APB, Where are they Now?

Blogger's note: With the increased traffic from people in the Ringgold School District, The Varsity Letters thought the time to find the following athlete was once again appropriate.

Robert "Bean" Heller last played sports at Ringgold High School in 2005-06. Following one year at the Kiski School, Heller surfaced at Waynesburg University in 2007.

It was a fall to remember.

Heller ran all over the Presidents' Athletic Conference in his first year with the Yellow Jackets. His 2,176 rushing yards established an all-divisions freshman record. The man whose nickname was a tribute to Beano Cook was even the subject of a Facebook page titled, "Robert Heller Was Heaven Sent."

A year later, the relationship between Heller and the Waynesburg coaching staff soured. Shortly after a story published in the Observer-Reporter, the four-sport standout (football, basketball, baseball, track) from Ringgold was nowhere to be found. Various rumors had Heller attempting a boxing career or playing football for Marietta College. None were ever confirmed.

Heller is once again the target of the latest All Points Bulletin.

Anyone with legitimate information regarding Heller's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

Bongiorni ruled ineligible by WPIAL

The WPIAL Board of Control ruled Thursday that Dylan Bongiorni, who transferred from Burgettstown to West Allegheny in January, is ineligible for sports because the move was made, at least in part, for athletic purposes.

Bongiorni left Burgettstown nine games into the basketball season. He was averaging 19.7 points per game and left the team in the midst of a four-game stretch in five days. The sophomore was also the Blue Devils' starting quarterback the past two seasons and passed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman.

Bongiorni can not play sports for West Allegheny until one year from the transfer date.

West Allegheny can appeal the WPIAL's decision to the PIAA Board of Control.

California girls basketball coach hired

Former assistant coach Chris Minerd was hired as California High School's girls basketball coach during Wednesday's school board meeting. Minerd replaces Cindy Dunlevy.

Minerd's coaching played a role in Beth-Center winning the Section 5-AA girls title this year. He's coached the current group of Bulldogs seniors since they were in sixth grade at various levels, including travel leagues and AAU.

California finished 12-9 overall in 2009-10 and qualified for the WPIAL Class A playoffs with an 8-4 record in Section 3. The Trojans, led by all-district players Kristina Wagner and Morgan Moluski, defeated Monessen in the regular season. California's season ended with a loss to Fort Cherry in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Local trio in Roundball Classic

Tried to get this item into a Scholastic Notebook on the pages of the Observer-Reporter. Our space has not permitted a notebook to run this week.

The Roundball Classic will be played Saturday, April 17 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls and the event features some of the top boys and girls players from the WPIAL.
Class AAA Player of the Year T.J. McConnell of Chartiers Valley and Sewickley Academy’s Tom Droney, the Class A Player of the Year, accepted invitations to play, along with other top talents such as Hampton’s Bill Luther and Mt. Lebanon’s Evan Pierce.
A few of the top local players will be included in the games, which begin at 4 p.m. with the WPIAL Class A/AAAA girls all-stars vs. the WPIAL Class AA/AAA girls.
Peters Township’s Craig Wolcott will play for the Class AAAA all-stars at 6 p.m. against the Class AAA team.
Washington’s Troy Wilson and South Fayette’s Mike Burroughs are part of the Class AA all-star team, which plays the Class A team at 8 p.m.

2009-10 Boys Player of the Year, All-District Team

2009-10 Observer-Reporter Player of the Year
Mike Lamberti, South Fayette














All-District Team
First team
Player, School Avg.
Nate Bellhy, Fort Cherry 28.7
Mike Burroughs, South Fayette 10.8
Mike Lamberti, South Fayette 15.6
Josh Valentic, Trinity 22.0
Craig Wolcott, Peters Township 19.8
Second team
Player, School Avg.
Marquis Brown, Washington 14.3
Phil Horensky, Peters Township 11.2
Tyler Pavan, Burgettstown 15.4
Clay Roman, Bentworth 15.3
Troy Wilson, Washington 14.1
Pat Zedreck, South Fayette 14.3
Third team
Player, School Avg.
John Barker, Bentworth 15.5
Kionte Davis, Canon-McMillan 12.9
Tyler Henry, South Fayette 12.2
Jaisen Irwin, Monessen 13.1
Bill Musgrove, Carmichaels 18.9
Andrew Stein, Ringgold 11.8


Past Players of the Year
2009 – Nick Wilcox, Peters Township
2008 – Charles Murphy, Canon-McMillan
2007 – Jock Wells, Washington
2006 – Christian Goetz, Burgettstown
2005 – Dan Davis, Fort Cherry
2004 – Nate Stoner, Waynesburg
2003 – Paul Ruhmann, South Fayette
2002 – Javon Hines, South Fayette
2001 – Tom Lulich, Peters Township
2000 – Eric Lang, Peters Township
1999 – Aaron Ankrom, Waynesburg
1998 – Bryant Thomas, Bentworth
1997 – Henry Klinar, Peters Township
1996 – Justin Voithofer, Carmichaels
1995 – Mike Horan, Ringgold
1994 – Vince Graham, Belle Vernon
1993 – Chad Lechner, Carmichaels
1992 – Mike Maloy, Washington
1991 – Brian Miller, Ringgold
1990 – Yancey Taylor, Ringgold
1989 – Matt Jennings, Immaculate Conception
1988 – Wade Timmerson, Fort Cherry
1987 – Dan Conn, Bentworth
1986 – Ron Moore, Washington
1985 – Chris Popeck, Washington
1984 – Adam Sarson, Peters Township
1983 – Duane Johnson, Canon-McMillan
Tony Conn, Bentworth
1982 – Jeff Conn, Bentworth
1981 – Lance Spernak, Mon Valley Catholic
1980 – Ray Natili, Immaculate Conception

2009-10 Girls Player of the Year, All-District Team

2009-10 Observer-Reporter Player of the Year
Megan Sowers, Beth-Center












All-District team First team Player, School Avg.
Beka Bellhy, Fort Cherry 12.0
Emily Hansen, Canon-McMillan 16.5
Emily Matthis, Peters Township 10.7
Geena Shrader, Monessen 13.9
Megan Sowers, Beth-Center 17.3
Second team Player, School Avg.
Chelsea Evans, Washington 12.0
Ellie Hanlon, Peters Township 10.0
Merissa Morgan, Peters Township 9.8
Marissa Pattison, McGuffey 15.9
Kristina Wagner, California 12.8
Mariah Ward, Monessen 14.1
Third team Player, School Avg.
Jessie Merckle, Fort Cherry 11.2
Morgan Moluski, California 14.0
Katie Rosemeier, Chartiers-Houston 12.0
Anna Shashura, Beth-Center 13.7
Molly Stuvek, Carmichaels 12.3
Amanda Temple, Avella 15.2

Past Players of the Year
2009 – Emily Correal, Peters Township
2008 – Emily Correal, Peters Township
2007 – Emily Correal, Peters Township
2006 – Vanessa Davison, Washington
2005 – Rachel Phillips, West Greene
2004 – Vanessa Davison, Washington
2003 – Amber Harris, Washington
2002 – Emily Briggs, Chartiers-Houston
2001 – Emily Briggs, Chartiers-Houston
2000 – Kristen Lancas, Ringgold
1999 – Lauren Hull, West Greene
1998 – Kristin Polosky, Mapletown
1997 – Amanda Burchett, Trinity
1996 – Gina Naccarato, Monessen
1995 – Gina Naccarato, Monessen
1994 – Gina Naccarato, Monessen
1993 – Gina Naccarato, Monessen
1992 – Elizabeth Proudfit, Washington
1991 – Elizabeth Proudfit, Washington
1990 – Elizabeth Proudfit, Washington
1989 – Pam Noble, Fort Cherry
1988 – Jamie O’Donnell, Burgettstown
1987 – Jamie O’Donnell, Burgettstown
1986 – Kim Spencer, Washington
1985 – Michelle Bazzolli, Chartiers-Houston
1984 – Lynette Schwartz, Peters Township
1983 – Lynn Bazzolli, Chartiers-Houston

All-State girls basketball teams

The 2009-10 Pennsylvania sports writers’ girls all-state high school basketball team, as chosen by a statewide panel. (Player, school, height, class, scoring avg.)

