A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 19, 2024

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, February 18, 2024 | 3:59 PM

WPIAL basketball playoffs

Boys

Class 5A

First round

9-North Hills (12-9) at 8-Fox Chapel (12-10)

8 p.m. Monday

Winner plays: 1-Moon (19-3)/17-Woodland Hills (9-13) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Section finish: North Hills 3rd, Section 4; Fox Chapel 2nd, Section 2

Players to watch: Eric James, North Hills; Jefferson Moorefield-Brown, Fox Chapel

Layup lines: North Hills finished 5-5 in Section 4 and won seven of its final nine games to advance to the postseason. The Indians closed the regular season with a 70-48 win over Pine-Richland. North Hills is led by James, who averages 19.5 points, and Zach Pollaro (18.5 ppg). …. Fox Chapel allowed just 47.8 points per game this season. The Foxes bounded back from a three-game skid with three straight wins late in the season before falling to Shaler, 57-44, in the section finale. Moorefield-Brown and Will Siegel have paced the scoring for the Foxes.

12-Kiski Area (14-7) at 5-Peters Township (17-5)

7 p.m. Monday

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Thomas Jefferson (19-3)/13-Penn-Trafford (11-11) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Section finish: Kiski Area 3rd, Section 3; Peters Township 2nd, Section 1

Players to watch: Isaiah Gonzales, Kiski Area; Jack Dunbar, Peters Township

Layup lines: Kiski Area has won seven of its past nine games, including blowout victories over section foes McKeesport and Penn-Trafford in the final week of the regular season. The Cavaliers are looking for their first playoff victory since 2014. Kiski Area senior Gonzales averages 18.5 points to lead the Cavs. … Peters Township leads Class 5A in scoring, averaging 73.6 points and allowing just 53.8 ppg. The Indians have won 11 of their past 12 games, with the lone loss coming against Thomas Jefferson on Jan. 26. Dunbar averages 17.6 points to lead Peters Township.

Class 3A

First round

16-Sto-Rox (10-12) at 1-Deer Lakes (17-4)

7 p.m. Monday

Winner plays: Winner of 8-Washington (15-7)/9-Ellwood City (15-7) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Section finish: Sto-Rox 4th, Section 2; Deer Lakes 1st, Section 3

Players to watch: Robert Sykes Jr., Sto-Rox; Billy Schaeffer, Deer Lakes

Layup lines: Sto-Rox used a pair of late season wins over Steel Valley to reach the WPIAL playoffs. The Vikings are coming off losses to South Park and Seton LaSalle. David Johnson, Sykes, Marcus Griffin, Aumir Nelson and Javon Nelson have provided balanced scoring. The Vikings average 51.2 points and allow 52.5. … The defending WPIAL champion Lancers average 64.7 points, second most in Class 3A behind Neshannock (65.8). Deer Lakes won nine straight games before an overtime loss to Highlands on Feb. 3. A two-point loss to Shady Side Academy in the section finale prevented an unbeaten section season. Schaeffer averages 17.5 points for the Lancers.

11-Burrell (13-6) vs. 6-Seton LaSalle (16-5)

6 p.m. Monday (at Thomas Jefferson)

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Shady Side Academy (15-7)/14-Beaver Falls (7-14) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Section finish: Burrell 3rd, Section 3; Seton LaSalle T-1st, Section 2

Players to watch: Macky Bennis, Burrell; Pat Weldon, Seton LaSalle

Layup lines: After starting the season 6-0, Burrell went 8-4 in section play to finish in third place. The Bucs won four of the past six games, including a 58-44 victory over rival Valley in the section finale. Bennis averages 19.1 points to lead the Bucs. … Seton LaSalle averaged 61.7 points en route to sharing the Section 2 title with OLSH at 11-1. The Rebels had an eight-game winning streak midseason. Weldon (15.2 ppg) and Hayden Merchant (15.1) lead the scoring for Seton LaSalle.

Girls

Class A

12-Leechburg (8-10) at 5-Monessen (17-5)

7 p.m. Monday

Winner plays: 4-Riverview (15-6) on Thursday in quarterfinals at Fox Chapel (time TBD)

Section finish: Leechburg T-3rd, Section 3; Monessen 1st, Section 2

Players to watch: Grace Richards, Leechburg; Hailey Johnson, Monessen

Layup lines: Leechburg has dropped three in a row entering the postseason. The Blue Devils are the lowest-scoring Class A playoff team at 29.6 points per game. … Monessen, which didn’t lose a section game, allows only 32.2 points. The Greyhounds won eight in a row before a 25-point loss to Riverview. Johnson had multiple double-doubles. She pulled down 26 rebounds against Avella. MyAsia Majors, Sidney Campbell and Madison Johnson are other key players in an experienced lineup.

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: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Kiski Area, North Hills, Peters Township, Seton La Salle, Sto-Rox