Pine-Richland, Butler set for rematch in 3 things to watch Tuesday in high school sports

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 28, 2019 | 4:33 PM

The Section 1-6A title could be at stake in a rematch from one of the top WPIAL boys basketball games this season.

Pine-Richland is 7-0 with three section games left, including a showdown at Butler (6-1) on Tuesday in a game that can be heard on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

The first meeting between the two was an instant classic as the Rams held serve at home by beating the Golden Tornado, 79-74, on Jan. 8.

Dan Petcash led Pine-Richland with 28 points, including some clutch free throws down the stretch.

But the story of the game was written in defeat.

Butler junior star Ethan Morton hit on 20 of 31 shots from the field and 11 of 13 from the charity stripe, yet his 51 points was not enough for the Golden Tornado as they fell to the Rams.

It was one of the highest-scoring point totals from a player for a losing team in WPIAL history.

Class 4A frays

It’s a big night in Class 4A where the top two teams in each section prepare to meet with conference crowns at stake.

In Section 1, Knoch (7-0) is in first place with Highlands (6-1) a game back. The Knights host the Golden Rams after winning at Highlands earlier this month 74-59.

In Section 2, New Castle (7-1) has won four straight and has surged ahead of both Quaker Valley (6-2) and Ambridge (6-2). The Red Hurricanes visit the Quakers on Tuesday, the only team to beat them in section play when Quaker Valley won at New Castle, 67-48.

In Section 3, Uniontown (7-0) has a bigger cushion then the other two section leaders as they head to Ringgold (5-2) two games ahead of the Rams.

All three games can be heard at TribHSSN.TribLive.com.

Perfect Tigers

Norwin and North Allegheny have combined to win the last four WPIAL girls basketball championships in the highest classifications.

The Knights won the final two Class AAAA titles in the four-class era in 2015 and ‘16.

The Tigers have won the first two Class 6A district crowns in 2017 and ‘18.

The two teams meet for a second time this season on Tuesday at Norwin.

The Tigers won the first meeting 55-44, and that victory is the difference in the Section 1-6A standings where North Allegheny is 10-0 and Norwin is 9-1.

This might be the last toughest hurdle for NA to clear on its way to a perfect regular season. The Tigers enter the game with a 17-0 record with five games left.

This game can be heard here on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Butler, Highlands, Knoch, New Castle, North Allegheny, Norwin, Pine-Richland, Quaker Valley, Ringgold, Uniontown