Another chance: PIAA tournament begins for 9 local basketball teams
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry head coach Eugene Briggs lifts the runner-up trophy his Rangers earned in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball tournament. The Rangers host West Middlesex in the first round of the PIAA tournament Wednesday.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry coach Eugene Briggs rallies his Rangers during a timeout in the WPIAL Class 2A Championship game Saturday against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at the Petersen Events Center. The Rangers host West Middlesex in the first round of the PIAA tournament Wednesday.
One positive aspect of the PIAA boys and girls basketball tournaments is they offer second chances.
In the state tournament, there is another chance to end the season with a win and a championship.
There are chances to make up for a bad game, or costly quarter, in the WPIAL playoffs and continue the season with a win.
And there are chances to play an opponent not only for a second time, but a third and sometimes even a fourth time.
The state tournaments begin tonight with three local teams – the Belle Vernon boys, Waynesburg girls and Burgettstown girls – in action.
Six other local teams will play first-round games Wednesday.
Belle Vernon (19-4), the fourth-place team out of the WPIAL in Class 4A, will play at Obama Academy (12-8) of the City League. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
Belle Vernon will be trying to give head coach Joe Salvino his 700th career win. The Leopards will be without point guard Devin Whitlock, who was suspended for an incident that happened during the handshake line following Belle Vernon’s loss to Montour in the WPIAL semifinals.
Obama Academy earned its spot in the PIAA tournament by defeating Clearfield 59-58 in a play-in game Friday.
Waynesburg (17-5), the third-place team from the WPIAL in Class 3A, will play at Chestnut Ridge (13-11), which is coming off its first District 5 championship since 1986. Chestnut Ridge had to defeat Westinghouse of the City League in a play-in game to get to this point.
Though it has a long ride to play its first-round game, Waynesburg enters having won 12 of its last 13 games against Class 3A opponents, the lone loss coming to WPIAL champion North Catholic in the semifinals.
Burgettstown (18-4) has not played since a one-point loss to Serra in the WPIAL quarterfinals Feb. 24. The Blue Devils will play at Homer Center (23-4) in Class 2A. Homer Center won its first District 6 championship.
On Wednesday, WPIAL Class 2A boys runner-up Fort Cherry (23-3) will return to the court – its home court – as the Rangers host West Middlesex (14-11), the third-place team from District 10. The Big Reds come in having won five of their last six games but are 0-2 against WPIAL opponents, having lost to Laurel (51-43) and Mars (70-20).
In Class 3A, the Washington boys (17-3) will be on the same court as the Waynesburg girls were 24 hours earlier as the Prexies play at Chestnut Ridge (18-7), the District 5 champion. Wash High is expected to be minus one of its usual starters.
In girls action Wednesday, WPIAL Class 5A champion South Fayette (22-4), which knocked off top-seeded Chartiers Valley in the title game, will be at home against Lampeter Strasburg (15-11), the eighth-place team out of District 3. It would take three state tournament wins by both South Fayette and Chartiers Valley to set the stage for a fourth matchup between the section rivals.
South Fayette’s win over CV made Trinity the seventh-place team and last PIAA qualifier from the WPIAL. The Hillers will play at District 3 champion Gettysburg (22-5) in a game that is two years in the making. Trinity was set to play Gettysburg in the second round of the state playoffs in 2020 when the start of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the tournament to be cancelled.
West Greene (18-4), which has played only one game since Feb. 10, will face District 6 champion Portage (21-5) in a Class A game at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson. Portage plays a similar style to West Greene’s, one that relies on a full-court press to force turnovers and control the pace of games.
The Monessen girls (17-6) have a tough draw as they play at District 10 champion Elk County Catholic (24-3) in a Class A game in St. Mary’s.