GIRLS AAAA
First team
Olivia Bresnahan, Butler, 5-11, Sr., 17.6
Madison Cable, Mt. Lebanon, 5-10, Jr., 13.7
Natasha Cloud, Cardinal O’Hara, 5-10, Sr., 12.4
Emily Leer, 6-2, Sr., Abington, 17.8
Belma Nurkic, Baldwin, 5-11, Jr., 19.5
Alyssa Thomas, Central Dauphin, 6-0, Sr., 24.3
Second team
Shayla Felder, Cheltenham, 5-4, Sr., 17.8
Carly Gallagher, East Stroudsburg South, 5-10, Sr., 20.2
Sarah Kiely, Council Rock North, 6-0, Sr., 12.3
Jess Koci, Archbishop Ryan, 5-11, Sr., 16.3
Jenny Papich, Fox Chapel, 6-1, Sr., 17.5
Deva’Nyar Workman, Reading, 5-9, Sr., 19.6
Third team
Lauren Arbogast, Mt. Lebanon, 6-1, Sr., 11.7
Jessica Babe, Mt. Lebanon, 5-4, Sr., 7.7
Kara Bonenberger, Northampton, 6-1, Jr., 11.7
Erika Livermore, Nazareth, 6-0, Jr., 17.5
Meghan Phillips, Cedar Crest, 5-9, Sr., 20.3
Sabre Proctor, Harrisburg, 5-11, Sr., 18.1
Player of the year: Alyssa Thomas, Central Dauphin
Coach of the year: Dori Oldaker, Mt. Lebanon

GIRLS AAA
First team
Kayla Ho'ohuli, St. Marys, 5-8, Jr., 30.3
Val Majewski, General McLane, 5-6, Jr., 23.6
Laura Murray, Camp Hill Trinity, 5-10, Sr., 15.7
Erin Shields, Archbishop Carroll, 5-6, Sr., 16.0
Linsday Stamp, Mercyhurst Prep, 5-11, Jr., 23.0
Second team
Paige Alviana, Hopewell, 5-8, Sr., 18.5
Ellen Cannon, Villa Maria Academy, 5-6, Sr., 14.2
MyNeshia McKenzie, Springfield Delco, 6-0, Sr., 13.8
Colleen Nosovich, Allentown Central Catholic, 5-10, Sr., 14.4
Karly Rhoads, Slippery Rock, 5-11, Sr., 16.9
Monica Wignot, Holy Redeemer, 6-2, Sr., 12.3
Third team
Ashley Betz-White, Camp Hill Trinity, 5-6, Jr., 11.4
Taylor Clark, 6-1, Sr., Athens, 12.3
Paige Elliot, West York, 5-8, Sr., 13.7
Elise Faris, Hopewell, 5-7, Sr., 15.8
Maggie Fruehan, Abington Heights, 5-9, Jr., 17.6
Saddie Gravatt, Franklin, 5-7, Sr., 16.1
Kaylynn Waters, New Castle, 5-7, So., 18.4
Player of the year: Erin Shields, Archbishop Carroll
Coach of the year: Jim Ricci, Archbishop Wood

GIRLS AA
First team
Brittany Hrynko, Engineering & Science, 5-8, Jr., 21.7
Maggie Lucas, Germantown Academy, 5-8, Sr., 23.6
Kayla McBride, Villa Maria, 5-11, Sr.., 20.5
Sierra Moore, Delone Catholic, 5-10, So., 17.6
Kady Schrann, York Catholic, 5-8, Jr., 17.8
Tory Thierolf, Germantown Academy, 6-0, Sr., 14.1
Second team
Kayla Cook, Jeannette, 5-10, Jr., 17.3
Tara Gallupe, Avonworth, 5-10, Sr., 22.0
Chikilra Goodman, Bodine, 5-10, Sr. 36.2
Erin LaVenice, Lancaster Mennonite, 6-0, Sr., 13.2
Megan McCullough, Notre Dame, 5-6, Sr., 9.8
Tierney Pfirman, South Williamsport, 5-11, So., 25.0
Amy Zehner, Tamaqua, 5-11, Jr., 21.0
Third team
Selena Adamshick, Lake-Lehman, 6-0, Jr., 21.5
Katie Gattuso, Seton-LaSalle, 6-0, Sr., 14.6
Hannah Heeter, Cranberry, 6-1, Sr., 20.4
Elaina Hummel, Southern Huntingdon, 5-6, Sr., 17.3
Alyssa Isler, New Hope-Solebury, 5-5, Sr., 24.6
Julie Kosin, Holy Cross, 5-9, Sr., 18.0
Emily Lohr, North Star, 6-0, Jr., 16.6
Kylee Sutton, Towanda, 5-11, Jr., 23.0
Player of the year: Kayla McBride, Villa Maria
Coach of the year: Scott Dibble, Villa Maria

GIRLS A
First team
Hailey Carangelo, Lebanon Catholic, 5-9, Sr., 20.3
D’Asia Chambers, 5-10, Sr., Farrell, 22.9
Talia East, Friends Central, 6-3, Sr., 12.4
Emily Homan, 6-4, Jr., Delaware County Christian, 14.5
Malia Tate-DeFreitas, 5-6, Fr., Steelton-Highspire, 21.2
Alli Williams, Bishop Guilfoyle, 5-11, Sr., 16.4
Second team
Kiely Chaklos, Nativity BVM, 5-2, Jr., 14.2
Jacqi Diez, St. Joseph, 5-8, Sr., 26.3
Brittany Eisenhuth, Ferndale, 5-8, Sr., 20.9
Breanna Kochinsky, Northern Cambria, 5-6, Sr., 17.6
Aleesha Powell, Penn Charter, 5-5, Jr., 13.4
Geena Sneeringer, West Forest, 5-6, Sr., 21.9
Keturah Vactor, Vincentian, 5-11, Jr., 15.0
Third team
Halee Adams, Bishop Guilfoyle, 5-7, Fr., 14.9
Kahleah Copper, Girard College, 5-10, So., 20.7
Taylor Gruss, Conemaugh Valley, 5-8, Sr., 11.3
Kim Kaville, Old Forge, 5-8, Sr., 15.5
Autumn Pellman, Greenwood, 5-11, Jr., 19.3
Juli Weber, Tri-Valley, 5-7, Fr., 12.6
Rachel Zimmerman, Tussey Mountain, 5-3, Sr., 18.2
Player of the year: Alli Williams, Bishop Guilfoyle
Coach of the year: Mark Moschella, Bishop Guilfoyle

Public vs. Private

All four girls basketball champions from 2009 – Mt. Lebanon (AAAA), Archbishop Wood (AAA), Villa Maria Academy (AA) and Bishop Guilfoyle (A) – repeated as champions in 2010 last weekend at Penn State University.

Three of those schools, the exception being Mt. Lebanon, are private schools.

Neumann-Goretti won the PIAA Class AAA boys title and Sewickley Academy repeated as Class A champs, beating Reading Central Catholic in the final.

It's a continuing trend with private schools littering the smaller classifications and charter schools from District 12 (Philadelphia) with less-than-strict transfer laws making their way into the PIAA five years ago.

Since 2000, 10 private schools have won PIAA Class A girls basketball championships. The lone exception was Monessen in 2004. During the same span, 11 private schools have won Class A boys titles.

In Class AA, the numbers are 10 private schools in girls and seven in boys. Kind of makes you appreciate South Fayette's title run a little more, huh?

In Class AAA, private schools have won eight of the past 11 girls titles and three titles in boys.

Four private schools have won Class AAAA girls titles. No private school has won a Class AAAA boys title since 2000.

