Lincoln Park players named to All-Section team

Coach Mike Bariski and Keeno Holmes win coach and player of the year

Two standout Lincoln Park juniors made the WPIAL All-Section boys basketball team for the 2017-18 season. One player and the coach also earned the overall titles of player and coach of the year.

Keeno Holmes, junior guard, and Thomas Melonja, junior point guard, both were named to the WPIAL Class 3A Section 1 team.

In addition, Holmes and Leopards coach Mike Bariski were selected as player and coach of the year.

Bariski led the team of mostly underclassmen through an undefeated section schedule. Lincoln Park won the WPIAL Championship this year.

Bariski said Holmes and Melonja were key factors in the success the team had this year and are both deserving of the All-Section honor.

Holmes is the lead scorer on the team and one of the top scorers in the WPIAL. He has more than 1,000 career points. Melonja was the team’s second leading scorer and is also one of the top players in the WPIAL.

“Both of them had great years,” Bariski said. “The season that we had as a team, we were very successful. We’re very fortunate.”

Lincoln Park is the only boys team in Beaver County to win the WPIAL championship. In the last three years, the team has gone to the WPIAL championship. The team fell short in the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championship the last two years.

Overall, the team has gone seven of the last nine years. Lincoln Park has 78 consecutive section wins, ranking third all-time in WPIAL history.

Only two seniors, Gildas Kodjo and Colt Slowinski, are leaving the team this year, including just one starter. Other key players who have helped with the team’s success will return.

“I think our success throughout the year, the tough schedule we played, and the success we’ve had with the boys got us the ability — for Keeno to win that honor, for Thomas to make all-section top 20 and for me to win coach of the year.”