2015 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoff Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 13, 2015 | 1:16 PM

It starts with 73 basketball teams and will conclude in two weeks with four teams lifting the golden basketball. Here is a preview laden with plenty of postseason Factoids for the 2015 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA

Defending champion: New Castle

Top seeds: North Allegheny is first, Chartiers Valley second, Mt. Lebanon third, Hempfield fourth.

High scorers: Matty McConnell, Chartiers Valley, 30.5; Kason Harrell, Hempfield, 25.7.

Check this out: Many coaches feel this is the most balanced Class AAAA playoff field in years. … Last year’s finalists, New Castle and Hampton, moved down to Class AAA. … This is the first time that North Allegheny received the No. 1 seed. The Tigers made it to the championship game twice before, losing to North Allegheny in 1995 and New Castle in 1999. … North Allegheny and Chartiers Valley both rely heavily on 3-point shooting. Chartiers Valley averages 10.9 3-pointers a game and the Colts have five players with 26 3-pointers or more. Jake Ritson leads with 68. Chartiers Valley, which averages 81 points a game, is in the playoffs for the 22^nd consecutive season, the third-longest current streak in the WPIAL. … An excellent first-round game is McKeesport vs. Bethel Park. The two just played this past Monday. … Three years ago, No. 2 seed Chartiers Valley played No. 15 seed Butler, and Butler upset the Colts behind Nate Snodgrass’ 33 points. This year, Chartiers Valley is the No. 2 seed and plays No. 15 Butler. … Only two players in the WPIAL are headed to Division I colleges, and both play in the Class AAAA postseason. McConnell has signed with Robert Morris and Harrell is going to IPFW.

Remember when: Fifteen years ago, Penn Hills’ Drew Schifino went on the greatest scoring run in WPIAL playoff history. Schifino scored 147 points in four games, which is still the WPIAL tournament record. He led Penn Hills to the WPIAL Class AAAA title. Schifino is now the coach at Steel Valley, which is in the Class AAA playoffs.
 

WPIAL CLASS AAA

Defending champion: Central Valley

Top seeds: Mars is first, Beaver Falls second, Hampton third, West Mifflin fourth.

High scorers: Daylon Carter, Ambridge, 24.6; Justin Gorny, South Park, 19.5.

Check this out: This is the first time Mars has been the No. 1 seed. The Planets have never played for a WPIAL title. Two years ago, they made it to the semifinals for the first time. Mars does not have a senior in the starting lineup. … An excellent first-round game is Uniontown vs. Ambridge. You wonder where Ambridge would be if Stephon McGinnis, who averaged 20 points last year, did not transfer to Aliquippa in the middle of football season? Ambridge’s Carter finished as the fifth-leading scorer in the entire WPIAL. … Uniontown is in the playoffs for the 60^th time, the most in WPIAL history. … Indiana won a section title outright for the first time since 1998. … If Hampton and New Castle both win first-round games, they will meet in the quarterfinals and it will be their 11^th meeting in the past four seasons.

Remember when: Thirty-five years ago, Marc Marotta of Central Catholic scored 48 points in an overtime victory against Latrobe. Marotta’s mark still stands today as the most points scored in a Class AAA playoff game. Back then, there were only three classifications and no Class AAAA. Marotta went on to play at Marquette.

WPIAL CLASS AA

Defending champion: Seton-LaSalle

Top seeds: Aliquippa is first, Lincoln Park second, Seton-LaSalle third, Greensburg Central Catholic fourth.

High scorers: Nelly Cummings, Lincoln Park, 24.5; Noah Brown, Brownsville, 23.7.

Check this out: Aliquippa finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1949. The Quips have 10 WPIAL titles, third-most in WPIAL history. Aliquippa’s offense is impressive, averaging 76.7 points a game. But the Quips allow only 41.9, the best defense in the entire WPIAL. … In its last year of existence, Ford City made the playoffs for the 46^th time. Ford City will merge with Kittanning to form Armstrong High School. … Washington is in the playoffs for the 59^th time, second-most in WPIAL history. Washington was a second-place finisher in its section behind Seton-LaSalle. But Washington still got a No. 5 seed, maybe because it is playing extremely well. The Little Prexies had won 11 in a row before losing to Class AAA Steel Valley. … Lincoln Park’s Nelly Cummings averages 24.5, seventh-best in the WPIAL. And he’s only a sophomore. Lincoln Park has a good guard tanden with Cummings and Antonio Kellem (17.2 ppg).

Remember when: Forty-five years ago, Braddock High School’s Billy Knight scored 41 points in a victory against Penn Joint. The mark still ties today for the most point scored in a WPIAL Class AA playoff game. Ten years later, New Brighton’s Hal Bentley also scored 41 in a game.
 

WPIAL CLASS A

Defending champion: Lincoln Park.

Top seeds: Sewickley Academy first, Monessen second, Vincentian third, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic fourth.

High scorers: Dane Jackson, Cornell, 29.3; Rece Henneman, Jefferson-Morgan, 24.6.

Check this out: Monessen is in the playoffs for the 58^th time, third-most in WPIAL history. … Monessen also won its 41^st section title, third-most in league history. … Jackson and Henneman are the top two scorers in the Class A tournament and they meet tonight at Baldwin (6:30 tipoff). Jackson is a Pitt football recruit. … Sewickley Academy and Aliquippa were the only undefeated teams in the entire WPIAL. … Vincentian led the WPIAL in scoring at 84.3 points a game. But how is this for an interesting statistic? Vincentian also gave up more points (71.7) than anyone in the WPIAL. South Side was next at 71.5 and the Rams won only five games.

Remember when: Twenty years ago, Neshannock’s Kevin Covert made 10 3-pointers in a Class A quarterfinal game against Clairton. That still stands as the most 3-pointers made in any WPIAL playoff game in any classification.