Larry Henry, the superintendent at Karns City High School in District 9, is part of a group attempting to do something about it. With the hopes of having private school compete in their own playoff system, Henry has sent a power point system to school administrators across Pennsylvania asking them to contact local legislators.

To view the file, click:
PIAA%20Classifications.pdf

PIAA/WPIAL basketball champions

Can South Fayette repeat?

Technically, no. South Fayette, along with Washington, moves up in classification next year and joins Trinity and Montour in Section 5-AAA. The Lions have played their last game in Class AA for the foreseeable future.

South Fayette won the PIAA Class AA championship Saturday with a 49-47 victory over Strawberry Mansion. It capped a domination run through the state playoffs and put an exclamation point on a recent run of success for area boys team.

Peters Township won the WPIAL Class AAAA championship in 2009. Washington advanced to the PIAA Class AA semifinals the same year.

It's been one of the best two-year periods in local basketball history. That history also dictates the run will come to an end sometime soon.

Take a look at the small number of championship teams over the years.

Boys
PIAA champions
Fort Cherry – 1961 (AA)
Washington – 1984 (AA), 1986 (AA)
Monessen – 1988 (A), 1989 (A)
Ringgold – 1995 (AAAA)
South Fayette – 2010 (AA)
PIAA runners-up
Monessen – 1923
Donora (now part of Ringgold) – 1945 (AAA)
Ringgold – 1990 (AAAA)

Girls
PIAA champions
Monessen – 2004 (A)

Boys
WPIAL champions
Monessen – 1919, 1923, 1995 (A), 2001 (A), 2002 (A)
Cecil Township (now part of Canon-McMillan) – 1935 (AA)
Burgettstown – 1937 (AA)
Charleroi – 1940 (AAA), 1958 (AAA)
Donora – 1945 (AAA)
Fort Cherry – 1961 (AA)
Bentworth – 1963 (AA)
Mapletown – 1972 (A)
Ringgold – 1973 (AAA), 1990 (AAAA)
Washington – 1984 (AA), 1985 (AA), 1986 (AA), 1990 (AA)
Peters Township – 2009 (AAAA)

Girls
WPIAL champions
Immaculate Conception – 1986 (A)
Washington – 1992 (AAA)
Monessen – 1995 (A), 2004 (A), 2006 (A)

Keeping up with …

Peters Township's Enily Correal

A freshman at William and Mary, Correal was honored last Wednesday by the Colonial Athletic Association during its pre-championship banquet. The Venetia native earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team.

Correal, who topped 1,800 points and 1,200 rebounds in four years as a starter at Peters Township, finished the year with three double-doubles, including 14 points and 17 rebounds in a win against George Mason in January. She set a W&M freshman record with 28 games started.

Correal shared All-Rookie honors with Delaware freshman Elena Delle Donne, a former UConn recruit who made national headlines when she opted not to play for the Huskies to play volleyball at Delaware.

Correal was a three-time Observer-Reporter Player of the Year.

Prexies, Lions loved the layoff

Washington High School's boys basketball team last played a competitive game two weeks ago. South Fayette hasn't played one in 10 days.

Both WPIAL Class AA powers lost to district champion North Catholic during various stages of the playoffs. The Trojans knocked the Prexies out in the quarterfinals and followed with a win over the Lions in the semifinals.

Those layoffs end Saturday when Washington (18-5) plays District 9 champion Brookville (17-7) at Clarion University at 3:30 p.m. and South Fayette (19-5) plays Cambria Heights (15-9) at Baldwin High School at 2 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

For players on both teams, including Wash High junior Zach Barnes and South Fayette senior Mike Burroughs (both pictured), the time away from competitive play has been filled with practice and scrimmages, with Trinity and Gateway being among the respective opponents.

Such a layoff may bother some teams. Washington and South Fayette enjoyed the time off for different reasons.

For the Prexies, it allowed the majority of their players to rest weary legs. All five starters – Barnes, Troy Wilson, Marquis Brown, Julien Anderson and Bryan Thomas – played football and that season ran into basketball season.

"It was a nice layoff. We took a few days of after the North Catholic game and it was the first time our guys had a day off in a long time," Washington coach Mark Gaither said. "These guys played on a successful football team and as soon as that was over it was right into the gym."

Gaither believed tired legs contributed to Washington's loss to North Catholic.

"I think they were a bit tired," he said. "The time off got them refocused and got them a breather."

For South Fayette, the layoff provided an opportunity to forget about its semifinal performance. The Lions only led against North Catholic was at 1-0.

"We've really been focusing on ourselves," South Fayette coach Rich Bonnaure said. "The guys took that loss pretty hard."

South Fayette, making a third consecutive PIAA playoff appearance for the first time, hopes to expand on its past two state playoffs. Two years ago, the Lions lost to Farrell in the second round. Last year, they lost to Mercyhurst Prep in the first.

With two senior starters in Burroughs and Tyler Henry and three junior starters in Mike Lamberti, Pat Zedreck and Josh Patterson, the majority of South Fayette's players have been part of the past three years.

"We're a talented team but we're also a victim of expectations. No matter what we've done this year, a lot of great things get overlooked," Bonnaure said. "We've had some real nice wins against Washington, Greensburg Central and North Catholic. We just try to play a tough schedule to get ready for the tournament."

Column rips high-profile high school basketball coach

Yates High School in Houston looks like the best boys basketball team in Texas, maybe the country. The No. 2 team according to USA Today, Yates puts up 100-plus points sometimes by halftime. Often, it comes at the expense of belittling the opponent.

ESPN.com's Rick Riley wrote this unflattering piece on Yates and its head coach Greg Wise.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4977305

Good story on Monessen girls

Here's an interesting piece by Paul Schofield of the Tribune-Review, who's no doubt gearing up for the PIAA wrestling championships, on Monessen girls basketball player Chelsea Heath:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_670721.html

State rankings

One poster to the Varsity Letters noted that Chartiers Valley should have an easy time in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs. Well, the Eastern side of the bracket is loaded, particularly if you follow the state basketball rankings posted by LLHoops. com.

With the state playoffs lurking, it's a good time to check out the rest of Pennsylvania.

Here are the rankings (regardless of classification):

1. Philadelphia Neumann-Goretti (25-1) (PCL/District 12 AAA)

The Saints got out to a 41-27 halftime lead over Carroll and went on to a 75-59 win in the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship. Carroll made a run in the third quarter, but the Saints tacked on 19 points in the fourth quarter to win going away. Lamin Fulton shot 5-for-9, 5-for-6 (one trey) to lead with 16 pts. Tyreek Duren had 17pts two assists and three steals, Danny Stewart had 14 points, 15rebs, 4blks, Tony Chennault had 12pts, seven boards, three assists, Not to be lost in the shuffle is this: Billy Shank posted nine total points and notched one trey apiece in the first and second quarters. N-G now walks with the CL legends. This is the league’s 91st hoops season. Only twice has a team gone undefeated through the regular season and playoffs: N-G these last two years (38 total games) and Roman in 1990-91 (34 total games). Roman also went perfect in ’33 and ’34, but that accomplishment was a different animal; no playoffs back then…..It mattered little that Tony Chennault had to sit out the Philadelphia AAA City Championship as the Saints rolled Dobbins Tech 75-44. They led 23-14 at the end of the first quarter, upped it to 41-29 at the half and extended it to 58-34 after three quarters. Lamin Fulton led with 25pts, Tyreek Duren had 19pts and Danny Stewart added 14pts, 12rebs, 6blks and five steals.

