WPIAL Basketball Playoff Recaps for Wednesday, February 29th

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 | 10:26 PM

February 29th. Leap Year. It happens once every four years. Semifinals Wednesday in the WPIAL Basketball Playoffs. It happens once a year. This edition saw the first top seed fall, two defending boys champs return to the finals and two more sets of girls top seeds advancing to title weekend, setting up four #1 vs #2 girls championship games. Here are the recaps from Semifinals Wednesday in Boys AAAA, Boys AA, Girls AAA and Girls A in the final stop on the Battle to the Bluff.

a special THANKS to Johnny Lee, Glenn Thompson, Ken Laird, Bob Barrickman, Jim Frederick, Matt Vandriak, Josh Rowntree and Bob Gregg for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Semifinals:

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 46 – Shaler Titans 44 
Here is how the old joke goes.  You talk to a Central Catholic Basketball Alum and you ask him to recite the alphabet.  He says," no problem." A-B-C-D-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y.  He says," how's that."  You say that is only 22 letters.  You missed the Z-O-N and E.  He says, Coach Crummie never used those letters in Central Catholic Basketball.  Well, the
2011-2012 Central Catholic Vikings know the entire alphabet now, as they started in, and most importantly stayed in a 1-3-1 Match Up ZONE that frustrated the #1 seeded Shaler Titans and helped the Vikings advance to the AAAA Finals with a 46-44 victory at North Allegheny High School.  Lincoln Davis got the Vikings off to a fast start in the first quarter with 10 points, 2 on an early monster dunk which really got the CC crowd fired up.
Davis also had an incredible "diving for a loose ball" assist that led to a Viking score, and in hindsight, was a pivotal play in this basketball game. Shaler's leading scorer, Geno Thorpe, could not find any room against the Viking ZONE and was held scoreless in the 1st, as the Vikings led 14-8. Both teams defenses picked up the intensity in the 2nd frame, as turnovers and missed shots dominated the stat sheet and the Vikings led at halftime 24-20.  Both teams continued to aggressively defend in the 3rd. With the Titans down five and in possession of the ball as the quarter wound down, Shaler lofted a tough shot a little too quickly, allowing Lincoln Davis to rebound it with 4 seconds to go, evade two Shaler Titan defenders on the sideline, and knock down a 35ft 3 pointer which gave the Vikings a 36-28 lead after 3 quarters.  The Titans would not go away. Their full court pressure caused Central Catholic to turn the ball over, and combined with the Vikings inability to convert from the free throw line, cut the Central Catholic lead to 2 points several times in the fourth quarter. The Titans had the last possession of the game, and after a timeout with 6 second to go, Geno Thorpe was forced to take an off balance shot against the Viking ZONE, and it would be on to Palumbo for Chuck Crummie and his Vikings.  The Vikings were led in scoring by Lincoln Davis with 17, Mike Anselmo 13, and Claude Scott with 12.  Shaler was led in scoring by Geno Thorpe with 12, well below his season average.

Gateway Gators 62 – Butler Golden Tornado 51 
Butler entered the 2010-2011 WPIAL an underdog, won some big games, including the upset of number one seed Shaler to later be defeated by Gateway.  The 2011-2012 WPIAL post season was no different.  Butler entered as the 15-seed, upset both Chartiers Valley and North Allegheny just to be defeated by Gateway for the second year in a row.  Gateway won the semi-final game against Butler by a final of 62-51.  The Gators did a nice job of keeping Butler down by 8 points or so all game (just like Chartiers Valley and NA) but unlike the Colts and the Tigers, Gateway was able to keep Butler from cutting the gap in the 4th.  The size of Gateway proved to be too much for Butler as Gateway ripped down rebound after rebound, and a lot of those coming on the offensive glass.  Butler's Nate Snodgrass continued his impressive scoring with 22 points in the game but he was out done by the entire Gateway team.  The Gators had six players with 8 or more points, being led on the night by Tyler Scott.  Gateway used a great combination of strong post presence, and run-and-gun offense to make sure the magic Butler 4th quarter didn't happen.  The Gators played almost a perfect game minus a few late turnovers that were just mental errors, and some poor foul shooting down the stretch, but other than that, Gateway looked like the WPIAL champs of last year and look poised to run at the title again this Saturday.

