Fox Chapel boys, Knoch girls refocus after getting look at WPIAL playoff pairings

By: Michael Love
Monday, February 14, 2022 | 7:51 PM

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The WPIAL boys and girls basketball playoff brackets were released Monday, and the Fox Chapel boys and Knoch girls, as predicted, earned byes into the quarterfinals.

For the Knights, who reached the Class 4A semifinals last year, a 19-2 record from the regular season and a first section championship in 50 years have been set aside as the focus now is squarely on making a run toward championship gold.

“It’s like a totally different year than what we just went through,” said Chris Andreassi, coach of the No. 3-seeded Knights who will take on the winner of No. 6 Montour and No. 11 Deer Lakes in the quarterfinals at Knoch on Feb. 25.

“The girls are really excited for this opportunity. Now is not a time to go backwards. The girls are getting ready for the big push. We need to have our best practices and play our best games. You don’t get away with off nights now.”

Blackhawk, the only undefeated girls team in the WPIAL overall, is the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, followed by No. 2 Southmoreland.

The Fox Chapel boys, the Section 3-6A champions, are 20-1 overall and have won 19 straight since a loss to North Hills at the North Hills Tournament on Dec. 11.

North Hills, at 21-0, is the top seed. The Foxes are No. 2 and will play the winner of No. 7 Pine-Richland and No. 10 Bethel Park at Fox Chapel on Feb. 25.

“I think we are playing pretty good basketball,” said Foxes coach Zach Skrinjar, who checked in on Trib HSSN’s pairings show with his team a couple of hours before hosting Penn Hills in a tune-up game.

“You prepare all season for a chance to make a run like this and win a championship. We’re just going to be working our hardest every day to be prepared for our first game. It’s about improving on the little things and being as sharp as possible because that is what it’s going to take to win in the playoffs.”

In all, the Alle-Kiski Valley boasts 16 teams — eight boys and girls girls — in the WPIAL playoffs.

With few exceptions, first-round and quarterfinal games will be played at the gym of the better seed. Neutral sites will prevail for the semifinals, and the championship games are set to return to the Petersen Events Center on March 3-5.

The Highlands girls, 18-4 overall and the runner-up to Knoch in Section 1, owns the No. 7 seed in Class 4A and will host No. 10 West Mifflin at 7 p.m. Feb. 22. The winner will pay a visit to No. 2 Southmoreland (17-3) on Feb. 25.

The Golden Rams returned to the playoffs last year after a four-year hiatus.

“We are familiar with West Mifflin, having played them in our Christmas tournament,” Highlands coach Jason Kerr said. “We’re happy with where we’re at and the side of the bracket we’re on. We feel we have a legit shot to keep moving. Just like the NCAA tournament in a month, it’s one game at a time.”

Of the eight AK Valley boys teams in the playoffs, six will host first-round games. The first-round road warriors are Kiski Area, the No. 9 seed in Class 5A, which will visit Hampton at 7 p.m. Monday, and Class 4A No. 11 Freeport, which will face No. 6 Uniontown on Friday.

Highlands, No. 5 in Class 5A and runner-up to Mars in Section 4, hosts Albert Gallatin in the first round Monday. The Golden Rams (16-6) are averaging 71.5 points per game.

Leechburg, the sixth seed in Class A, entertains West Greene on Friday.

Springdale, No. 8 in 2A, takes on Sto-Rox next Tuesday. In Class 4A, Friday games have No. 7 Burrell against Elizabeth Forward and No. 8 Deer Lakes hosting Blackhawk.

One of the few neutral-site first-round games will have the St. Joseph girls, the No. 9 seed in Class A, meeting No. 8 Mapletown at Gateway on Monday.

The Apollo-Ridge girls, No. 9 in Class 2A, will make a long bus ride to face No. 8 Fort Cherry on Monday.

Deer Lakes visits Montour on Feb. 22. The Lancers own the longest playoff appearance streak for AK Valley girls teams at eight years in a row.

Other first-round girls games have Class A No. 12 Riverview traveling to Monessen on Monday, while Class 4A No. 13 Freeport plays at Beaver on Feb. 22.

The Springdale girls, the No. 15 seed in Class 2A, hosts the Ellis School for a preliminary round game Friday. The winner advances to a Monday matchup against No. 2 Neshannock.

Unlike last year, when only the WPIAL champion advanced to the PIAA playoffs because of logistical issues related to the ongoing covid pandemic, multiple teams from each of the 12 WPIAL brackets will continue on to their respective state tournaments set to begin March 8 and 9.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.