2. Penn Wood (23-3) (District 1 AAAA)

Shawn Oakman, a 6-9 junior center, powered the defending state champions with 22pts, 9rebs (four on offense), four assists, three blocks and a steal as the Patriots blew past Souderton 71-49 in the District 1 AAAA Semifinal. Tyree Johnson and 6-5 jr f Aaron Brown (nine boards and two assists) each had 15pts, wing guard Will Brown notched 12pts and two blocks…..Penn Wood won their first District 1 AAAA Championship since 1992 with a 54-49 overtime victory over Plymouth-Whitemarsh before 6,500 at Villanova's Pavilion. The Patriots trailed 16-6 after the first quarter but a 14-1 run, Penn Wood made from the second quarter into the middle of the third, turned a 21-11 deficit into a 25-22 lead. Aaron Brown led with 20pts including eight of Penn Wood's 13 points in overtime. There were eight lead changes, with Plymouth-Whitemarsh coming out strong and fizzling in the end, while Penn Wood got stronger. Tyree Johnson backed Brown with 16pts and Will Brown added 11pts. 6-8 Jr Darian Barnes went scoreless, but grabbed 11 rebounds before fouling out.


3. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (25-2) (District 1 AAAA)

The Colonials completely dominated West Chester Bayard Rustin in a 79-47 victory in a District 1 AAAA Semifinal. C.J. Aiken, the 6-foot-10 senior, was a monster inside for P-W finishing with 12pts, 11rebs and 10blks for a triple-double. He had five of those blocks in the first quarter as the Colonials built a 13-point lead. Jaylen Bond, ended with 17pts and 13rebs. Stephon Baker finished with 12pts off the bench…..Plymouth-Whitemarsh got out to a nice first quarter lead over Penn Wood in the District 1 AAAA Championship, but could not hold on and lost 54-49 in overtime. The Colonials were a woeful 16-for-31 from the charity stripe and with each shot that clanged off the rim, their confidence crumbled just a bit more and Penn Wood’s became all the more fortified. The one player who was able to beat the Penn Wood pressure was senior guard Whis Grant, who scored a game-high 23pts. on the Patriots. A real glaring stat was C.J. Aiken and Jaylen Bond, P-W's monstrous one-two inside punch, finished with a combined 17 points, but the duo scored only six in the second half and overtime.


4. Radnor Archbishop Carroll (22-4) (PCL/District 12 AAA)

Juan’ya Green, steped up nicely in D. J. Irving’s absence (there’s a hard cast on his hand), had 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, two blocks. Ben Mingledough managed 16 points, nine boards. Thin frosh G Yosef Yacob fared well in a very difficult situation, with older/stronger guys continually hounding him in Carroll‘s 75-59 loss to Neumann-Goretti in the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship…..Then in the battle for District 12 AAA Third Place (loser out) with Simon Gratz, Carroll had to go it without Ben Mingledough, a 6-foot-4 swingman, who sat out, per PIAA rules, after being whistled for a pair of technicals in Monday's Catholic League championship loss to Neumann-Goretti plus pg D.J. Irving who was sidelined for a second straight game with a broken right hand. Simon Gratz held an eight-point advantage with 1:29 to play. From there, the Patriots rose up from near-dead, incredibly ended the contest with a 13-0 scoring run and emerged from Archbishop Ryan High with a hard-to-believe 48-43 victory.

Juan'ya Green led with 24pts - 14 in fourth quarter, 6rebs, four assists, 4blks and two steals. Soph forward Pat Finnegan and freshman combo guard Yosef Yacob, both normally reserves, delivered eight and seven points, respectively. Finnegan hauled in a team-high 12rebs. Yacob's left-wing trey gave Carroll a 44-43 lead, its first since the second quarter, with 42 seconds to go.

5. Mount Lebanon (25-1) (WPIAL/District 7 AAAA)

The Blue Devils fell behind Upper St. Clair 9-1, but slowly came back and pulled away for a 51-42 win in a WPIAL/District 7 AAAA Semifinal. Mt. Lebanon scored all its eight points in the first quarter on free throws. Upper St. Clair held an 18-15 lead, but the Blue Devils went on a 7-0 run to end the second quarter and grab a 22-15 halftime advantage. Mt. Lebanon held a 36-33 advantage heading into the fourth quarter and scored the first six points to get some breathing room. Paul Lang led Mt. Lebanon with 16pts, 10 in the second half…..Mt. Lebanon won the WPIAL/District 7 Class AAAA Championship, beating Gateway, 57-51 at the Palumbo Center. Evan Pierce scored 21pts, all in the second half. and Luke Hagy scored four points and made two steals in the final minute to seal the top-seeded Blue Devils' championship, their second under coach Joe David.

6. Philadelphia Strawberry Mansion (24-1) (PPL/District 12 AA)

The Knights bounced back from their only loss and defeated Philadelphia Prep Charter 64-60 to capture the District 12 AA #4 seed and will open the state tournament against the District 3 #1 seed, Trinity the same team that ended their season last year. Devonte' Newbill led with 24 points and Saadiq Berry added 12 points.

7. Philadelphia Imhotep Charter (22-5) (PPL/District 12 AA)

Won their second consecutive Philadelphia Public League Championship with a 58-46 victory over AAAA Champion, John Bartram. Ameen Tanksley led with 16 points and 6-8 Erik Copes scored only 4 points but finished with 13 boards and seven blocks…..The Panthers then won the Philadelphia AA City Championship with a 51-42 victory over West Catholic. Erik Copes led with 12pts, 5rebs and 5blks. Tyhiem Perrin and Bakari White both scored 10 points.

8. Chartiers Valley (25-1) (WPIAL/District 7 AAA)

TJ McConnell scored 32 points in a 75-58 win over West Allegheny in a WPIAL/District 7 AAA Semifinal. Forward Matt Noszka added 16pts and guard Steve Burda had 13pts for the Colts…..Won WPIAL/District 7 AAA Championship with a 63-50 victory over Hampton. T. J. McConnell, who faced a box-and-one much of the night, finished with 34 points (his average), 26 in the second half and 15 in the fourth quarter. He was 11 of 18 from the field, playing on his future home court. A Duquesne recruit, McConnell was 2 of 6 from 3-point range and 10 of 15 from the free-throw line. Wayne Capers scored 16 and Steve Burda added 11 for the Colts.


9. Philadelphia LaSalle (19-5) (PCL/District 12 AAAA)

Won the Philadelphia AAAA City Championship and District 12’s #1 AAAA seed in the state tournament by edging Philadelphia John Bartram 42-40. The Little Explorers overcame a 24-13 deficit in the second quarter, and they cut it to 26-24 at the half. Troy Hockaday led the way with 15 points and Steve Collins added 12 points.

10. Philadelphia Communications Tech (18-3) (PPL/District 12 AA)

The Phoenix season ended earlier than they wanted when they were upset by Philadelphia Prep Charter 58-57 in the Public League AA Semifinal.


11. Reading (27-2) (District 3 AAAA)

The Red Knights built a 24-12 lead early in the second quarter, but some sloppy play with the ball and Wilson’s ability to get to the rim in the second half saw them lose all but one point of that lead in a District 3 AAAA Semifinal. Then in the last 12 seconds, Trenity Burdine came up with two steals to seal a 34-33 victory. Burdine with 18pts and Xavier Mumford with 12pts, scored 30 of Reading’s 34 points in the game…..Reading took a 16-13 first quarter lead over Hempfield in the District 3 AAAA Championship game but saw the Black Knights pull in front 26-23 at the half. A basket by Hempfield to start the third put Reading behind 28-23, but then Trenity Burdine took over scoring 11 of his game-high 20pts in the rest of the quarter as the Red Knights led 36-29 heading into the final eight minutes. They would extend the lead to 39-29 to start the fourth, but Hempfield made a run and cut the lead to 43-41. But after a couple of made foul shots, Burdine scored five points in about 15 seconds and the lead was back up to 52-41. The final was 54-46. Yamil Echavarria scored 14pts and Xavier Mumford grabbed 10 rebounds to back up Burdine.