WPIAL CLASS AA Semifinals:

Monessen Greyhounds 63 – Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 58  
The Monessen Greyhounds boys basketball team will get a chance for a repeat win of the WPIAL AA Championship on Saturday at A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh.  Monessen (23-2), the top seed in the 2012 AA brackets, defeated fifth-seed Greensburg Central Catholic (19-6) on Wednesday night at Gateway High School by a score of 63-58.  The ‘Hounds were led in points by their season long leading scorer Jaisen Irwin, who dropped in a game-high 33 on the Centurions.  The 6’5” Irwin, who comes off the bench for Monessen, had three dazzling dunks as a part of his night including two ally-oop slams in the final twenty seconds of the first half as the Greyhounds took advantage of late-half GCC turnovers to lead by 8 at intermission.  Greensburg battled back behind the strength of 15 second-half points from sophomore guard Brian Graytok (who finished with 20 points) and 10 post intermission tallies from 6’7” forward P.J. McLaughlin to tie up the score at marks of 37, 49, and 53 apiece.  The final three minutes, though, went to Monessen as Irwin swooped his way around the basket for critical points.  A tomahawk slam from Irwin on a fastbreak with 1:20 remaining put the lead at 61-53 and the game just about out of reach, gaining a measure of revenge for Monessen against the team that knocked them out of the PIAA Western Finals, a contest also played at Gateway, in 2011.  Others in double figure-scoring for the night included Monessen’s Chavas Rawlins (10), and GCC’s McLaughlin (16 with 10 rebounds) and Ben Klimchock (16).  Monessen also overcame self-inflicted woes, 21-turnovers on the night and only 8 of 16 shooting at the free throw line, to earn the victory.  Up next for Monessen will be a match with Beaver Falls in the 2012 WPIAL Finals, which for Monessen will be an attempt to win the school’s sixth WPIAL Title and the 5th under head coach Joe Salvino.

Beaver Falls Tigers 76 – Sto-Rox Vikings 46 
Beaver Falls went on a 13-2 run to close the first quarter and continued on to beat Sto-Rox handily, 76-46, in a AA semifinal Wednesday night at the Ambridge Fieldhouse.  The Tigers led at the intermission, 41-20 and led by as many as 37 points in the second half.  Senior star Sheldon Jeter led Beaver Falls with 22 points while sophomore Elijah Cottrill added 15.  Syracuse football recruit Dontez Ford was the only Viking to crack double digits as he scored 13 points after missing the previous game with the flu.  Senior guard Marzett Geter fouled out for Sto-Rox late in the third quarter and scored only five points.  The Tigers made nine baskets from beyond the arc and netted 18 of 20 free throws.  Sto-Rox saw its eight game winning streak come to an end and dipped to 22-3 on the year and will compete in the PIAA playoffs beginning March 10.  Beaver Falls won its 10th in a row and upped its record to 23-2.  The number two seeded Tigers will face number one seed and defending champion Monessen in the WPIAL championship on Saturday at Duquesne University.  Beaver Falls has won seven WPIAL crowns, most recently in 2005 when the Tigers went on to win the PIAA title.  The Tigers will also start state playoff action on March 10.

WPIAL CLASS AAA Semifinals:

Hopewell Vikings 40 – Chartiers Valley Colts 33 
The perfect way to start a WPIAL Class AAA Semi-final would be to play about a perfect quarter.  That is what Hopewell did in shutting out Chartiers Valley in the first stanza while  scoring 17 points.  However, the Lady Colts did not win 19 games in a row to fold.  C-V gradually whittled the deficit to 6 points in the 4th quarter before 23-2 Hopewell hit on 6 of 9 free throws to seal a 40-33 win at Ambridge High School.  The win propels the top seeded Lady Vikings to the Palumbo Center in search of their 3rd WPIAL title.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, averaging 26 points per game, scored 15 in the first half which saw Hopewell ahead 26-11.  But Chartiers Valley did a turnaround in the 3rd quarter with an 11-4 run and had crept to within a half dozen on 2 trips down the court only to see Kari Steuer connect on 2 free throws…Jharrin Gill on another…and Walker-Kimbrough on 3 others to put the game away.  6-3 Kristen McGeough came off the bench to pace the comeback with 8 points..6-0 junior Kristina Coyne added 7 for the 22-3 Lady Colts.  Walker-Kimbrough was the only double-figure scorer with 22 and she will lead Hopewell into the title game this weekend against 2nd seed South Park.

