By: Don Rebel


Monday, January 20, 2025 | 7:13 PM

Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week – Elizabeth Forward Warriors

Coach: Nolan Larry (third season)

Record: 5-1 in Section 3-4A, 12-3 overall

#Earned: Elizabeth Forward is one of three boys basketball teams in the hunt for the Section 3-4A title along with Belle Vernon and Derry. The Warriors finished in fourth place and third place in the first two years with Nolan Larry as coach, but at the midway point of section play this season, they are tied with the Leopards and Trojans thanks to two wins this past week that doubled their winning streak to four games. Coming into last week, both EF and BVA were looking up at Derry in the standings, but the Warriors evened the playing field with a home win over the Trojans. Elizabeth Forward was down 22-13 at home after one quarter but fought back and ended up handing Derry its first section loss, 57-52. EF, which is playing all of its nonsection games on the road this season, challenged Section 4-3A leader Southmoreland on Friday. This time, the Warriors started strong, leading 26-10 after the first quarter and 43-22 by halftime before earning their 12th win of the season in a big way, 66-30.

Scoring stars: The Warriors have leaned heavily not on one or two players for their offense this season but a well-balanced attack that makes them difficult to defend. In the victory Tuesday over Derry, sophomore guard Tyler Basic enjoyed a big scoring game, leading the way with 25 points. Senior forward Cy Herchelroath and sophomore forward James Gile each added 10 points. In the triumph at Southmoreland, it was junior guard Daniel Spence on top of the score sheet with 16 points while Basic scored 13 points and Gile once again added 10 points. Coming into the week, Basic led the Warriors with an average of 19.3 points per game, Spence is averaging 16.4 ppg, Herchelroath is at 13.8 ppg and Gile 12.3 ppg.

Last year: In the first year with Nolan Larry as bench boss, EF finished 8-14 and in fourth place in its section, losing to Highlands in the first round of the 2023 WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. Last season, the team was able to flip the script and finish with a 14-8 overall record. The Warriors finished in third place in Section 3-4A but again lost in the opening round of the district postseason, this time to North Catholic, 73-53. At one point last year, Elizabeth Forward was 9-1; however, the team lost five of its first six games in calendar year 2024. Five wins in their final six regular season games could not give them the momentum they were hoping for in the playoffs.

Remember when: The 2025 Elizabeth Forward boys basketball team is trying to do something that hasn’t been done in nearly two decades. EF is doing battle with Belle Vernon and Derry for the Section 3-4A crown. Currently all three are tied for first place with one more head-to-head meeting against each other. The last time the Warriors won a boys basketball section was in 2006 when they finished atop Section 4-3A back when there were only four classifications. EF was 13-1 and won the section by three games over South Park. The Warriors were 21-3 that season and were the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL 3A playoffs. Elizabeth Forward defeated Derry in the first round, 55-41, before being upset by No. 9 Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals, 61-46. The last time the Warriors won a district postseason game was in the 2014 Class 3A playoffs when they defeated South Fayette in the opening round, 47-40, before falling to Uniontown in the quarterfinals, 86-79.

2025 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 2 – New Castle Red Hurricanes

Week 1 – Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles

Tags: Elizabeth Forward