High-scoring matchup expected between Woodland Hills, McKeesport on Saturday

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 1, 2019 | 7:42 PM

The last time the Woodland Hills and McKeesport boys basketball teams played, pencils were breaking, pens were drying up and it was a scorekeeper’s nightmare.

It also was one of the most exciting games of the regular season.

A combined 52 points were scored in the first quarter alone as Woodland Hills outlasted McKeesport, 96-91, on Jan. 8.

The game was a showcase for two of the district’s top players as senior Keandre Bowles scored 43 points for the Wolverines while junior Demontae Diggs pumped in 42 points in a losing cause for the Tigers.

Both teams have already clinched a playoff spot as Woodland Hills hopes to win and keep its Section 1-5A title hopes alive. The Wolverines are 9-1 in the section and trail Penn Hills (9-0) by a half game with one more head-to-head meeting set for next Friday against the Indians.

The Tigers looked to be locked into third place in the section with a 6-3 record, two games behind Woodland Hills and three games ahead of fourth place Greensburg Salem.

Listen to the game, set for a 12:30 p.m. tip, on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

Key frays moved to Saturday

Like the Woodland Hills at McKeesport game, several WPIAL boys basketball games were postponed Friday due to the winter conditions and bumped back a day to Saturday.

Some of the more notable contests:

Section 3-6A: Penn-Trafford at Fox Chapel at noon. Both teams have clinched a playoff spot as the Warriors trail the Foxes by a game in the fight for second place behind Latrobe.

Section 3-4A: Ringgold at Belle Vernon at 3 p.m. The Rams (5-3) have clinched a playoff spot and are tied for second place with South Park, three games behind Uniontown. Meanwhile the Leopards (2-6) are tied with Waynesburg and Elizabeth Forward for fourth place with only two section games left.

Section 3-2A: Shenango at South Side at 1:30 p.m. With defending champion Sewickley Academy struggling and now losing Nate Ridgeway, these two teams are surging. The Rams (7-3) have taken over second place behind OLSH and have won seven of their last eight, while the Wildcats (5-4) have won four of their last five.

No. 1 vs No. 1

Two of the top district girls basketball teams meet in a battle of top-ranked teams at high noon when Bishop Canevin hosts West Greene in a game on TribHSSN.TribLive.com.

The visiting Pioneers are 18-1 overall and have won 17 consecutive games and are the Trib HSSN No. 1 team in Class A.

The host Crusaders, WPIAL champions in Class 3A last year, are the top team in Class 2A with a record of 16-2. Bishop Canevin has won nine straight and 16 of 17 since an opening night loss to Latrobe.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Bishop Canevin, Fox Chapel, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford, Ringgold, Shenango, South Side, Woodland Hills