Small-town sports USA witnessed triumph and tragedy during the past week — about an hour’s drive away from each other.

In Moon Township, the Robert Morris University community went wild over the Colonials’ 59-57 upset of Kentucky in the first round of college basketball’s NIT.

The Nobody’s Interested Tournament? There were plenty of people interested that night.

Just miles down the road, in Steubenville, Ohio, two high school football players were convicted of raping a teenage girl.

A grand jury investigation is trying to determine if any adults — Steubenville High School coaches included — knew of the incident and failed to report it.

On the one hand, we have the always enjoyable sports scenario of David slaying Goliath. Kentucky is one of the most decorated programs in all of college basketball and won the NCAA championship only last season.

Robert Morris has never won a Division I NCAA Tournament basketball game and the Sewall Center seats only 3,500 people — 20,000 fewer than Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

On the other hand, Steubenville High’s football team, known as the Big Red, is one of the most decorated prep programs in all of Ohio. The team has won three state championships under coach Reno Saccoccoa, who has been the head coach there for 30 years, and reaches the state playoffs on pretty much an annual basis.

Having spent more than a decade working in Steubenville and covering that team, witnessing its success was a privilege. Saccoccia knows how to meld kids together from all types of backgrounds to work together as a team.

Unfortunately, such success in a football-crazed small town can make players and coaches feel untouchable.

The convicted players are quarterback Trent Mays and receiver Ma’Lik Richmond. At ages 17 and 16, did they feel like they were above the law?

Probably.

Why else would a 12-minute video of their wrongdoings appear on YouTube? And why else would teammates witnessing this crime not try to stop it?

Sports are supposed to create feel-good moments.

That’s what happened at Robert Morris on Tuesday.

That win did more for that community than any appearance in the NCAA Tournament could ever have done.

Sadly, that crime committed in Steubenville is going to do more damage to people’s lives than the sporting world has any right to do.

As with anything in life, we take the good with the bad.

Through basketball, Robert Morris University is beaming with pride.

We should enjoy the triumph.

Through football, the city of Steubenville has received a huge black eye.

We should learn from the tragedy.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.