Basketball
PIAA Basketball Semifinals Wednesday Recaps
March 22, 2012
The 2012 WPIAL Class A girls champs and the lone district team remaining in Class AAA were eliminated on Wednesday, two WPIAL teams got their ticket punched to Happy Valley. Beaver Falls boys and North Catholic girls will join Montour, Lincoln Park, Oakland Catholic and Seton-LaSalle at Penn State University this weekend participating in the state championship games. Here are recaps from the games involving D-7 teams on Semifinals Wednesday in the PIAA Basketball Playoffs.Thanks to Bob Barrickman, Ryan Lucas and Jason Lucia for their help with these recaps.PIAA BOYS CLASS AA SEMIFINALS: Beaver Falls Tigers 55 - Quaker Valley Quakers 45PIAA Basketball Semifinals Tuesday Recaps
March 21, 2012
It was a banner night for the WPIAL. Now four district teams are one win away from plenty of gold and a state championship banner. Montour in AAA boys and Lincoln Park in A boys were winners and earn a repeat trip to the PIAA Finals for a second straight year. Oakland Catholic in AAAA girls and Seton-LaSalle in AA girls were also winners and will play Friday in Happy Valley for state gold. Here are recaps from the west on Semifinals Tuesday in the PIAA Basketball Playoffs.Thanks to Dennis Fischer, Jim Frederick and Don Rebel for their help with these recaps.PIAA BOYS CLASS AAA SEMIFINALS: Montour Spartans 45 - Hampton Talbots 29This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/19/2012
March 19, 2012
With the magnificent weather we've had, it's tough to believe that the winter sports season is still going on. However high school basketball and hockey postseason play concludes this week as we officially kiss winter goodbye and welcome in spring here on the MSA Sports Network. We have Semifinals and Championship Game action in the PIAA boys and girls state basketball playoffs along with the Semifinals and Championships on the PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs and the Pennsylvania Cup Hockey Finals, plus college baseball and womens lacrosse as well as the WPIAL Roundball Report and the PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, March 19th:PIHL High School Hockey Playoffs: Penguins Cup Class A Semifinals - Kittanning vs Quaker Valley at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 03/16/2012
March 16, 2012
It was Problems at Palumbo for two WPIAL boys basketball champions this week. On consecutive nights, New Castle and Gateway – two WPIAL champions – lost games in the second round of the PIAA playoffs. Some might have been surprised at the two losses because New Castle was undefeated and Gateway is a talented team. But history says the two teams losses were not unusual at all. In fact, history says the two losses should have been expected. For years, WPIAL champions have had trouble going on to win state championships. But a look at the past decade of PIAA championship games suggests WPIAL champions have a less than 1 in 3 chance of even making it to the PIAA title game.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/12/2012
March 12, 2012
We say so long to the high school wrestling postseason and hello to the Penguins Cup high school hockey playoffs this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have Second Round and Quarterfinals action in the PIAA boys and girls state basketball playoffs along with the drop of the puck on the PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs with First Round and Quarterfinals play, plus its the season ending edition of Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, along with the WPIAL Roundball Report and the PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, March 12th:TALK SHOW - Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle at 7:00pm on MSAsports.netPIHL High School Hockey Playoffs: Penguins Cup Class AAA First Round - Shaler vs Peters Township at 7:30pm on MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 03/09/2012
March 9, 2012
Derry Area wrestler Jimmy Gulibon is in Hershey this weekend, trying to make history. The Derry senior is trying to become only the 10th wrestler in Pennsylvania to win four state titles. If Gulibon wins, this one would probably mean the most, simply because of what he overcame this season. Flash back to late December, when Gulibon was wrestling in the finals of the Powerade Tournament. He won, but sustained a left knee injury. Gulibon, and some others, thought the injury might be serious. They thought it might be an ACL tear. “He was very scared because he never even really had an injury before,” said Derry coach Mike Weinell. “We didn’t know at the time how serious it was. Jimmy just knew he couldn’t do what he does. He couldn’t push off his foot or his leg.”This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/05/2012
March 5, 2012
