Feb 13, 2018 6 min read

GREEN TREE – As coaches from boys and girls basketball teams in the WPIAL entered the ballroom at the DoubleTree Hotel Tuesday night, where the pairings for the league’s playoffs were revealed, the idea of where teams would be seeded varied.

Two local teams – the Trinity and Peters Township girls – had less guess work than many of the 155 teams in the tournament regarding what obstacles they would have to clear to make it to the WPIAL Championships at the Peterson Events Center.

But there was much more behind the smiles of Trinity coach Bob Miles after earning the No. 1 seed in Class 5A, and Peters Township coach Bert Kendall, whose Indians received the No. 2 spot in 6A.

It was about what the two have created: winning basketball programs at their respective schools.

Trinity went 12-0 in Section 3 of Class 5A, has won 12 games in a row and hasn’t lost since the calendar turned to 2018.

The only losses the Hillers suffered were against Abington, Gilmour Academy (Ohio) and Kendall’s Indians, schools all larger than Trinity.

“We just played steady all year long,” said Miles. “The girls deserved it. They played really hard and earned that spot. Some people say our section wasn’t that strong, but I think what we did outside of the section spoke volumes.”

Trinity had non-section victories over Bethel Park, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair and South Fayette on its way to a 19-3 overall record in a difficult Class 5A.

“Our role players,” Miles said on what transformed the Hillers from a contender to the No. 1 seed, an honor they barely missed out on one year ago.

“They’ve put us in the position we are in tonight. When we played out of the section, we rose to those occasions.”

Miles took over a losing program when he became the head coach at Trinity in 2012-13, despite the Hillers making the playoffs the year before with a 7-16 overall record.

Trinity opens the playoffs with a first-round matchup with No. 16 seed Plum at 8 p.m. Friday at West Allegheny High School. If the Hillers win, they will play the winner of Oakland Catholic and South Fayette, which plays Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Upper St. Clair.

“That second game is going to be tough, presuming we are able to get through the first one,” Miles said.

Kendall’s transition from an assistant at Bethel Park to taking over as the head coach of the Indians in 2013-14 looked nearly insurmountable.

Peters Township was 3-19 the season before Kendall arrived, losing all of its section games.

Fast forward five years later, Kendall was all smiles before he even knew that the Indians would receive a bye and not play until Feb. 23. Prior to the announcement of the brackets, it was Kendall walking up to receive the Section 3 plaque after the Indians went 9-1 to win the championship.

Winning nine of its last 10 games, there were pros and cons for having to wait a week and a half before playing a competitive game.

“Every practice we have people running for the Kleenex box,” Kendall said of several players that have fallen ill over the last few days.

“It might take us out of a rhythm a little bit but we’ve got some injuries that will heal up and can get healthier. The benefits of being able to rest and prepare outweigh the break (concerns).”

And changing from the laughing stock of the section to the team opponents don’t want to play all came down to a mentality.

“I think that when (me and my assistants) first came in it was all about making it a team. The theme every year has been “our team,” Kendall said. “It took us a while to get that mindset across. There was the thought (from the players) that we were going to lose. We had to keep hitting on and going back to that theme. They slowly started believing it. Now, I think some people look at the schedule and think, ‘Oh gosh, we have to play Peters Township tonight.’ We have a standard. It doesn’t matter what the score or what’s going on in practice, if we aren’t playing up to that standard then we’re not doing our job.”

The West Greene girls earned another top seed for the second straight year. The Pioneers, who went undefeated in Section 2-A with a 10-0 record, earned a bye and will play the winner of Rochester and Eden Christion Friday Feb. 23.

Ringgold, the No. 10 seed in Class 5A, will open up against seventh-seeded Gateway Friday at Baldwin (6:30 p.m.)

Defending Class 2A champion Chartiers-Houston earned the No. 3 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals. The Bucs will play the winner of Leechburg/Frazier Thursday Feb. 22.

One of the most highly debated classifications in the boys’ brackets was what to do with Canon-McMillan in Class 6A.

The Big Macs, who were in line to share the section title with No. 1 seed Mt. Lebanon before their three-point loss against Baldwin, were given the No. 7 spot. They will play Seneca Valley at 1:30 p.m., Saturday afternoon at West Allegheny.

“We are one of three teams in all of the WPIAL, on the boys side, that has 20 wins,” said C-M head coach Rick Bell. “We’re the No. 1-ranked team defensively in points allowed in Class 6A. We’re just happy to be here.”

The basketball steering committee wanted to avoid section matchups in the opening round and if C-M were to earn the No. 5 or 6 seed, it would have played either Upper St. Clair or Bethel Park.

“We are where we should be,” Bell said.

If Trinity boys head coach Tim Tessmer wants to advance to the semifinals, the Hillers will have to continue riding their five-game winning streak they have entering the playoffs. Trinity takes on Greensburg Salem at Peters Township Feb. 20 (6:30 p.m.). If the Hillers win, they will take on Class 5A Section 1 opponent McKeesport in the quarterfinals. The two split their regular season games.

Belle Vernon earned a bye in Class 4A, while South Fayette plays Freeport at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.

In Class 3A boys Friday, Washington plays Brentwood at Peters Township (7 p.m.). Burgettstown also has a first-round game at Peters Township against East Allegheny at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The three local boys’ teams to make the playoffs in Class 2A all open next Tuesday. Chartiers-Houston plays Neshannock at West Allegheny (8 p.m.), Fort Cherry takes on Leechburg at North Hills (5:30 p.m.), where California finishes out the night with an 8:30 p.m. matchup against Springdale.

Like many expected, Monessen and Clairton ended up with first-round byes and on opposite sides of the bracket. If the two were to meet, it would be for the Class A championship March 1.