PIAA sets sites for basketball playoffs
A doubleheader involving local girls teams highlights the schedule for the first round of the PIAA basketball playoffs that begin this weekend. Eleven area teams qualified for the state tournament.
The Peters Township girls, who advanced to the WPIAL Class 6A title game before losing to undefeated North Allegheny, will be part of a doubleheader Friday night at Canon-McMillan. The Indians (21-4) will play Section 3 rival Bethel Park (17-6) in the opening round at 7:30 p.m. Peters Township and Bethel Park will be meeting for the fourth time this season. The Indians have won each of the first three meetings including a 55-39 victory in the WPIAL semifinals.
The opening game of the doubleheader matches WPIAL Class 2A runner-up Chartiers-Houston (19-6) against Cambridge Springs (21-4), the third-place team from District 10. The game will tip off at 6 p.m.
The only other first-round girls game Friday night involves California (15-8) playing District 9 champion Coudersport (20-3) in Class 2A at St. Mary’s High School. That game has a 6 p.m. tipoff and is part of a doubleheader that includes the South Fayette boys. The Lions (16-8), who finished in fifth place in the WPIAL, will play District 9 champion Clearfield (15-9) at 7:30 p.m.
The Trinity boys (20-5) will travel to Edinboro University Friday to play Erie Cathedral Prep (11-12), the District 10 champion, in a Class 5A game. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. The Belle Vernon boys also have a long road trip. The Leopards (18-6), who finished as the third-place Class 4A team in the WPIAL, will go to Sharon High School and play District 10 runner-up Hickory (20-5) at 7:30 p.m.
Five area teams will be in action Saturday and one of them still doesn’t know who it will be playing, when or when. The Burgettstown boys (16-7) qualified as the fifth-place Class 3A team from the WPIAL and the Blue Devils must await the outcome of a play-in game Tuesday involving Westinghouse (16-6) of the Pittsburgh City League and Chestnut Ridge (17-6) of District 5. The winner plays Burgettstown Saturday. If Westinghouse wins, the game against Burgettstown will be played at Allderdice High School. A Chestnut Ridge win will send Burgettstown to Bedford High School.
The only other boys team that plays Saturday is Chartiers-Houston (19-6) in Class 2A. The Bucs play District 5 runner-up Conemaugh Township (14-9) at Pitt-Johnstown. Tipoff is 3 p.m.
The Trinity girls (20-4), who advanced to the PIAA finals last season, will begin this year’s state tournament at Fox Chapel against WPIAL champion Gateway (21-3). That game will begin at 3 p.m.
The West Greene girls (22-3), the WPIAL Class A runner-up, will play District 10 runner-up Farrell (12-11) at Peters Township (3 p.m.). The trip to Washington County is much shorter than the one West Greene had last year for its PIAA first-round game when the Pioneers make the trek to Bradford.
The Belle Vernon girls (18-6) drew WPIAL runner-up Beaver (18-6) for a Class 4A game at North Catholic. It will be a rematch of the WPIAL quarterfinals.