What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 11, 2021: Sparks will fly in Class 4A final four

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 | 11:01 PM

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Three nights of exciting semifinal playoff basketball come to a conclusion Thursday evening. The championship basketball field is finalized with eight more WPIAL final four games.

The last evening of third-round hoops on Trib HSSN features semifinals games from boys 4A, boys 3A, girls 5A and girls A.

Boys semifinals

• Belle Vernon returns to the WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball semifinals for a second straight year.

Last season, the Leopards defeated New Castle, 56-46, to advance to the district finals.

So where were the other three semifinalists a year ago?

Belle Vernon’s opponent on Thursday, North Catholic, along with Lincoln Park, were both playing in and winning Class 3A semifinals games.

North Catholic beat South Allegheny by 11 points while Lincoln Park beat Aliquippa by 14.

Montour is enjoying a great turnaround season after finishing 2020 with a 10-12 record and missing the playoffs in Class 5A.

• As mentioned above, Aliquippa and South Allegheny reached the final four a year ago, both coming up one win short of the title game.

One of them will breathe a sigh of relief late Thursday while the other will relive the nightmare when the Quips visit the Gladiators in a 3A semifinals game.

Both Aliquippa and South Allegheny were champions in their respective sections this season.

Aliquippa won Section 2-3A, finishing a game ahead of Avonworth, while South Allegheny and Shady Side Academy were tied in the loss column atop Section 3-3A.

All four Class 4A and 3A boys semifinals playoff games Thursday can be seen only here on Trib HSSN.

Girls round three

• First it was two-time defending champion Chartiers Valley and the streak as the team to beat in WPIAL girls Class 5A basketball.

Since beating CV, Trinity and its band of streak-busters has taken over the target and is the tournament’s top-seed.

The only thing standing in the way of a 5A rematch from last year is a pair of teams from Section 4-5A.

On Thursday, Latrobe visits Chartiers Valley while Woodland Hills travels to Trinity.

The Wildcats and Wolverines are a combined 27-8 this season after finishing in the top two spots in the section.

Both will hit the road as underdogs even though Latrobe has won 11 of their last 12 games and Woodland Hills has won eight of 11.

• Most of the time when two-time defending Class A champion Rochester hits the court, it is a David vs. Goliath type of matchup.

The Rams are 13-3 this year with two of the top scorers in the WPIAL in senior Corynne Hauser (19 ppg) and junior Alexis Robison (18 ppg), and all three of their losses have come against good teams in higher classifications (Seneca Valley, Bethel Park, Mohawk).

The tiny school of Aquinas Academy fits the David profile. However, the Crusaders are enjoying a great season with a 14-5 record and a Section 3 crown in their pocket.

These two met last year in the WPIAL quarterfinals with Rochester winning big, 64-24.

All four Class 5A and A semifinals games can be seen Thursday on Trib HSSN.