A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 9, 2022

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 | 7:12 PM

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Boys

Class 6A

3-7 Cumberland Valley (19-7) at 7-1 Fox Chapel (24-1)

6 p.m. Wednesday

Coaches: Zach Skrinjar, Fox Chapel; David Vespiognani, Cumberland Valley

Winner plays: Winner of 8-1 Allderdice (19-7)/7-3 Central Catholic (18-6) Saturday in the second round (site and time TBD)

Layup lines: Cumberland Valley earned a spot in the state playoffs with a 44-41 victory over Wilson in the District 3 seventh-place game. The PIAA takes seven from District 3 Class 6A, second only to the 10 qualifiers from District 1. Dylan Levis, a 5-foot-8 junior point guard, hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer for the deciding points. The Eagles, as the No. 6 seed, fell in the first round of the 2019 PIAA Class 6A playoffs. Spencer Titus, a 6-0 senior combo guard; Jackson Boone, a 6-5 junior forward; and Nolan Gilbert, a 6-5 junior forward, also are among the multiple scoring threats for the Eagles … Fox Chapel turns its attention to the state playoffs after topping No. 1 North Hills on Saturday to win the program’s first WPIAL title in 45 years. The win also avenged a 30-point loss from the second game of the season. Senior Eli Yofan, the Foxes’ leading scorer at 20.1 points per game, made only one basket against the Indians, but it was a big one. His 3-pointer with six minutes left in the fourth gave the Foxes a lead they would not relinquish. Senior JP Dockey led Fox Chapel with 10 points in the title game. He is averaging 10.6 points a game, and fellow seniors Jake DeMotte and Russ Fenton check in at 9.1 and 8.9. respectively. Wednesday’s game is a rematch of a 2019 first-round contest won by Cumberland Valley, 35-27. The roles were reversed that day as the Eagles were the District 3 champs, and the Foxes were the fifth and final seed from the WPIAL.

Girls

Class 4A

First round

9-1 St. Marys (18-6) at 7-2 Knoch (21-3)

7 p.m. Wednesday

Coaches: Chris Andreassi, Knoch; Michael Franciscus, St. Marys

Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Delone Catholic (26-1)/7-6 Montour (16-7) Saturday in second round (site and time TBD)

Layup lines: Knoch has experienced several program firsts the past couple of years. Wednesday will be another first for the Knights: a first PIAA playoff game. Knoch is the No. 2 team from the WPIAL after losing to Blackhawk in Saturday’s WPIAL title game at Petersen Events Center. The Knights led the Cougars by seven early in the third quarter before Blackhawk rallied and then pulled away. The loss snapped an 18-game winning streak. Knoch is 8-14 all-time in playoff games. Senior forward/guard Maddie Boyer and junior point guard Nina Shaw led the way on the scoresheet for Knoch, and junior Hattie McGraw, sophomore Naturelle Ewing and freshman Karlee Buterbaugh have the ability to fill the scoresheet … St. Marys, which defeated Clearfield for the District 9 title March 1, hopes to bounce back from a tough 66-24 loss to District 10 champion Villa Maria on Saturday in a PIAA subregional for a chance at a home game in the first round. Sophomore guard Jayssa Snelick, who scored just five points against Villa Maria, exploded for a game-best 29 against Clearfield. Sisters Maura (5-foot-10 sophomore forward) and Isabelle Caskey (5-10 senior forward) also are scoring threats for the Flying Dutch, who had won five in a row before the loss to Villa Maria.

Class A

First round

7-4 St. Joseph (10-14) at 5-1 Shanksville-Stonycreek (18-6)

6 p.m. Wednesday

Coaches: Dennis Jones, St. Joseph; Robert Snyder, Shanksville-Stonycreek

Winner plays: Winner of 10-1 Kennedy Catholic (21-2)/9-3 North Clarion (21-6) Saturday in second round (site and time TBD).

Layup lines: Shanksville-Stonycreek qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the sixth year in a row. The Vikings were state semifinalists in 2019 as the District 5 runner-up. Last year, in a state tournament involving only district champions, Shanksville fell to District 10 titlist Kennedy Catholic in the first round. The Vikings, the No. 2 seed for the District 5 playoffs, toppled top seed Berlin Brothersvalley, 47-34, in the finals last Thursday after losing twice to the Mountaineers in the regular season. The Vikings are led by a pair of Snyders. Senior Josie Snyder, a three-sport standout who has scored more than 1,500 points in her career, tallied a game-best 15 points against Berlin. Senior forward Rylee Snyder added 14 points and 11 rebounds. … St Joseph’s upset victory over No. 1 Rochester in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals clinched its spot in the state tournament. The Spartans hope to bounce back from a 42-29 loss to Aquinas Academy in the semifinals. St. Joseph played that semifinal game Feb. 28 and has had a week to prepare for this game. The Spartans hope to shake off an 0-2 record in the PIAA playoffs. They lost to Berlin in 2017 and District 10’s Iroquois in 2004. St. Joseph sophomore Julie Spinelli leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points a game. Senior Trinity Lockwood-Morris averages 9.0 a contest.

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.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Knoch, St. Joseph