On a mission: West Greene, Peters Township girls earn top seeds
GREEN TREE – A lot of the decisions made by the WPIAL basketball steering committee can be scrutinized, criticized and debated.
Who to pick as the top seed in the girls playoffs in Class 6A and Class A wouldn’t be categorized as questionable.
Letting the numbers speak for themselves, Peters Township was awarded the top seed in Class 6A and West Greene in Class A when the playoff pairings were released Tuesday night at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree.
“That’s where we wanted to be,” said West Greene coach Jordan Watson. “Back in November, if you told us we would be 20-2, we would sign up for that. Our two losses are against the Double-A favorite Bishop Canevin and a good Quad-A team in Southmoreland. We are right where we need to be.”
The proof wasn’t only in their records – West Greene is the only team in Class A to reach 20 wins and Peters Township (22-0) is one of only two undefeated teams remaining in the entire WPIAL.
Both Peters Township and West Greene are determined to avenge losses in the WPIAL championships last March at the Petersen Events Center. The Indians were thumped by North Allegheny and West Greene was dominated by Winchester Thurston.
“We were just so excited to get there because it was the next step in our progression with the program,” Peters Township coach Bert Kendall said. “We just didn’t feel like we represented what we could’ve done and it turned into a learning experience. We came out of there saying to ourselves that it’s a new year and we know what we have to do. We have been focused all season long. We are ready.”
West Greene won by an average of 38.1 points per game. It held four opponents to less than 10 points and forced nearly 20 turnovers per game.
“You can’t skip steps,” Watson said. “You have to do it all. You have to go undefeated in the section and play a tough nonconference schedule. We did that. We earned the No. 1 seed. We didn’t skip any steps.”
Peters Township, which became the first girls team in Washington County to complete an undefeated regular season Monday, was equally dominant.
The Indians won their 22 games by an average margin of more than 32 points. They only had one game decided by less than 10 points and four by fewer than 20 points. Against playoff teams, Peters Township went 13-0 and won those games by more than 27 points.
“Sometimes you feel like when you are up by 30 points you should to clear the bench. It’s bothersome to me,” Kendall said. “I thought it was best for our team to stay focused and not let up. We have to get better every day and you don’t do that by playing one half and watching the other.”
Ten other local girls teams qualified for the playoffs.
In Class 5A, ninth-seeded Trinity (11-11) will play No. 8 Penn-Trafford (13-9) at Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon (6:30 p.m.). South Fayette (13-9), the No. 12 seed, takes on fifth-seeded Franklin Regional (16-6) Tuesday at Keystone Oaks (8 p.m.).
Similar to the boys’ bracket, Belle Vernon (14-8) is the only local team in Class 4A. Fresh off victories over highly seeded Southmoreland and Elizabeth Forward to end the season, the Leopards will play eight-seeded Keystone Oaks (13-8) at 6:30 p.m., Monday at Peters Township
In Class 3A, Washington (18-4) was bumped down the the eighth seed and will play No. 9 Mohawk (7-10) at 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday at North Allegheny. Beth-Center (12-9), the No. 12 seed, will play fifth-seeded Avonworth (15-6) Wednesday at Gateway (6:30 p.m.).
In Class 2A, Chartiers-Houston and Burgettstown will need to upset a pair of top-four seeds if they want to advance to the quarterfinals. The Bucs, who are 8-14 and clinched a playoff spot with a win in their second-to-last section game, will play third-seeded Laurel (18-4) Friday at Mt. Lebanon (6:30 p.m.). Burgettstown (12-10), which clinched playoff spot and winning record with a late push, will play fourth-seeded Our Lady of Sacred Heart (17-4) at 8 p.m., Friday at Peters Township. The Blue Devils have won their last four games.
The other teams in Class A all have to play in the opening round. Seventh-seeded Avella (16-5), which finished in second place behind West Greene in the Section 2 standings, plays Aquinas Academy (10-8) at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday at Keystone Oaks. Mapletown (12-10), which clinched a playoff spot with a victory over Monessen in its final section game, is the No. 11 seed and will play Quigley Catholic at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday at West Allegheny. Ninth-seeded California (10-10) will play the Pioneers for a third time this season if it can defeat Sewickley Academy (11-7) at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday at Canon-McMillan.
For a complete list of the playoff pairings, see Page C2.