WPIAL announces playoff pairings
Chartiers Valley (19-3) earned the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Quad-A boys’ basketball tournament behind North Allegheny (20-2). However, the positioning will mean little if the Colts stumble against Butler (14-8) their first-round opponent at noon Feb. 14 at North Allegheny.
Regarding the seeding process, Tim McConnell expected nothing. “You let the chips fall where they may,” said the Colts’ head coach. “We’ve got to go out and play.
“There are no easy first-round games,” he added. “Butler is a very good team. They are big, strong, physical and well-coached.”
The Golden Tornado is coached by Matt Clement, who played professional baseball before returning to his alma mater. Butler clinched its playoff spot in its Section 3 finale, eliminating Seneca Valley, 70-57, for the fourth slot in the league that featured first-place NA, runner-up Pine-Richland and third-place North Hills.
Despite its 5-7 record in section, Butler gives the Colts all they can handle because the Golden Tornado hold a distinct height advantage.
“We have to keep them off the boards and shoot the ball well,” McConnell said.
That strategy has worked for Char Valley this winter. The Colts average a league-high 81.2 points per game. Matt McConnell led the WPIAL in scoring with a 30-point average and Eddie Flohr followed with 17 markers per game.
Section rivals Mt. Lebanon (17-5) and Upper St. Clair (16-6) fell on the side of CV’s bracket. The Blue Devils drew the No. 3 seed. They split battles with the Colts and the teams finished tied for division banner with 12-2 slates. Lebo (19-3) will face Norwin (15-7) on Feb. 18 at a site and time to be determined. The Knights are the third-place team out of Section 1. Curtis Perz leads the Knights into battle. He averages nearly 24 points per game.
Meanwhile, USC, which finished fourth in Section 4 with a 9-5 slate, drew Latrobe (17-4) in its first-round game set for 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at Charleroi. The Wildcats knocked off No. 1 Hempfield in the league finale to finish tied for first in Section 1. Both were 11-1.
The Wildcats boast the 1-2 punch of Austin Butler and Sean Graytok. Butler averages 19 points while Graytok provides nearly 16 markers an outing.
“Size-wise they are similar to us. Mostly guards,” said USC skipper Dan Nolzer. “They play up-tempo and like to fast break. So we have to get back and play good transition defense.
“We are two evenly matched teams. We know we have to play well and play good basketball to win but we will be ready to go. I think we are hungry and our team’s confidence is pretty good. We are excited to be playing in the playoffs.”
Bethel Park (15-7) and McKeesport (14-6) are excited too. They just may not be thrill to be playing each other so soon again. The Hawks battle the Tigers at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at Baldwin. The two teams needed overtime to settle their score. On Feb. 9, BP edged McKeesport, 73-64.
“Déjà vu,” said BP head coach Ben O’Connor. “In the middle of our game on Monday, I had a funny feeling we might see them again. It’s been a match-up for us the past few years.
“It’s a challenge to play them again but we are looking forward to it. We are excited to play them, particularly at Baldwin because we recently experienced success there.”
While Joey Mascaro (17.7 ppg.) leads the Hawks, Dee Diggs tops the Tigers with a 15.6 average. McKeesport shared the Section 2 title with Plum. Both finished 10-2.
“McKeesport is extremely athletic. They are co-champs not by mistake,” O’Connor assured. “They have the ability to get up and down the floor. They are good at offensive rebounding and their pressure defense is really good.”
Because the Hawks played three straight games, Friday at Baldwin, Saturday at Chartiers Valley and home against McKeesport, they have had little time to practice. For their first-round playoff, they have three good days in the gym.
“We are a team that needs to practice,” said O’Connor. “So this time will be good for us. We can get back to the drawing board.”
On the Quad-A girls’ bracket, the Lady Hawks (18-4) drew the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Defending champion Penn Trafford (21-1), North Allegheny (20-2) and Norwin (17-4) were ranked ahead of Bethel Park, which faces Hempfield (14-8) at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at Charleroi.
Mt. Lebanon (13-9) earned the No. 8 seed. The Lebo ladies face Penn Hills (13-9) in their playoff opener set for Feb. 17 at a site and time to be determined. Upper St. Clair (13-9) takes on Shaler (18-4) at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at North Allegheny.
Seton-La Salle (15-7) earned the No. 1 seed in the Class AA girls’ tournament. The Lady Rebels are the defending district championships as well as PIAA winners. They will play Feb. 17 against the winner in the Charleroi vs. West Shamokin game to be played Feb. 13 at Plum.
Though they too are defending champions, Rebel boys are seeded third behind Aliquippa (21-0) and Lincoln Place (20-2). Greensburg Central Catholic (19-2) is the fourth seed. Seton-La Salle (20-2) will play Feb. 18 against the winner of the Shady Side Academy-Riverside game on Feb. 14.
Other first-round Class AA girls’ match-ups featuring local teams include: Bishop Canevin (13-9) facing Riverside and Chartiers-Houston (15-7) battling Mohawk on Feb. 17. The
Bishop Canevin boys challenge Apollo-Ridge on Feb. 18.
In Class AAA, the South Fayette (16-6) girls play Ambridge on Feb. 18 while their male counterparts take on Steel Valley on Feb 17. The Chartiers Valley (18-4) girls will play the winner of the Ford City vs. Ellwood City contest on Feb. 18.
The Lady Colts are seeded fourth in the Class AAA girls’ bracket. Blackhawk, Mars and Indiana are ranked No. 1 through 3. Mars, Beaver Falls, Hampton and West Mifflin are the top four seeds in the boys’ Class AAA tournament.
The WPIAL championships will be played Feb. 27-28 at the Petersen Event Center.
Visit www.wpial.com to view the complete tournament brackets.