South Park Eagles 66 – Blackhawk Cougars 59 in Overtime 
It took an extra period, but in the end it was the #2 seed that outlasted the defending WPIAL champions in this Semi-Final showdown at North Allegheny High School.  On paper both teams matched up fairly even.  Both teams had won 21 games.  South Park was averaging 65.2 points per game and giving up 42.2 points against.  Blackhawk averaged 64.2 points per game and giving up an average of 44.3 points against.   Each team had three players with scoring averages in the double digits.  On the court is was the same, as these two went back and forth all game.  Blackhawk got off to a good start, netting the games first 6-points.  But the Eagles would battle back to finish the opening quarter ahead 13-10.  After finishing the 1st quarter into the 2nd on a 10-2 run, it was Blackhawk's time to respond, and the Cougars did just that.  Led by Alexis Graham's strong rebounding and 10 1st half points, it was Blackhawk who would lead at the half 32-30.  The teams battled through an even 3rd quarter with Blackhawk up 44-42.  Both teams found their outside shooting in the 2nd half as well, with Blackhawks's leading scorer, Cassidy Ommogrosso, and South Park's Ashley Mikolonis both hitting clutch 3-pointers.  South Park would outscore Blackhawk 14-12 in the final period, sending the game into overtime.  But in the 2nd half the Eagles "big two" of Shelby Lindsay and Halie Torris came to life.  Shelby's work on the defensive glass and Torris on the offensive side had swung the momentum in favor of South Park heading into the extra period.  Lindsay and Torris continjued to pace the Eagles in overtime, as South Park outscored Blackhawk 10-3 en route to the win.  Lindsay finished the night with 24 points to lead all scorers, while Torris netted 20.  Blackhawk was led by Ommogrosso, who scored 22 in a losing effort.  Graham added 14 while Bridgette Shaffer chipped in 12.  The #2 seed Eagles (22-2) will take on the top-seeeded Hopewell Vikings in the Class-AAA Championship at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Saturday.  Blackhawk (21-4) had their WPIAL season end one game short of getting to defend their title on the big stage.  The Cougars season will continue however, as they will be 1 of the 6 WPIAL qualifiers for the PIAA playoffs.

WPIAL CLASS A Semifinals:

North Catholic Trojanettes 65 – Riverview Raiders 32  
The Champs will attempt to defend their title. #1 North Catholic (20-5) jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 65-32 victory over #12 Riverview (16-8) Wednesday night at Gateway High School. The Trojanettes would start the game with an 18-3 run and would not look back. They would lead 23-6 after one quarter and 42-19 at half. Lynzi Mueller, who knocked down 5 3-pointers, would lead North Catholic in scoring with 22 points, including 10 in the first quarter and 17 in the first half. Her teammates Sarah Goetz (14 points, 9 rebounds), Lauren Wolosik (11 points) and Angela Nowacki (7 points, 11 rebounds) would be big contributors as well in a game that was never in doubt. The Raiders, who committed 9 of their 16 turnovers in the first quarter would be paced by Erin Kennedy, Ashley Bruni and Mary Andrejko, who all scored 9 points. North Catholic, who out-rebounded Riverview 34-22, have an average margin of victory of 60.7-26.3 in their three playoff victories. Things will finally get tough though as they will face their rivals, #2 Vincentian Academy (24-1) in the Class A Championship on Saturday at the AJ Palumbo Center at 3PM. Those two teams split their regular season series and North Catholic is the only team to beat Vincentian this season. Riverview, who had an unexpected playoff run, will move on to the PIAA playoffs as either the #3 or #4 seed out of the WPIAL.

Vincentian Academy Royals 63 – Fort Cherry Rangers 57  
Four Royals scored in double figures as Vincentian Academy rallied from a 7-point deficit late in the first half to beat Fort Cherry, 63-57, and earn a berth in Saturday's WPIAL Championship game against #1 North Catholic.  The Royals and Trojans split two regular season meetings and are the top two seeds in the tournament.  The Rangers shot poorly early but managed a 16-9 lead after one quarter, thanks to 11 points from Carolena Gasbarro.  Fort Cherry closed the quarter on a 13-3 run over the final four minutes.  The Royals answered with the first 8 points of the second period, including three-pointers from Noreen Fisher and Abbey Bartoszewicz.  The Rangers cranked up the tempo and built a 7-point lead twice in the next four minutes, including 30-23 with 40 seconds left in the half.  Ally Bartoszewicz and Ashlee Darby then combined for five points down the stretch, pulling the Royals to within 30-28 at intermission.  A basket trade through the opening minutes of the third left the game tied at 36-36.  Fort Cherry scored six of the next eight and led by four with three minutes in the quarter but didn't score again, the Royals seizing the lead with the final five points again.  Bekah Bellhy's early basket in the fourth put the Rangers up 44-43, their final lead of the night.  Vincentian pulled out by seven over the next two minutes, only to see Fort Cherry tie the game twice with less than three minutes to play.  Abbey Bartoszewicz hit a three from the corner with 90 seconds to play, giving the Royals a 59-56 lead they would never surrender.  Vincentian then hit four of five foul shots to keep the Rangers at bay and earn the finals berth.  Fisher and Darby each had 17 points for Vincentian Academy (24-1).  Ally Bartoszewicz scored 13 points, Abbey added a dozen.  The Royals hit 9 three-point field goals in the goal, Fort Cherry none.  Gasbarro had 28 for the Rangers.  Bellhy finished with 18.  Fort Cherry (23-2) is now off until Saturday, March 10th, when the Rangers will either play the District 10 champion (if North Catholic wins the WPIAL) or the District 5 runner-up (if Vincentian takes the WPIAL title).