What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Dec. 13, 2021: Section basketball to tip off

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, December 12, 2021 | 10:08 PM

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It’s only four days into the new WPIAL basketball season, and already, the first section game is set for Monday.

Section 2-6A will cut the ribbon on district section play when Upper St. Clair hosts Canon-McMillan in girls basketball.

These two teams were on opposite ends of the spectrum in 6A last season.

The Panthers finished 15-3, were co-champs in Section 2 and reached the WPIAL title game before losing to North Allegheny.

The Big Macs finished in last place in Section 2 with a 1-13 overall record. They lost their last 12 games.

USC won the two meetings between the two by a combined 44 points.

Upper St. Clair is ranked No. 2 in Class 6A in the Trib HSSN preseason rankings and is off to a 2-0 start after beating Shaler and Pine-Richland in the Moon tip-off tournament,

Canon-McMillan lost to Beaver in its season opener, but then snapped a long losing streak with a win over North Hills in the South Fayette tip-off tournament.

Legendary coaches collide

It’s a light schedule of nonsection boys basketball games Monday, but one matchup stands out because of the two bench bosses.

The men leading Washington and Belle Vernon have combined for nearly 80 years of coaching and more than 1,300 victories.

Ron Faust started coaching the Little Prexies in 1981 and stepped down in 2010. He returned in 2014 and has been the coach at Wash High since.

Joey Salvino coached at Monessen from 1984 through 2018. He is in his fourth season as head coach of the Leopards.

Faust has two WPIAL championships and is closing in on 640 wins while Salvino has more than 680 wins, six district titles and two PIAA championships.

Belle Vernon is off to a 2-0 start with wins over McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson in the Mon Valley Invitational Classic. This is the season opener for Washington.

Girls hoops dynasties: Then vs. Now

There is a current girls basketball dynasty that will square off with one of the dominant programs from recent years in a WPIAL nonsection game Monday.

In a battle of Class A vs. Class 4A, Rochester will visit Blackhawk.

The Rams are the current queens on the court in Class A. They have won three straight district crowns and are favorites again this season, led by Kent State recruit Corynne Hauser.

The Cougars won back-to-back WPIAL Class AAA championships in 2014 and 2015 and three titles in a six-year span if you include their 2011 crown. Blackhawk also won four girls basketball championships in five years from 1996 through 2000.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Canon-McMillan, Rochester, Upper St. Clair, Washington