WPIAL teams preparing for big finish
Just because the regular season in girls’ basketball is drawing to a close, doesn’t mean the labor is done as many of the area teams have already qualified for the WPIAL playoffs.
“The work is just beginning,” said South Fayette skipper Matt Bacco.
Indeed, for the Lions, like most of the area clubs, have matters to tend to this week. The Section 3 title is on the line as South Fayette prepares to host West Allegheny at 7:45 p.m. Feb. 2 and visit Chartiers Valley at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 5. The Lions are tied for the lead in the division with the Indians. In fact, their lone section loss came Jan. 11 at West A, 63-34.
“We weren’t there. We were embarrassed by the result,” Bacco said of the first encounter with the Indians. “Our kids have an opportunity to respond and we believe we can.
Bacco predicted the game along with the encounter with CV will be “hard fought” as always and the Lions are going to need to show they can be competitive. “A lot is on the line,” he said.
Victories can make it three section titles in a row for the Lions.
“We knew it would be a closely contested section and having the opportunity to win it again is great,” Bacco said. “But, really our goals are just to continue to get better in the coming weeks to give ourselves a realistic chance to get back to the Pete and to have a chance to go a step or two further than last year in the PIAA tournament.”
In 2016, the Lions won the WPIAL Class AAA title by beating Trinity, 59-52, at the Petersen Events Center. Last year, the Lions reached the state semifinals, falling to the Hillers, 61-51.
The Lions close out their regular-season campaign against highly-regarded Trinity (10-0, 16-3) on Feb. 10 and top-ranked Bishop Canevin (10-0, 14-3), the defending WPIAL Class AAA champion on Feb. 12.
“I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” Bacco said. “Believe it or not, we’re still figuring it out. “We have a lot of experience,” he emphasized. “That experience is going to need to serve us well come tournament time.”
USC makes gains
Experience has enabled Upper St. Clair to make strides this season. They have qualified for the playoffs in Section 3 of the WPIAL’s largest classification for the first time in four years and after going 0-10 in the division last winter.
“Being back in the playoffs is a great feeling for these girls,” said USC skipper Pete Serio. “They have worked so hard to come back this year and show what they can do. I’m proud of the way they have rebounded from last year.”
For a half on Jan. 29, the Panthers were in front of the No. 2 team in the WPIAL as they led Peters Township, 19-18, at halftime before succumbing, 49-38. Kennedy Bayer paced the Panthers with 11 tallies but Makenna Marisa exploded for 21 points to pace Peters. Lillian Young and Isabella Mills each followed with 13 tallies.
“Makenna is the best player in the WPIAL,” Serio said. “She does everything so well. She rebounds, she passes, she always seems to guard the other teams best player. If she is having a good night, Peters is awfully hard to beat.”
Serio added, “They have other good players as well. Mills and Young are very good. If you just try and stop McKenna the others will beat you.”
USC hopes to beat their remaining opponents in preparation for the playoffs. The Panthers host Baldwin Feb. 1 and travel to Mt. Lebanon Feb. 5 to conclude section action. They host Seton-La Salle on Feb. 6 and visit North Hills on Feb. 12 to wrap up the regular season.
Earlier, on Jan. 27, USC readied for the post-season when the Panthers beat Seneca Valley, 50-45, in the The Joey Fabus Memorial Classic held at Bethel Park. Bayer also tossed in 11 tallies in the contest to lead all scorers.
“The game was a good way to gauge our team against another playoff team from a different section. As a whole, we played well. It was a nice win.”
BP perfect hosts
Bethel Park hosted the Joey Fabus Memorial Classic on Jan. 27 and raised approximately $4,300 for the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation. Bishop Canevin, North Catholic, Oakland Catholic, North Hills, Upper St Clair, Seneca Valley, Peters Township, Hampton and North Allegheny participated in the event, which featured five games during a day-long hoop fest.
“As a basketball program and as a community we followed Joey’s story closely and have remained involved to continue to raise funds for research and to help families suffering with DIPG and other childhood cancers,” said BP head coach Jonna Burke. “Our booster organization was amazing and made the whole day run smoothly. The schools that participated were very generous and gracious as well.”
Serio noted the significance of the event.
“Some things are more important than basketball,” he said.
BP got a good glimpse of the best competition in the state. In a rematch of last year’s WPIAL 6A championship, NA defeated the host Hawks, 57-43. Rachel Martindale led all scorers with 25 points. Kam Lach (12) and Maddie Dziezgowski (10) were in double digits for BP.
“The game was a tough one but shows areas where improvements are needed,” Burke said.
For any team to compete with the undefeated Tigers, who were state runners-up last year and graduated only one starter, they must find a way to keep them from penetrating into the paint and at the same time defend the shooter, says Burke.
“They are a tough match up and very deserving of their number one ranking in the WPIAL and PIAA.”
Coming out of Section 3, teams deserve a high seed in the playoffs. Peters led the division with only one loss, to Mt. Lebanon. Lebo and BP were tied for second place before their encounter on Jan. 29.
“Lebo was just another example of no rest for the weary,” Burke said. “It’s always a battle.”
BP triumphed, however, 49-38. The Hawks stretched an 11-7 first-frame advantage to 21-13 by intermission then settled into a 32-20 lead after three quarters.
Maria Cerro tossed in 19 points and Olivia Westphal followed with 10 tallies for the Hawks, improved to 6-2 in the division and 12-5 overall. Lebo, which was led by Haley Sabol’s 11 points, slipped to 5-3 in the section and 9-9 overall.
“Our section is tough as always so our team is definitely battle tested. I hope that playing in so many tight and tough games has prepared us for the post season.”