A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules for games Saturday, March 10, 2018

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 9, 2018 | 5:18 PM

Boys

Class 6A

First round

Fox Chapel (17-6) vs. Penn Hills (23-3)

4:30 p.m. Saturday at North Hills

Winner plays: Allderdice (24-2)/Mt. Lebanon (20-4)

Coaches: Zach Skrinjar, Fox Chapel; Dan DeRose, Penn Hills

Players to watch: Carson Cohen, 6-2, Sr., G, Fox Chapel; Daivon Stephens, 6-5, Sr., G/F, Penn Hills

Layup lines: Fox Chapel and Penn Hills shared second place in Section 3 and split in the regular season, with each team winning on the road. The Foxes are coming off their second-worst scoring output of the season, a 48-39 loss to Pine-Richland in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Fox Chapel's lowest point total of the season came against Penn Hills, a 47-36 loss. The Foxes won the second meeting 61-54. Cohen, a Tufts recruit, averages 19 points, and backcourt partner Ben Kelly is an outside shooting threat. Dom McGriff averages 14 points and is the team's top rebounder. … Penn Hills overcame a 7-point halftime deficit to win its first WPIAL title in 15 years with a 60-56 victory over Pine-Richland a week ago. Stephens and Cory Fulton scored 23 points apiece against the Rams. The Indians are 8-2 over their last 10 games, with their only losses coming against Fox Chapel and Woodland Hills. Penn Hills won the Class AAAA state title in 2004 in its lone appearance in a state championship game.

Class 2A

First round

Leechburg (14-7) vs. Cambridge Springs (20-5)

5:30 p.m. Saturday at Meadville

Winner plays: Purchase Line (20-5)/Jeannette (19-4)

Coaches: Corey Smith, Leechburg; Kevin Kurt, Cambridge Springs

Players to watch: Christian Hack, 6-1, Sr., G, Leechburg; Turner Kurt, 6-8, Sr., F, Cambridge Springs

Layup lines: Leechburg is seeking its first state playoff victory and is in the PIAA tournament for the first time in 11 years. After a 62-50 victory over Fort Cherry in the WPIAL first round gave Leechburg its first playoff win in seven years, it lost to eventual WPIAL champ Sewickley Academy in the quarterfinals. Hack, a 1,000-point scorer, leads Leechburg in scoring and solidifies a backcourt that also features Corey Kerecz and John Miskinis. Freshman Dylan Cook came off the bench to score 14 points in the win over Fort Cherry. … Cambridge Springs lost in the District 10 title game against West Middlesex, 52-44. Kurt averages 18 points and 10.5 rebounds. He stands 5 inches taller than any player listed on the Leechburg roster. Noah Reisenauer, a senior guard, averages 15.6 points. Cambridge Springs lost to OLSH in the first round of the state playoffs last year. … Both teams are nicknamed the Blue Devils.

Springdale (13-9) vs. West Middlesex (19-6)

7 p.m. Saturday at Sharon

Winner plays: Conemaugh Twp. (15-9)/Chartiers-Houston (19-6)

Coaches: Seth Thompson, Springdale; Chad Mild, West Middlesex

Players to watch: Mike Zolnierczyk, 6-4, Jr., G/F, Springdale; Marshall Murray, 5-11, Sr., G, West Middlesex

Layup lines: Springdale is in state tournament for the first time in 27 years and earned its first postseason win since 2008 by upsetting No.7 California, 34-33, in the WPIAL first round. They Dynamos lost to WPIAL runner up OLSH in the quarterfinals. Zolnierczyk has had two big performances in the playoffs, scoring 25 against OLSH and 18 against California, including a pair of winning free throws in the final seconds. Seniors Dylan Zezza, Nick Taliani, and Josh Harmon and freshman Demitri Fritch have all been significant contributors to the Dynamos this season. … West Middlesex made eight 3-pointers in its 52-44 win over Cambridge Springs in the District 10 final. Murray had 17 points against the Blue Devils. Jake Bowen had 15 points, and Kaz Hoffman and Zach Long scored nine each. The Big Reds lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the state tournament last year. They made a run to the quarterfinals in 2016 before losing to Aliquippa, which went on to win the state title.

— Jerin Steele

Tags: Fox Chapel, Leechburg, Penn Hills, Springdale