The first full week of March concludes one winter scholastic sport with the state championships while another winter high school sports tips off its state playoff this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have end to end action of both the Class AAA and Class AA PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships from the GIANT Center in Hershey along with the start of the PIAA Boys and Girls state basketball playoffs, the PIHL Chiefs Cup, Nailers Cup and Open Cup Championships and the start of spring sports with college baseball, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, and the WPIAL Roundball Report and the PIHL Power Play Show here at MSAsports.netMonday, March 5th:TALK SHOW - Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle at 7:00pm on MSAsports.net2012 WPIAL BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF RESULTS
March 4, 2012
While there were no down to the wire thrillers in the WPIAL Boys Basketball Finals at the A.J. Palumbo Center, there was also no question about the validity of the four champions crowned. Gateway became only the second school in Quad-A history to win back-to-back championships. New Castle was perfect in winning the school's 8th WPIAL boys basketball crown and first since 1999. Beaver Falls totally shut down last years AA champion Monessen en route to the schools 8th title and first crown in seven years while the third time was a charm for Lincoln Park as they captured the schools first ever WPIAL gold basketball. Here are ALL of the final results from the 2012 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs.PIAA Basketball Qualifiers From the WPIAL
The 2012 WPIAL Boys and Girls Basketball Playoffs are in the books as the attention now switches from the district to the state roundball postseason. Starting this week, 46 WPIAL boys and girls teams hope for a long journey on the Path to Penn State with the start of the PIAA Boys and Girls Basketball state playoffs. Here is the order of the boys and girls teams in all four classifications coming out of District 7.WPIAL BOYS AAAA PIAA QUALIFIERS - 5:#1 - Gateway Gators#2 - Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings#3 - Butler Golden Tornado#4 - Shaler Titans#5 - Seneca Valley RaidersWPIAL BOYS AAA PIAA QUALIFIERS - 6:#1 - New Castle Red Hurricane#2 - Hampton Talbots#3 - Beaver Bobcats#4 - Montour Spartans#5 - Mars Fighting Planets#6 - Central Valley WarriorsCentral Catholic’s Lincoln Parked as Gateway Slams Second Straight Boys AAAA Title
March 3, 2012
Pittsburgh Central Catholic drove a big fancy Lincoln through the first three rounds of the district basketball playoffs all the way to the Bluff and Duquesne University. However Gateway turned that speedster into a vehicle that could not get out of first gear. The Gators shut down the Vikings 49-39 Saturday night at the Palumbo Center to capture a second straight WPIAL Boys AAAA championship.Shatori Walker-Kimbrough Shines Bright With 35 As Hopewell Claims WPIAL Gold
The Hopewell Vikings got 35 points and 11 rebounds from junior Shatori Walker-Kimbrough as the Vikings notched their third WPIAL Class AAA girls championship, defeating the South Park Eagles 50-34 on Saturday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Hopewell outscored South Park 20-5 in the final quarter to claim the win, the Vikings were 15 of 17 in the period at the free throw line and forced six turnovers in that stanza. Hopewell only had 10 field goals in the game, eight of those coming from Walker-Kimbrough.Monessen Cold, BF’s Jeter Hot in Second Half as Tigers Take Boys AA Title
Something happened to Monessen in route to a second straight WPIAL Boys AA championship. They forgot how to put the basketball into that pesky cylinder thing. OK, perhaps the Beaver Falls defense had something to do with the wall the Greyhounds hit on offense in the second half as the Tigers cruised to a 46-27 victory Saturday afternoon at the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University. After a Chavas Rawlins bucket in the first minute for Monessen tied the game at 20-20, Beaver Falls went on a 14-0 run that put them in control for good. The Tigers outscored the defending champion Greyhounds 26-9 in the second half to secure their eighth WPIAL basketball championship. A back-and-forth first quarter ended with Beaver Falls leading 10-9 as the tone was set early with a mix of great defense and shaky shooting.Vincentian Academy Comes Back to Oust North Catholic As Class A Girls Champs
The Vincentian Academy Royals saved their best for last, taking their first lead with 55 seconds remaining as the Royals take the rubber game of the series with the North Catholic Trojanettes by a 54-50 score in the Girls Class A championship game at the A.J. Palumbo Center. It’s the fourth title for the Royals, who also defeated North Catholic to win the 2010 title.North Catholic led 44-34 early in the fourth quarter, but Laura Primyon took over the show, hitting a three from the right corner, followed by a three from the left corner and a right wing three with 3:04 remaining, cut the lead to five at 48-43.MSA Sports Championship Saturday Blog
BOYS AAAA- PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS vs GATEWAY GATORSGATORS REPEAT !! Final score 49-39. Central out scores them 17-8 in the 4th quarter but its not enough. The Gateway Gators are your 2012 WPIAL AAAA champion.Harris at the line again, he hits 2-2 and its 49-37. Both coaches empty the bench as the starters leave to applause.Central with a basket but forced to foul Harris makes two free throws and its 47-37 Gators with 16.9 left in the game. Looks lilke a repeat for Gateway.New Castle’s 8th WPIAL Championship is Perfect As Canes Sweep Past Hampton
