to pin it on the backboard,” Pepin said. “I’m trying to get as deep as I can with drawing two defenders, and I know I’ve got shooters all around me. I just find the open shooter.”
With both Pepin and Omasits healthy, Santapau is averaging 10.6 points per game. Before those two both stepped on the floor at the same time, Santapau was putting up 9.5. He’s reached double figures in each of the past six outings.
Owen Congdon has been good for 9.5 per night, up slightly from his 9.1 in the seven games where Pepin and Omasits weren’t on the floor. Omasits has scored 13.8 points per game with Pepin by his side, up from 12 without him.
“You watch that game tonight, and if No. 3 (Omasits) and No. 11 (Pepin) don’t play, it’s a big difference,” Golden Tornado coach Clement said.
The Raiders currently sit in third place in the section standings, behind Fox Chapel (10-2, 5-0) and New Castle (9-1, 4-1), and host Woodland Hills on Friday night.
“This is one of the best teams in the section,” Clement said. “I knew that going into the year. ... That’s who they are right now.”
