<p>It only had lost two of its past three games -- a far cry from a gut-wrenching drought -- but one word came to Danny Holzer's mind Friday night when he talked about the situation his Upper St. Clair team was in -- desperate.</p><p>Minutes after a 56-47 victory against Canon-McMillan, Holzer kept coming back to that word, a seemingly strange descriptor for a team that entered the game 10-5.</p><p>But facing the team they were tied with atop Class AAAA Section 4, this was something he knew the Panthers needed, especially since they were playing at home.</p><p>"This is critical," Holzer said. "It's only one game, but it's critical to stay in first and it was critical for our playoff opportunities. If we had lost, we would have been in a desperate situation."</p><p><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/highschool/2014/01/25/Upper-St-Clair-slips-past-Canon-McMillan/stories/201401250120">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20140124/SPORTS01/140129558">CM falls to USC in game for first place, awaits rematch</a> (Washington Observer Reporter)</p><p><a href="http://www.thealmanac.net/article/20140124/SPORTS/140129953">USC beats Big Macs in first of two section showdowns</a> (The Almanac)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dTge5GoM_Cgx-rMQe9Fp6b-F6e1kM&authuser=0&ned=us">3 additional articles.</a></p>