March 2, 2012
It was a packed house at the AJ Palumbo Center as fans filled the stands to catch a glimpse of the highly touted New Castle Red Hurricane, as they battled the Hampton Talbots for WPIAL Class AAA gold. The Talbots kept pace with the Red Hurricane throughout the first quarter, trailing New Castle 14-10 at the end of the period. New Castle began to flex its muscles in the second quarter, however, extending the lead to 26-14 with 3:15 to go. The Red Hurricane stepped up their full court pressure defense, causing the Talbots continued struggles offensively. Ryan Luther hit a three pointer with 1:20 to go, ending a two minute scoring drought for the Talbots. New Castle spent the remaining minute of the quarter taking seconds off the clock, until Shawn Anderson converted a layup with five seconds to go.Mount Lebanon: Back On Top as Queens of the Girls AAAA Mountain
A year ago, heavily favored Mount Lebanon was stunned in the WPIAL Girls AAAA title game by Shaler, keeping them from a third straight district crown. Friday evening, it was the Blue Devils doing the stunning as they handed top-seed Oakland Catholic only their second loss of the season in a 58-49 victory at the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University. It looked like it would be an easy night for Mount Lebanon as they scored 13 of the games first 15 points en route to a 20-6 score after one quarter. With the exception of Bobbi Baker starting to heat up for the Eagles, the second quarter was much of the same for Oakland Catholic as they struggled from the field and had trouble against the taller Blue Devils. A late Eagles bucket by Rachel Vigliotti cut the deficit to 32-21 at halftime.Lincoln Park Finally Strikes Gold in Winning WPIAL Boys Class A
The Lincoln Park Leopards claimed their first WPIAL Boys Class A championships with a 74-57 victory over the Cornell Raiders at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Ryan Hosack scored 27 points to lead the Leopards, Devontae Watson added a triple double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots before fouling out with 3:01 remaining.Cornell actually led 4-0, but Lincoln Park scored the next eleven points, grabbing a 17-10 lead after one quarter. Hosack helped the Leopards pull away in the second, he scored 16 points in the half, while Watson controlled the glass and swatted away several shots. Lincoln Park actually led 34-16, a three by Dustin Goins helped Cornell cut the lead to 34-23 at the break.Seton-LaSalle Perfect in Winning Second Straight WPIAL Girls AA Crown
Seton-LaSalle discovered that #13 is a lucky number. The Rebels outlasted section rival Bishop Canevin 73-60 Friday afternoon to capture their second consecutive WPIAL girls Class AA championship and become the 13th girl’s school to win a district title with a perfect record as Seton-LaSalle picked up their 25th win in 25 games. In the third meeting between these Section 5 teams, Bishop Canevin actually jumped out to a 7-3 first quarter lead before Natalie Piaggesi hit three field goals in an 8-0 run for the Rebels that put Seton-LaSalle up 11-7. The Crusaders tied the game at 11-11 before the Rebels scored 10 of the final 13 points in the quarter and claimed a 21-14 lead after one. The second quarter was back and forth as the lead for Seton-LaSalle was never more than eleven points, but was never fewer than seven points as the Rebels led the Crusaders at the break 38-27.MSA Sports Championship Friday Blog
While you are listening to the game on the MSA Sports Network, be sure to follow along with the Championship Blog. All four games with up to date information right here:THAT'LL DO IT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP FRIDAY BLOG. THREE #1-SEEDS WON AND A #2 SEED. WE'LL BE BACK TOMORROW WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY BLOG AT 3 PM, 5PM, 7PM AND 9PM. CONGRATS TO SETON-LaSALLE, LINCOLN PARK, MOUNT LEBANON AND NEW CASTLE.BOYS AAA: NEW CASTLE vs HAMPTONNew Castle scored about 24 points less than they do on average, had their lowest scoring output of the season, BUT had their 5th-best defensive showing of the season. It is deafening in AJ Palumbo everyone from NC has stuck around to watch the trophy be raised. Congrats to the Red Hurricane, 26-0!FINAL SCORE: NEW CASTLE-57, HAMPTON-44Hampton fans are heading for the gates. 1:17 to go, New Castle by 13.2012 WPIAL Boys Basketball Championship Previews
For the WPIAL boys basketball championships this weekend, the theme might be: “Weren’t you just here?” Three of the eight finalists at Duquesne University’s Palumbo Center were in the title games a year ago – Gateway in Class AAAA, Monessen in Class AA and Lincoln Park in Class A. Lincoln Park has actually been in the title game the past two seasons. Here is a look at the title games. CLASS AAAA The game: Gateway (19-6) vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (15-10), Saturday at 9 p.m. The statistics: Central Catholic senior guard Lincoln Davis averages 20.2 points a game while senior guard Tyler Scott leads Gateway at 16.5 points a game. … Central Catholic has held three playoff opponents below 50 points. Gateway has scored 60 or more in three playoff games.
