What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 3, 2021: Bracket opens up for Jeannette

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 | 11:55 PM

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With one night in the books and another to come Thursday, Wednesday marks the midway point of the first round in the 2021 WPIAL boys and girls open basketball playoffs.

Round 1 action Wednesday will feature games from boys 5A, boys 2A, girls 6A and girls 3A.

Boys round one

• Nobody wanted to be on the same side of the bracket as top seed and two-time defending champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in boys 2A.

However, with No. 4 Springdale having to forfeit to Winchester Thurston due to covid-related issues, does that open the door for Jeannette to the semifinals?

The No. 5 Jayhawks first need to take care of business Wednesday when they host Burgettstown before a quarterfinals matchup with Winchester Thurston on Saturday.

Jeannette has won 13 of 17 games, including five straight wins to close out the regular season.

Burgettstown is 8-11 and had a four-game losing streak end in the regular season finale with a victory over Bentworth.

The Blue Devils do have an impressive win on their resume. They upset Sto-Rox, 63-55, on Jan. 29.

• On Wednesday, Mars will host Franklin Regional in a Class 5A first-round game. The contest is a rematch of the 2018 WPIAL 5A championship game.

Mars was the No. 1 seed and after a first round bye, defeated Hampton and Trinity to reach the finals. Franklin Regional was the No. 3 seed and also had an opening-round bye before beating Moon and Highlands to earn a spot in the finals.

Mars star Robby Carmody was under the weather and did not play well, held to only 11 points as the Fightin’ Planets beat the Panthers, 54-44.

Andrew Recchia led the Planets with 14 points while Hunter Stonecheck had a game-high 15 points for the Panthers.

All eight Class 5A and seven Class 2A boys playoff games Wednesday can be seen or heard only here on Trib HSSN.

Girls first round

• There was only one girls Class 6A team that went from under .500 last year to over .500 in this challenging season.

Butler finished in sixth place in Section 1 in 2020 with an overall record of 7-15. This year’s Golden Tornado squad improved to 9-8 overall and battled Norwin and Penn-Trafford for second place in Section 1 behind North Allegheny.

Butler plays in its first playoff game in three years Wednesday when it hosts Hempfield in the No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup in the 6A bracket.

• It really is David vs. Goliath. Brownsville at North Catholic.

The Falcons enter Wednesday’s 3A first-round game with a 3-9 record, with all three victories coming in the last four games.

Brownsville defeated Frazier, 55-43, in the preliminary round for the program’s first playoff victory since 2008.

In that same time period, North Catholic has won six WPIAL championships, including the last four 4A crowns.

The Trojans enter the game as the top seed with a record of 15-2.

All five Class 6A and eight Class 3A first-round games can be seen or heard Wednesday on HSSN.