12. Hempfield (27-1) (District 3 AAAA)

The Black Knights led only 19-16 after the first quarter but kept expanding on that lead throughout the game and defeated York 69-53 in the District 3 AAAA Semifinal game. Christian Walck controlled the tempo of the game and led with 21pts and Mike Uehlein with 18 points and Taylor McDuffie with 17 points controlled the paint and York really had no real answer for the threesome…..Hempfield saw their chance at an unbeaten season end when they lost to Reading 54-46 in the District 3 AAAA Championship. Christian Walck had a good game with 18pts, Zach Sheetz had 12pts (4 treys) and Taylor McDuffie added 10pts. Despite McDiffie scoring 10pts, Hempfield could never really get their inside game going as Reading was nearly as big inside and too quick for the Black Knights.

13. Eastern York (26-0) (District 3 AAA)

Overcame a 26-19 halftime deficit with a big third quarter and eased to a 66-52 victory over East Pennsboro in the District 3 AAA Semifinal. Rutgers-bound Andrew Nicholas scored 10 of his 28 points in the third, Austin Tillotson scored eight of his 17, and Nate Bollinger eight of his 14 as Eastern outscored the Panthers 31-11 in the third quarter. Tillotson also contributed nine rebounds and seven assists…..In the District 3 AAA Championship the Golden Knights got out to a 25-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter, but saw Lancaster Catholic get hot and tighten up their defense in the second and third quarters. Eastern trailed after three 48-45 and had to get a basket by Nate Bollinger with 2.7 second left to pull out a 55-53 victory and win the District title. Nicholas led the way with 15pts, Tillotson had 14pts and Davin Zimmerman came off the bench for 10pts.

14. Hampton (21-3) (WPIAL/District 7 AAA)

Hampton held West Mifflin (14-8) to six points in the first half and held off a late Titans' rally to post a WPIAL/District 7 AAA Semifinal win, 38-31. Bill Luther led Hampton with 15 points…..Lost in the WPIAL/District 7 AAA Championship to Chartiers Valley 63-50. The Talbots started 6-7 Bill Luther (17pts), 6-5 Tim Donegan (14pts) and 6-8 T.J. Brown. Hampton out rebounded Chartiers Valley, 27-17. The game was deadlocked, 20-20, at halftime. In the third quarter, Hampton trailed, 31-28, with three minutes left when the Colts briefly went wild.

15. Bethlehem Liberty (22-5) (District 11 AAAA)

The Hurricanes had dropped out of the ratings after losing Anthony Gonzalez to a torn meniscus in his right knee on January 12. Preliminary indications were he'd be out for the season. And they lost three games without him, including to Nazareth twice. But they opened the District 11 AAAA Round of 16 by jumping out to a 20-0 lead and cruised past visiting Bangor 69-36. Jarrod West had a game-high 18pts and Darrun Hilliard added 13pts…..Then in the District 11 AAAA Quarterfinal, Gonzalez came back from the injury and scored 12 points and Liberty put the defensive clamps on Allentown Allen in a 50-35 rout. Hilliard led with 13pts…..In the District 11 AAAA Semifinal, Liberty's Darrun Hilliard, who connected for four 3-pointers among his game-high 26 points and enabled the Hurricanes to avenge two previous losses to Nazareth with a 58-45 victory…..In the District 11 AAAA Championship, Liberty crushed Whitehall 55-37. Brandon Holland scored a career-high 23 points, making seven 3-pointers, in sparking Liberty to their second district gold in four years and eighth overall. Holland was 8-for-9 from the field overall and 7-for-8 from beyond the arc in a stunning performance considering all of the attention his teammates receive.
Darrun Hilliard, the 'Canes' highly recruited hoops star, scored 14 points.


16. Hughesville (23-2) (District 4 AA)

Brian Gerney (18pts) scored eight points in the game's final three minutes and his clutch shooting helped Hughesville defeat South Williamsport, 45-37 in a District 4 Class AA boys semifinal. Hughesville had taken a 24-6 lead early in the second quarter, but saw South come back and force a tie at 35-35.….Addison Hanford (18pts) and Brian Gerney (16pts) combined for 34 points while Hughesville played remarkably stifling defense as it defeated Loyalsock, 48-30 to win the District 4 AA Championship.

17. West Chester Bayard Rustin (23-4) (District 1 AAAA)

Was beaten badly, 79-47, by Plymouth-Whitemarsh in the District 1 AAAA Semifinal. Cory Blake finished with a team-high 18pts and 7rebs, but 12 of his points came in the second half, after PW’s lead had been hovering in the 20s. Anthony Nash added nine points while the team’s leading scorer this season, guard Rondell White, finished with just five. The trio ended up having a combined nine shots blocked by P-W’s 6-10 C. J. Aiken…..Took Third Place in the District 1 AAAA tournament with a 49-46 win over Souderton. Cory Blake led with 17 points and Anthony Nash had 14 points.

18. Loyalsock (22-3) (District 4 AA)

in a District 4 Class AA boys semifinal Loyalsock point guard Antoine Ellison-Love banked in a game-winning 25-foot 3-pointer with four seconds remaining. The latest in a string of last-second, game-winning shots Ellison-Love has hit over the last two seasons lifted Loyalsock to a dramatic 49-46 win over Lewisburg in the District 4 Class AA semifinals. Isaac Bittle led with 15pts and Ellison-Love had 9pts and 10 assists…..Lost to Hughesville 48-30 in the District 4 AA Championship. Guard Antoine Ellison-Love and forward Isaac Bittle, Loyalsock’s dynamic duo, were held to 14 combined points by Hughesville’s tight defense.

19. Philadelphia Roman Catholic (16-8) (PCL/District 12 AAAA)

The Cahillites move back into top 20 as the knocked off Philadelphia Frankford 53-50 in the District 12 AAAA Third Place game. Roman jumped to a 7-0 lead, led 11-7 after the first quarter, 26-16 at the half and 37-29 after three. Kevin Regan led with 18 points and 17rebs, WG Rakeem “Rahk” Brookins, bound for Tulane, scored 14 points, had 7rebs and 6 assists. Soph G Daiquan Walker had a strong outing with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the floor (two treys).

20. Philadelphia Frankford (21-4) (PPL/District 12 AAAA) Lost to Roman Catholic 53-50 in the District 12 AAAA 3^rd, 4^th Place game. Frankford sr. PG Dehaven Brown missed a three to tie as time ran out on the Pioneers. Terrell Clark led with 18pts, 11rebs and Rodney Walters had 10 points.

DROPPED OUT: Souderton (23-4) (District 1 AAAA) After a 71-49 loss to Penn Wood in the District 1 AAAA Semifinal and a 49-46 loss to West Chester Bayard Rustin in a District 1 AAAA 3^rd & 4^th Place game. Coatesville (21-6) (District 1 AAAA) Lost to Upper Dublin 62-58, in a ninth-place consolation semifinal.

Thinking out loud

A few random, deep thoughts ...

The WPIAL Class AA championship will be decided Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center. Defending champion and top seed North Catholic faces Rochester, the No. 7 seed and a team attempting to win its first WPIAL basketball title since claiming the 1983 Class A crown.

Did anyone envision this matchup at the start of the season? Anyone?

After watching several of the top teams in Class AA – the most competitive in the district – the past two weeks, I've come to the conclusion that the seedings were way off.

Sure, North Catholic deserved to be No. 1 and expect the Trojans to win back-to-back titles. They're the best passing team I've seen this year. After that, I think the majority of the top seeds were misplaced.

My take on the top eight seeds is:
1. North Catholic;
2. Washington;
3. Rochester;
4. South Fayette;
5. Shady Side Academy;
6. Freeport;
7. Greensburg Central Catholic;
8. Beaver Falls.

* Why Washington at No. 2? Well, the Prexies had every chance to beat North Catholic in the quarterfinals.

* Washington can be a tough team to figure out. One night the Prexies struggle to protect the basketball, the other they look like the best Class AA team on this side of the state.

They are times when Washington gets caught up playing selfish offensive basketball. It happened in the first round against Freeport and the Prexies' season came close to ending. Wash High is at its best when the offense runs through Troy Wilson first. When it does, the shot selection is better, the rebounding is sounder and turnovers are fewer.

