Dec 13, 2012 By Eleanor Baileysports Editorebailey@thealmanac.Net 2 min read

Upper St. Clair will be one of the places to be for area basketball fans as the Panthers tip off the season by hosting the sixth Model Cleaners Tip-off Tournament.

Action begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 7 with Monessen battling Chartiers Valley. The Panthers follow against Franklin Regional at 8 p.m.

Action resumes Dec. 8 with the consolation contest at 2 p.m. followed by the championship at 3:30 p.m.

While the Colts are expected to be one of the top Class AAA clubs, having moved down a division, the Panthers are expected to battle for the Section 4-AAAA title along with rivals Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Peters Township and Canon-McMillan as well as Moon and Baldwin.

“This tournament is a great test for us,” said USC floor boss Dan Holzer. “Dan Lacarte (of Model Cleaners) does a great job with this event. He’s a great supporter of high school athletics. We’re excited about participating in the event and about the upcoming season.”

USC has every reason to be optimistic. For starters, the Panthers return leading scorer Jordan Grabowski. The No. 2 guard averaged 15 points for last year’s 12-10 club.

Joel Klein runs the offense from the point guard position while J.J. Conn and John Duffy fill the other starting slots.

Filling the fifth position is newcomer Gian-Karlo Molina. The 6-5 guard is a native of Puerto Rico.

Pete Coughlin comes off the bench. The senior, who quarterbacked the football team to a conference championship, is a point guard.

Other key reserves include Connor Gallagher, Thomas Steve, a standout golfer, Will Ross and Nick Staley.