Previewing PIAA first-round playoff games
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Wash High’s Anthony Popeck tries to get around Seton-La-Salle’s defense during the second half of Monday night’s game at Peters Township.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Monessens Jaden Altomore tries to get pasted North Catholics Eric Taylor during a game with Cardinal North Catholic at Charties Valley High School on Tuesday, Feb, 23, 2016.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Chartiers-Houston’s Jala Walker shoots Thursday over Riverside’s Bekah Bettencourt and Jordan Annarumo.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Trinity’s Mary Dunn tries to shoot while Mars’ Elise Sheehy guards during the first half of Wednesday night’s game.
The WPIAL crowned eight champions at the Petersen Events Center over the weekendm, including the South Fayette girls, who outlasted Trinity for the Class AAA title Saturday afternoon.
Though each of those champions will enter the state tournament with all the attention, there have been plenty of teams who have won PIAA championships after coming up short in the WPIAL playoffs. That includes Monessen, which won back-to-back state titles (1988-89) after being eliminated in the WPIAL playoffs, and Ringgold, which defeated Williamsport in the 1995 Class AAAA title game.
This year’s Greyhounds (21-4) will attempt to accomplish the same feat after losing on a buzzer-beating shot to North Catholic in the WPIAL Class A semifinals. Can Monessen or any other local team make a run toward a state gold medal?
It all begins Friday night with the beginning of first-round play, so let’s take a look at the match ups featuring five local teams.
The Steelers fell to rival Kennedy Catholic in the District 10 title game and quite frankly, they should have won. They lost to Consitution in last year’s state title game and returned their top scorer, senior guard Malik Miller, a 6-3 swingman who is a handful on defense and is a serious threat shooting from the outside. Along with Miller, who is averaging 19.6 points per game – fourth in District 10 – Farrell has guard Terrance Holloway, a speedy 5-11 senior who is perfect for the Steelers’ press defense.
Like Monessen, Farrell plays a fast, aggressive brand of basketball and relies on its man-to-man press to force turnovers and create opportunities in transition. But the Steelers also have size with freshman forward Kyi Wright (6-3), who helped limit Kennedy Catholic senior center Sagaba Konate, a 6-8 West Virginia recruit, to just seven points in the D10 title game.
Though the Greyhound struggled against a larger opponent in North Catholic, they should be hesitant driving to the basket against Farrell’s man-to-man defense. The Steelers will likely give Monessen open looks from three-point range to tempt them to shoot instead of drive, but after the Greyhounds shot just 3 of 19 from three-point range against North Catholic, their head coach, Joe Salvino, is emphasizing more patience.
Farrell can score in a variety of ways and has the speed to execute Monessen’s game plan, but do the Steelers have the depth to defend the Greyhounds’ four scorers (Lavalle Rush, Dwight Moore, Justice Rice & Jaden Altomore)?
Prediction: Farrell wins a close one
The Bucs earned their second consecutive trip to the state playoffs with a win over Riverside in the WPIAL’s seventh-place consolation game last week. They upset the District 10 champion, Harbor Creek, last season before taking down Carlynton in the second round, but C-H lost to Bishop Canevin in the PIAA quarterfinals.
Can C-H earn another first-round upset?
Well, it will be difficult without Alexa Williamson. The sophomore forward had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Harbor Creek a year ago, which dotted the exclamation point on an outstanding postseason. But, she is out for the season with a torn ACL and the Bucs are using a smaller lineup.
That being said, junior guard Jala Walker has emerged as one of the area’s top players and is certainly good enough to help C-H make a surprising run, but opponents can and usually strategize to keep the ball out of her hands.
That means role players must make big shots.
West Middlesex, meanwhile, is led by Delaney Dogan (13.04 ppg) and Mackenzie MacKay (12.5 ppg), and won the District 10 title by upsetting top-seeded Harbor Creek at Meadville High School last weekend. The Big Reds are on a 14-game winning streak and have size, but they’re young with only one senior on the roster. That could be an issue for a program that was eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs a year ago, when they were defeated by Greensburg Central Catholic, 60-38.
Though C-H is shorthanded, the majority of its roster has played 11 postseason games.
Prediction: West Middlesex pulls away in the fourth quarter, but the future is extremely bright for Chartiers-Houston.
The Prexies entered the WPIAL playoffs without high expectations and they trailed 24 points in the first half agains Laurel in a first-round game, but beat the Spartans and won two consolation games to earn the district’s seventh seed.
This is the type of postseason many expected out of Wash High last year, but high school basketball is unpredictable. It also helps that both senior guard Markel Pulliam and junior guard Matt Popeck have improved tremendously over the past 12 months, plus seniors Nate Swart and Anthony Popeck have a lot of playoff experience. That’s a tremendous core, plus junior forward Isaiah Robinson and junior guard Isaiah Perry have imporved as the season’s gone on.
Greenville, which defeated Fairview in the District 10 title game as the tournament’s fifth seed, is on a 12-game winning streak and on paper, looks a bit like Laurel and Quaker Valley. The Trojans, who only have on senior on the roster, are led by Joe Batt (13.3 p) and Trent McErlane (10.8). It’s difficult to imagine Greenville having the guards to keep up with Pulliam and Popeck, but Swart, who is one point away from 1,000 for his career, should have some success in this one.
Prediction: Wash High advances to the second round, where it will play Lincoln Park.
The Hillers have already beaten the Eagles twice this season, including a 64-51 victory in the WPIAL quarterfinals. How they won the game is actually more notable than the score. When South Park played a box and one on Sierra Kotchman, it was Trinity sophomore guard Alayna Cappelli who made three consecutive three-pointers in the second half to help the Hillers pull away.
Secondary scoring will be very important for Trinity in the state playoffs because every opponent will try to stop Kotchman and Mary Dunn. It also held South Park senior Allison McGrath, a Universty of Maryland, Baltimore County recruit who was a thorn in Trinity’s side two years ago, to only 10 points.
I do think the Eagles will have more success this game and it will be closer, but its tough to imagine they have the personnel to stop Kotchman and Dunn, who had a big game against them in the WPIAL playoffs.
Prediction: Trinity wins by eight
The Lions defeated Trinity at the Pete for the program’s first WPIAL title, and more importantly, they have junior guard Carlee Kilgus and sophomore forward Jordyn Caputo back. This could be the first time in almost three years that South Fayette’s team is actually healthy. Kilgus and Caputo are both having their minutes monitored, but if the Lions can get past the second round with those two limited, that’s good news for a run at the state title.
Ambridge is a smaller team that loves to shoot three-pointers, but South Fayette is the best defensive team I’ve seen all year. Shooting three’s plays into the Lions’ strengths. Plus, the Bridgers are going to really struggle to stop Emily Anderson and it’s so difficult to defend SF. There are too many weapons.
Ambridge earned the WPIAL’s seventh seed by defeating Chartiers Valley in a consolation game after losing back-to-back games. The Bridgers, who were the third seed in the WPIAL playoffs, are led by Sydney Rabold and Sarah Fischer.
Prediction: South Fayette wins