* There's been some discussion about this year's Boys Basketball Player of the Year, as selected by the Observer-Reporter.

To me, two players have stood out - Peters Township's Craig Wolcott and Trinity's Josh Valentic (pictured). Each are the focal point of opposing defenses every game yet both put up great numbers in completely different fashions. Both are also tireless workers on both ends of the court.

What gets overlooked in these discussions is performance in big games. It's easy to put up numbers and look flashy against the Sisters of the Poor. Playing well in big games goes a long way in determining the Player of the Year.

* Speaking of honors, who gets selected as the Tri-County Athletic Directors' Association boys and girls basketball coaches of the year?

Not sure who the local coaches will choose, but, to me, the finalists should include Peters Township boys coach Gary Goga and first-year girls coaches Kyra Kaylor of Peters Township and Gina Naccarato of Monessen. Chartiers-Houston girls coach Veronica Sansom also deserves strong consideration.

* One challenge for the next boys basketball coach at Chartiers-Houston will be getting more of the school's top athletes out for the sport. That's not going to be an easy task.

The Bucs certainly made strides at the Class AA level, particularly on the defensive end, for coach Jerry Cypher, who recently resigned with plans to join his son Brendan's staff at Burgettstown. Where Chartiers-Houston struggled to match up with Washington, Monessen and Burgettstown was in athleticism.

That's not saying the Bucs lacked athletes, but more top athletes at Chartiers-Houston wrestle or prepare for baseball than the other three schools.

* The PIAA playoffs don't start until next week but I'm already looking forward to the Class AA second round.

If North Catholic wins the WPIAL and South Fayette and Washington win their respective first-round games, the Lions and Prexies meet in the second round on Wednesday, March 17.

Playoffs in review, Prelims through quarters

Boys
Team of the tournament (so far)
South Fayette - As the No. 4 seed in the rugged Class AA bracket, South Fayette advanced to the semifinals with convincing victories over Laurel, 62-30, last Wednesday and perennial power Beaver Falls, 54-36, Saturday.

South Fayette (19-4) has won seven straight, six games by double digits or more, heading into its semifinal contest against top seed North Catholic (21-2), which pulled away from Washington in the final three minutes of its quarterfinal game.

South Fayette and North Catholic compete in Section 3 and the two split the season series. Both games went to overtime.

Starting five
Mike Burroughs, South Fayette
Mike Lamberti, South Fayette
Marquis Brown, Washington
Phil Horensky, Peters Township
Josh Valentic, Trinity
Off the bench
Craig Wolcott, Peters Township

Best games - Washington saw its double-digit lead evaporate in the second half against Freeport but the Prexies made several key plays early in overtime to advance with a first-round victory; Peters Township gave itself an opportunity to advance to the PIAA playoffs if North Allegheny wins the WPIAL title with a strong defensive effort against Butler in the first round.

Weird, wild stuff - The last time Trinity won a WPIAL playoff game came in 1984 when the district held an open tournament. The Hillers beat Ringgold in the Class AAAA prelims and Mt. Lebanon in the first round before losing to Ambridge in the quarterfinals. Until Trinity beat Center in the first round of this year's Class AAA playoffs, the Hillers had never advanced to the quarterfinals in a year they actually qualified for the playoffs.

In another Trinity oddity, the Hillers reached the 2001 PIAA playoffs without having to win a game because 10 WPIAL teams advanced. As long as Chartiers Valley reaches the WPIAL Class AAA final, Trinity will qualify for the state tournament.

Girls
Team of the tournament (so far)
Peters Township - The last two times Peters Township finished fourth in Section 4-AAAA (2008 and this year), the Indians knocked off a a slew of high-seeded teams to reach the WPIAL semifinals.

Two years ago, Peters Township beat Fox Chapel, Butler and Mt. Lebanon before losing to section rival Upper St. Clair in the championship game. So far this year, the Indians have edged Oakland Catholic and Shaler.

Up next for Peters Township is Mt. Lebanon, regarded as one of the top WPIAL girls teams in recent history. The Blue Devils already beat the Indians twice.

Peters Township, Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin and Bethel Park - all from Section 4 - are the semifinalists.

Starting five
Ellie Hanlon, Peters Township
Emily Matthis, Peters Township
Mariah Ward, Monessen
Jessie Merckle, Fort Cherry
Beka Bellhy, Fort Cherry
Off the bench
Lindsey Pisarcik, Peters Township

Best games - Peters Township rallies from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to upend fourth-seeded Shaler, 49-48, in Friday's quarterfinal; The Indians took out No. 5 seed Oakland Catholic in the first round, 44-40.

Weird, wild stuff - Several of the areas top Class A teams received significant contributions, which should improve next year's showing in the postseason.

Monessen, still in the postseason and playing top seed North Catholic in the semifinals, is led by Mariah Ward, the Greyhounds' leading scorer. Carmichaels started two freshmen in Anna Cree and Morgan Berardi. California guard Courtnee McMasters is a freshman.

Fort Cherry, which lost to Monessen in the quarterfinals, and Chartiers-Houston also are rife with underclassmen. Each team had just one senior on its roster.

WPIAL girls basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon (22-2)
2. Baldwin (19-4)
3. Bethel Park (18-5)
4. Peters Township (13-11)
And one
Butler (17-6)

Class AAA
1. Hopewell (24-0)
2. New Castle (19-3)
3. Indiana (21-1)
4. Chartiers Valley (20-4)
And one
Hampton (16-8)

Class AA
1. Avonworth (22-1)
2. Jeannette (22-2)
3. Seton-La Salle (19-5)
4. Beaver (18-4)
And one
Greensburg Central Catholic (19-2)

Class A
1. North Catholic (21-3)
2. Quigley (19-2)
3. Monessen (18-4)
4. Vincentian Academy (14-7)
And one
Winchester Thurston (15-8)

WPIAL boys basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 23-1
2. North Allegheny 19-4
3. Gateway 17-4
4. Upper St. Clair 15-8
And one
Kiski Area (16-7)

Class AAA
1. Chartiers Valley 23-1
2. Hampton 20-2
3. West Allegheny 15-8
4. West Mifflin 14-7
And one
Highlands (14-10)

Class AA
1. North Catholic (21-2)
2. South Fayette (19-4)
3. Shady Side Academy (18-3)
4. Rochester (22-2)
And one
Washington (18-5)

Class A
1. Sewickley Academy (20-2)
2. Serra Catholic (20-2)
3. Lincoln Park (17-6)
4. Cornell (18-5)
And one
Clairton (11-4)

WPIAL girls basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 20-2
2. Butler (16-5)
3. Baldwin (18-4)
4. Bethel Park (17-5)
5. Fox Chapel (18-3)

Class AAA
1. Hopewell (22-0)
2. Indiana (19-1)
3. New Castle (17-3)
4. Chartiers Valley (18-4)
5. Thomas Jefferson (16-4)

Class AA
1. Avonworth (20-1)
2. Greensburg Central Catholic (18-1)
3. Jeannette (20-2)
4. Seton-La Salle (17-5)
5. Bishop Canevin (16-5)

Class A
1. North Catholic (19-3)
2. Quigley (17-2)
3. Rochester (18-3)
4. Fort Cherry (15-4)
5. Monessen (16-4)

WPIAL boys basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 21-1
2. North Allegheny (18-4)
3. Gateway (16-4)
4. McKeesport (15-6)
5. Kiski Area (16-6)

Class AAA
1. Chartiers Valley (21-1)
2. Hampton (18-2)
3. Laurel Highlands (21-1)
4. Greensburg-Salem (16-5)
5. Hopewell (16-6)

Class AA
1. North Catholic (19-2)
2. Washington (17-4)
3. South Fayette (17-4)
4. Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3)
5. Rochester (20-2)

Class A
1. Sewickley Academy (18-2)
2. Serra Catholic (18-2)
3. Clairton (10-3)
4. Lincoln Park (15-6)
5. Bentworth (14-4)

Local basketball rankings

Boys
1. Washington (AA) 17-4
2. South Fayette (AA) 17-4
3. Monessen (AA) 16-4
4. Peters Township (AAAA) 12-9
5. Trinity (AAA) 14-4

Girls
1. Peters Township (AAAA) 11-11
2. Beth-Center (AA) 16-3
3. Fort Cherry (A) 15-4
4. Monessen (A) 16-4
5. South Fayette (AA) 15-6

WPIAL basketball alignment for 2010-11/2011-12

Possibly the most interesting story line, from a local perspective, is moving the Monessen boys from Section 5-AA to Section 3-AA.

