A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 15, 2023

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | 3:14 PM

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PIAA basketball playoffs

Boys

Class 3A

Second round

Loyalsock Township (16-11) vs. Deer Lakes (18-8)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Altoona High School, Altoona

District-seed: Loyalsock Township 4-3; Deer Lakes 7-1

Winner plays: Winner of 7-4 Neshannock (19-7)/9-1 Brookville (23-2) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Jaylin Andrews, Loyalsock Township; Bryce Robson, Deer Lakes

Layup lines: Loyalsock is coming off a 59-57 victory over District 6’s Bishop Guilfoyle in the PIAA first round. Andrews hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to secure the victory. Junior guards Nate Bauman had 16 points and Tyler Gee had 12. Loyalsock lost in the District 4 semifinals before bouncing back with a win over Warrior Run in the consolation game. Loyalsock, also nicknamed the Lancers, won its first PIAA title in 2021. Coach Rod Insinger has more than 1,000 victories in his 49-year career. …. Deer Lakes followed up its triumphant WPIAL championship victory over OLSH with a resounding 75-34 win over District 10’s Seneca in the first round Saturday. Robson had 24 points, and Billy Schaeffer added 17. The Lancers, who average 69.0 points, have won five straight games and eight of their past nine. Robson averages 17.5 ppg, Schaeffer 11.5 and Nate Litrun 11.4

Girls

Class 4A

Second round

Blackhawk (22-4) vs. Knoch (18-9)

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hampton High School, Allison Park

District-seed: Blackhawk 7-2; Knoch 7-5

Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Penn Cambria (13-12)/10-1 Fairview (20-8) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Alena Fusetti, Blackhawk; Nina Shaw, Knoch

Layup lines: WPIAL runner-up Blackhawk opened the PIAA playoffs Saturday with a 51-32 win over Warren. Alena Fusetti had 14 points, and Kassie Potts and Aubree Hupp added 10 each. The Cougars won the Section 2 title at 10-0 and rolled through the WPIAL playoffs before falling to North Catholic in the finals. They finished as a PIAA semifinalists last season. This year’s team averages 57.8 points and allows just 32.9. Fusetti averages 18 ppg. … Knoch is coming off a 53-44 win over Punxsutawney in the PIAA first round. Nina Shaw scored 18 points, and Cece Kosecki had 12. The Knights lost to Delone Catholic in the PIAA second round last season. Knoch fell to Quaker Valley in the WPIAL quarterfinals but rallied in the consolation bracket with wins over Belle Vernon and Beaver. The Knights are averaging 48.7 points and allowing 38.6.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Knoch