What to watch in WPIAL sports Feb. 1, 2021: Key girls basketball games

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, January 31, 2021 | 10:03 PM

The final month of the regular season in WPIAL girls basketball tips off with several marvelous matchups Monday.

In Section 2-6A, three girls basketball teams are unbeaten in section play and have been ranked in the HSSN Top 5 all season.

The thing is none of them have played each other.

Mt. Lebanon (8-1, 2-0) won’t be playing the other two for now because of a mask policy.

So that leaves rivals No. 2 Upper St. Clair (6-1, 2-0) and No. 4 Bethel Park (6-1, 1-0).

The first meeting between the two is at Upper St. Clair, and it can be viewed on HSSN at 7:30 p.m.

The Panthers have won five straight since losing to top-ranked North Allegheny, and the Black Hawks have won six straight since an opening loss to Class 5A No. 1 Trinity.

Nearly perfect

The Trib HSSN girls basketball Game of the Week is a Class 3A clash that was close to being a battle between the unbeaten.

In Section 3, Brentwood (8-0, 7-0) hosts Avonworth (5-1, 5-0).

Avonworth’s lone loss was Saturday against Sewickley Academy, 36-23.

A year ago, Avonworth won 16 games and reached the 3A semifinals. Brentwood missed the postseason.

The Spartans have been sparked by freshman sensation Mallory Daly. The Trib HSSN girls basketball Player of the Week is averaging 22 points.

The Antelopes are also led by a freshman. Rebecca Goetz is averaging more than 16 points per game.

Fighting for first

There are four other WPIAL girls basketball games scheduled for Monday in which first place is up for grabs. Section records are in parenthesis.

Armstrong (4-0) at Hampton (4-1) — The River Hawks look to tie for the best start in school history and go to 6-0 overall, but they visit a Hampton team that just saw its seven-game win streak snapped Saturday by Quaker Valley. This Section 2-5A showdown can be heard on HSSN at 7:30 p.m.

West Mifflin (5-1) at Southmoreland (5-1) — A year ago, the Scotties were undefeated section champs and reached the WPIAL title game. Now they try to avenge their only Section 3-4A loss this season, a 36-35 Titans’ triumph two weeks ago. You can listen to the game on HSSN at 7:30 p.m.

North Catholic (5-0) at Laurel (4-1) — The four-time defending WPIAL champions are wrapping up their first go-around in Section 1-3A. The Trojans are coming off a 16-point victory over Mohawk, which is tied for second place and a game behind them. Now North Catholic visits the other team on its heels in the Spartans, who have won five in a row.

South Park (4-0) at McGuffey (3-0) — The Eagles came soaring out of the gates with five straight wins before losing for Saturday to South Fayette. The Highlanders have won three straight.

Tags: Armstrong, Avonworth, Bethel Park, Brentwood, Hampton, Laurel, McGuffey, Mt. lebanon, North Catholic, South Park, Southmoreland, Upper St. Clair, West Mifflin