The Greyhounds are a Class A team and elect to play up because head coach Joe Salvino prefers the competition in Class AA. Monessen, since moving up, had been in Section 5, with Washington, Burgettstown and company.

Washington moved to Section 5-AAA with rivals Trinity and South Fayette. Carlynton, Fort Cherry, South Side Beaver and Sto-Rox join Burgettstown and Chartiers-Houston in Section 5-AA. Section 4-AA consists of Beth-Center, Brownsville, California, Charleroi, Frazier, Greensburg Central Catholi and Jeannette. It's a natural fit for Monessen but with the recent transfers of Josh and Terrance Stepoli from Monessen to Greensburg Central Catholic, it could have created a difficult situation.

The additions of Washington, South Fayette, Ringgold and Montour make Section 5-AAA very intriguing.

"I really liked what they did," Trinity boys basketball coach Joe Dunn said. "I like it all the way across the board. (Class AAA) looks very balanced."

Boys Class AAAA (30 teams) Section 1
Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Hempfield, Kiski, Latrobe, Laurel Highlands, Norwin, Penn-Trafford
Section 2
Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Gateway, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Plum, Woodland Hills
Section 3
Butler, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shaler
Section 4
Baldwin, Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Chartiers Valley, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair

Class AAA (36 teams) Section 1
Burrell, Deer Lakes, Hampton, Highlands, Kittanning, Knoch, Mars, Valley
Section 2
Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hopewell, New Castle, West Allegheny
Section 3
Derry Area, Greensburg-Salem, Indiana, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Uniontown, Yough
Section 4
Belle Vernon, East Allegheny, Elizabeth Forward, Keystone Oaks, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin
Section 5
McGuffey, Montour, Ringgold, South Fayette, Trinity, Washington, Waynesburg

Class AA (41 teams) Section 1
Apollo Ridge, Ford City, Freeport, Riverview, Springdale, Shady Side Academy, West Shamokin
Section 2
Ellwood City, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, Riverside, Shenango, Summit Academy
Section 3
Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, Monessen, South Allegheny, Seton-La Salle, Steel Valley, Wilkinsburg
Section 4
Beth-Center, Brownsville, California, Charleroi, Frazier, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette
Section 5
Burgettstown, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Fort Cherry, South Side Beaver, Sto-Rox
Section 6
Aliquippa, Avonworth, Beaver Falls, Freedom, New Brighton, Northgate, Quaker Valley

Class A (24 teams) Section 1
Cornell, Lincoln Park, OLSH, Rochester, Union, Western Beaver
Section 2
Aquinas Academy, North Catholic, Quigley Catholic, Sewickley Academy, Trinity Christian, Vincentian Academy
Section 3
Avella, Bentworth, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene
Section 4
Clairton, Elderton, Geibel, Leechburg, Serra Catholic, St. Joseph

Girls Class AAAA (28 teams) Section 1
Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford
Section 2
Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Gateway, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Plum, Woodland Hills
Section 3
Butler, North Allegheny, North Hills, Oakland Catholic, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shaler
Section 4
Baldwin, Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair

Class AAA (32 teams) Section 1
Hampton, Highlands, Kittanning, Knoch, Mars, Valley
Section 2
Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Ellwood City, Hopewell, New Castle
Section 3
Derry Area, Greensburg-Salem, Indiana, Laurel Highlands, Mt. Pleasant, Uniontown, Yough
Section 4
Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Ringgold, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin
Section 5
Chartiers Valley, McGuffey, Montour, South Fayette, Trinity, West Allegheny

Class AA (43 teams) Section 1
Apollo Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Elderton, Ford City, Freeport, Leechburg, West Shamokin
Section 2
Beaver Falls, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, New Brighton, Riverisde, Shenango
Section 3
East Allegheny, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Southmoreland, Springdale, Shady Side Academy, Wilkinsburg
Section 4
Bentworth, Beth-Center, Brownsville, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Washington, Waynesburg
Section 5
Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, Carlynton, Keystone Oaks, South Allegheny, Seton-La Salle, Steel Valley
Section 6
Avonworth, Freedom, Northgate, OLSH, Quaker Valley, South Side Beaver, Sto-Rox

Class A (28 teams) Section 1
Aliquippa, Cornell, Quigley Catholic, Rochester, Sewickley Academy, Union, Western Beaver
Section 2
Ellis School, Mt. Alvernia, North Catholic, Riverview, St. Joseph, Trinity Christian, Vincentian Academy
Section 3
Avella, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Fort Cherry, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene
Section 4
California, Clairton, Frazier, Geibel, Monessen, Serra Catholic, Winchester Thurston

Week in review, Feb. 8-14

Boys basketball
Team of the Week
Avella – The Eagles were scuffling to stay in the playoff hunt out of Section 2-A a couple weeks ago. Thanks to a recent surge, Avella not only locked up a playoff berth, the Eagles set themselves up for a possible second-place finish.

Avella won at Carmichaels, 62-59, on Saturday and followed with 54-48 home victory over Beth-Center on Sunday.

The Eagles and Bulldogs are tied for second-place in Section 2. Both with 8-3 records.

Runner-up – Monessen

Starting five
Craig Wolcott, Peters Township
Pat Zedreck, South Fayette
Damon Cupp-Sheader, Avella
Josh Valentic, Trinity
Jalen Madison, Monessen
Off the bench
Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan

Games of the Week – Peters Township blows double-digit lead then rallies to win at Canon-McMillan, 64-61, with a 7-0 run to close the game as Hagan returned to the Big Macs' lineup; California beats Burgettstown, 74-71 in overtime.

Weird, wild stuff – Wolcott and Washington's Troy Wilson are both four-year starters for their respective teams. Considering Wolcott plays at the Class AAAA level and Wilson plays for the Prexies, it's a considerable accomplishment for both.

On Friday night, both players topped 1,000 career points and it happened within minutes of one another.

Wolcott needed 12 points entering the game at Canon-McMillan and got it on a 25-foot three-pointer (he launched it from the volleyball line) in the second quarter of a game which started 20 minutes late. Wilson also needed 12 points entering Friday's game against Charleroi and reached the milestone in the third quarter.

Girls basketball
Team of the Week
Beth-Center – Following a nine-day layoff, Beth-Center traveled to Washington Saturday, a place where the Bulldogs never win. In their previous eight trips there, the Bulldogs lost by an average of 36.9 points.

Needing a win to clinch the Section 5-AA championship, Beth-Center notched a 59-49 victory as Megan Sowers finished with a double-double.

Beth-Center won its first section championship since 1983.

Runner-up – Peters Township

Starting five
Chelsea Evans, Washington
Megan Sowers, Beth-Center
Olivia English, Avella
Courtnee McMasters, California
Ellie Hanlon, Peters Township
Off the bench
Chaniece Tarpley, Charleroi

Games of the Week – California took advantage of some chilly Monessen shooting (0-for-9 free throws) as it defeated Monessen, 55-43, to give the Greyhounds their first loss against a team not in Class AAAA; Avella boosted its chances of tying Cornell for fourth place in Section 2 with a 41-36 win over Chartiers-Houston.

Weird, wild stuff – Canon-McMillan, a team ravaged by injuries in recent years (five players were lost to knee injuries in 2008-09), beat Ringgold Saturday for its first win in Section 4-AAAA.

The Big Macs finished 1-13 in section and the victory snapped a 27-game losing streak in section play.

WPIAL girls basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 20-2
2. Butler 15-5
3. Baldwin 17-4
4. Bethel Park 16-4
5. Oakland Catholic 14-5

Class AAA
1. Hopewell 21-0
2. Indiana 19-1
3. New Castle 17-3
4. Chartiers Valley 16-4
5. Mt. Pleasant 17-3

Class AA
1. Seton-La Salle 16-4
2. Greensburg Central Catholic 18-1
3. Avonworth 19-1
4. Jeannette 19-2
5. Bishop Canevin 14-4

Class A
1. North Catholic 17-3
2. Quigley 17-2
3. Rochester 18-3
4. Fort Cherry 14-4
5. Monessen 16-3

Girls basketball playoff clinchings

Class AAAA
Section 1 – Norwin, Hempfield, Kiski Area
Section 2 – Oakland Catholic, Fox Chapel, McKeesport
Section 3 – Butler, Shaler, North Allegheny
Section 4 – Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin, Bethel Park, Peters Township

Class AAA
Section 1 – Hampton, Mars, Kittanning, Highlands
Section 2 – Hopewell, New Castle, Blackhawk, Ambridge
Section 3 – Indiana, Mt. Pleasant, Uniontown, Laurel Highlands
Section 4 – Charters Valley, South Park, West Mifflin, Montour
Section 5 – Thomas Jefferson, Belle Vernon, Yough, Elizabeth Forward

Class AA
Section 1 – Apollo-Ridge, Ford City, West Shamokin, Deer Lakes
Section 2 – Beaver, Mohawk, Riverside, Neshannock
Section 3 – Seton-La Salle, Bishop Canevin, South Fayette, OLSH
Section 4 – Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Riverview, Springdale
Section 5 – Beth-Center, Washington, Charleroi, Brownsville
Section 6 – Avonworth, Sto-Rox, Beaver Falls, Aliquippa

Class A
Section 1 – Quigley, Rochester, Sewickley Academy, Monaca, Western Beaver
Section 2 – Fort Cherry, Serra Catholic, Chartiers-Houston, Cornell
Section 3 – Monessen, Carmichaels, California, Geibel
Section 4 – North Catholic, Vincentian Academy, Winchester Thurston

WPIAL boys basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 21-1
2. Gateway 14-3
3. North Allegheny 16-4
4. Plum 17-4
5. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 15-4

Class AAA
1. Chartiers Valley 19-1
2. Hampton 17-2
3. Laurel Highlands 20-1
4. Greensburg-Salem 15-4
5. Thomas Jefferson 16-5

Class AA
1. North Catholic 18-1
2. Washington 16-4
3. Rochester 20-2
4. South Fayette 15-4
5. Greensburg Central Catholic 17-3

Class A
1. Sewickley Academy 17-2
2. Serra Catholic 17-2
3. Clairton 10-3
4. Lincoln Park 14-6
5. Cornell 14-5

WPIAL boys basketball playoff clinchings

The following teams are assured a berth in the WPIAL basketball playoffs heading into Monday's schedule. Several games, such as Washington's home finale against California, have been postponed to Tuesday.

Class AAAA
Section 1 – Latrobe, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Norwin
Section 2 – Gateway, Plum, McKeesport
Section 3 – North Allegheny, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Butler, Shaler
Section 4 – Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair, Canon-McMillan

Class AAA
Section 1 – Hampton, Mars, Highlands, Deer Lakes
Section 2 – Hopewell, Blackhawk, Center, New Castle
Section 3 – Laurel Highlands, Greensburg-Salem, Mt. Pleasant, Indiana
Section 4 – Chartiers Valley, Montour
Section 5 – Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward

Class AA
Section 1 – Freeport, Burrell, Apollo-Ridge, Ford City
Section 2 – Rochester, New Brighton, Laurel, Summit Academy
Section 3 – North Catholic, South Fayette
Section 4 – Greensburg Central Catholic, Shady Side Academy, Jeannette, Wilkinsburg
Section 5 – Washington, Monessen, California, Burgettstown
Section 6 – Beaver Falls, Aliquippa, Quaker Valley, Sto-Rox

Class A
Section 1 – Lincoln Park, Neshannock, Union, Western Beaver
Section 2 – Bentworth, Avella, Beth-Center
Section 3 – Serra Catholic, Clairton, St. Joseph
Section 4 – Sewickley Academy, Cornell, Vincentian Academy, OLSH

Top New Jersey team ineligible for playoffs

The PIAA does not have rules regarding coaches attending open gyms during the offseason. New Jersey does.

ROBBINSVILLE, N.J. (AP) — St. Patrick, one of New Jersey’s top high school boys basketball teams, will not be allowed to compete in the state tournament.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s executive committee voted Friday to bar St. Patrick and suspend its coach, Kevin Boyle, for three games for being present during workouts before the season’s official start.
The workouts, held for the benefit of college coaches, were secretly videotaped by an NJSIAA investigator looking into alleged recruiting violations. None were found.
An attorney for the school argued that the NJSIAA trespassed, invaded privacy and did not notify the school it was under investigation, but the appeal was denied.
St. Patrick was 18-2 going into its Friday night game.

Local basketball rankings

There's no movement in the rankings this week due to a lack of action. Tonight's schedule is full and there are 19 games lated for Saturday, five more on Sunday.

Boys
1. Washington (AA) 15-4
2. South Fayette (AA) 13-4
3. Peters Township (AAAA) 11-8
4. Monessen (AA) 13-4
5. Trinity (AAA) 13-4

Girls
1. Peters Township (AAAA) 10-11
2. Monessen (A) 15-2
3. South Fayette (AA) 12-6
4. Fort Cherry (A) 14-4
5. Beth-Center (AA) 15-3

WPIAL extends basketball season, again

The WPIAL extended the regular season for boys and girls basketball for the second time this week due to the large number of postponed games.
Teams have until Tuesday, Feb. 16 to complete section games. Earlier this week, the WPIAL asked teams to complete section games by Monday.
Some teams, like the Mapletown boys, have three section games remaining. Others, like the Burgettstown girls, only have one section game left.
The WPIAL basketball steering committee will meet Wednesday, Feb. 17 and the playoff pairings meeting will still be at 7 p.m. the same night at the Embassy Suites in Coraopolis.
The boys and girls playoffs will begin Friday, Feb. 19 and the WPIAL championship games are scheduled for March 5-6 at Duquesne University’s Palumbo Center.

Stepoli transfers to GCC

Monessen's chances of qualifying for the PIAA Class AA boys basketball playoffs a fourth consecutive year took a hit when sophomore forward/center Josh Stepoli left the team late last week and transfered to Greensburg Central Catholic.

Stepoli averaged a double-double for Monessen, the second-place team in Section 5-AA with a 9-2 record. The Greyhounds are 13-4 overall and on a two-game win streak after being blown out at home by Washington.

Monessen, which plays up in classification and plans to stay in Class AA according to head coach Joe Salvino, already clinched a spot in the WPIAL playoffs.

His brother, Terrance Stepoli, quit the basketball team in early January and previously transfered to Greensburg Central Catholic. His sister Samone Stepoli was cited for disorderly conduct last week for her role in a fight that took place during halftime of a boys basketball game between Washington and Monessen Jan. 29.

WPIAL girls basketball rankings

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 18-2
2. Bethel Park 16-2
3. Fox Chapel 16-2
4. Butler 13-5
5. Baldwin 15-4

Class AAA
1. Hopewell 20-0
2. Indiana 18-1
3. New Castle 16-3
4. Chartiers Valley 15-4
5. Mt. Pleasant 15-3

Class AA
1. Seton-La Salle 15-4
2. Jeannette 18-1
3. Greensburg Central Catholic 16-1
4. Avonworth 17-1
5. Bishop Canevin 13-4

Class A
1. North Catholic 16-3
2. Monessen 15-2
3. Quigley 16-2
4. Rochester 17-3
5. Fort Cherry 14-4