2014 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoff Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 14, 2014 | 11:52 AM

There are plenty of teams looking for gold, but after two weeks of on-court battles, only four will come away with district gold. Here is a preview of the 2014 WPIAL Boys Basketball Playoffs which tip off this weekend and conclude at Duquesne University’s A.J. Palumbo Center on Friday, February 28th and Saturday, March 1st.

CLASS AAAA:

Top four seeds: New Castle first, Hampton second, North Allegheny third, Plum fourth.

Leading scorers: Kason Harrell, Hempfield, 23.9; Malik Hooker, New Castle, 23.3; Matt D’Amico, Fox Chapel, 22.9; Ryan Luther, Hampton, 22.1; Mike Simmons, Kiski Area, 20.7; Zach Snyder, Kiski Area, 20.7; Johnny David, Mt. Lebanon, 17.2; Brian Papich, Fox Chapel, 17.0; Delvon Randall, Gateway, 16.9; James Edwards, Plum, 16.3; Matt Renzi, Franklin Regional, 16.3; Joe Mascaro, Bethel Park, 16.0; J.J. Conn, Upper St. Clair, 15.9; Joe Brungo, Kiski Area, 15.9; Elijah Minnie, Lincoln Park, 15.8; Curtis Perz, Norwin, 15.6; Dale Clancy, Seton-LaSalle, 15.1; Austin Dedert, Plum, 15.1.

What to look for: Should we expect another New Castle-Hampton championship matchup? They met two years ago in the AAA title game and last year in the AAAA final. It’s likely they could meet again. … New Castle might not be as good offensively as it was a year ago, but the Red Hurricanes’ defense is still worth some points – and wins – in the playoffs. Malik Hooker and Anthony Richards are two 1,000-point scorers. … As everyone knows, Hampton has Pitt recruit Ryan Luther, but how well his twin brother, Collin, plays could be the key for the Talbots. … North Allegheny is known for its 3-point shooting and the Tigers could live and die by the 3. … Fox Chapel vs. Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair vs. Gateway and Franklin Regional vs. Seneca Valley are good first-round matchups. … Hempfield won a section title for the third time in four years, but the Spartans hope to do something about those first-round woes. They also won section titles in 2011 and 2013 but lost in the first round both times. Guard Kason Harrell is one of the WPIAL’s top juniors and should have something to say about a playoff run. … Look for a team from Section 2 to do something. Plum, Gateway, Fox Chapel and Franklin Regional are all capable of making some noise. Franklin Regional could be a real sleeper. … This is the second consecutive season New Castle, Hampton and North Allegheny are the top three seeds. Until last year, three teams from one class had never been the top three seeds. … Section 4 was reputed to be down this year. Will the playoffs lend credence to that? Upper St. Clair has a tough first-round game against Gateway.

Qualifiers for PIAA tournament: Five.

History lesson: Twenty-five years ago, the first WPIAL Class AAAA championship was held at the Civic Arena and Farrell defeated Ambridge, 71-66, as Andrew Smith scored 18 points. Shawn Roberts added 14 for coach Frank Sincek’s champs. Ambridge was coached by Vic Bianchi.

CLASS AAA:

Top four seeds: Chartiers Valley first, Central Valley second, Thomas Jefferson third, Elizabeth Forward fourth.

Leading scorers: Matty McConnell, Chartiers Valley, 21.8; Dustin Sleva, Montour, 21.0; Jordan Pratt, Uniontown, 20.6; Daylon Carter, Ambridge, 20.3; Mike Miara, West Allegheny, 20.0; Stephon McGinnis, Ambridge, 19.9; Ryan Maha, West Mifflin, 19.3; Owen Nearhoof, Mars, 19.0; Dan wanker, South Park, 17.4; Charlie Scharbo, Thomas Jefferson, 16.6; John Castello, Mars, 16.5; Noah Kunst, Kittanning, 16.1; Jerrad Tuite, Chartiers Valley, 15.5; Joe Campbell, Uniontown, 15.0.

What to look for: Class AAA isn’t overly strong this year. It makes you wonder what things will be like next year when Hampton and New Castle move down and Beaver Falls plays up. … It’s tough to bet against Chartiers Valley at least making it to the title game. The Colts have made it to either the Class AAA or AAAA final nine times since 1996. McConnell and Tuite make the Colts a championship contender again. … This is the fourth year of Central Valley’s school and the Warriors have a legitimate shot at the championship. … Thomas Jefferson won a rugged Section 4 title and shouldn’t be overlooked. A number of football players bring some toughness to the basketball court, including Michigan football recruit Chase Winovich. … Much was expected of Elizabeth Forward this year and don’t overlook the Warriors just because they didn’t win the section. They still lost only three games and JaQuan Davidson, a Pitt football recruit, is a talent. … Could someone from Section 1 make an impact? It’s hard to pick one team from that section because Indiana, Mars and Knoch all tied for the section title. … Montour has been in the title game two of the past three years. … West Mifflin will play without leading scorer Ryan Maha, who has a knee injury.

Qualifiers for PIAA tournament: Six.

History lesson: Four years ago, T.J. McConnell scored 44 points in a victory against Indiana. It is the third-most points ever scored in a Class AAA playoff game. McConnell went on to score 144 points in four playoff games, which is still the second-highest ever for one tournament.

CLASS AA:

Top four seeds: Seton-LaSalle first, Greensburg Central Catholic second, Aliquippa third, Beaver Falls fourth.

Leading scorers: Julian Batts, Jeannette, 22.0; Kyle Olander, Shady Side Academy, 20.5; Dasonte White, Summit Academy, 20.0; Taymon Russell, Northgate, 18.2; Cole Novotney, Brownsville, 17.8; Brian Graytok, Greensburg Central Catholic, 17.5; Ernie Burkes, Neshannock, 17.0; Matt McKinney, Neshannock, 17.0; Ty Cook, South Allegheny, 16.9; Devin Montgomery, Summit Academy, 16.8; Malik Allen, Sto-Rox, 16.6;  Darrell Barron, Northgate, 15.9; Dale Clancy, Seton-LaSalle, 15.1.

What to look for: Beaver Falls is the two-time defending champ, but didn’t win the section this year and will be without standout point guard Elijah Cottrill (knee injury) for the rest of the playoffs. Still, the WPIAL gave the Tigers the No. 4 seed. And truth be told, Beaver Falls could still be a force in the playoffs. … Some thought it was a little surprising that three teams from the same section – Aliquippa, Beaver Falls and Neshannock were given seeds 3-5. Avonworth was given the No. 6 seed despite being a section champ. But losses to Northgate and Shady Side Academy to end the season make you wonder a little about Avonworth – and also Quaker Valley. The Quakers’ only two losses were to Avonworth, but a suspect non-section schedule makes you wonder how good is Quaker Valley? … Seton-LaSalle is a well-balanced team with size and one of the most unheralded point guards in the WPIAL in Dale Clancy. The Rebels are the No. 1 seed. … Greensburg Central Catholic has been shooting for this season. A few transfers over the years helped. The Centurions have enough to win their first WPIAL title.

Qualifiers for PIAA tournament: Seven

History lesson: Forty-four years ago, Braddock High’s Billy Knight scored 41 points in a victory against Penn Joint. The 41 points are still the most in any Class AA playoff game. Knight went on to become an All-American at Pitt.

CLASS A

Top four seeds: Lincoln Park first, Vincentian second, Monessen third, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic fourth.

Leading scorers: Nick Miller, Western Beaver, 30.1; Cameron Johnson, O.L.S.H., 27.8; Brandon Lawless, Carmichaels, 26.2; Ryan Wolf, Vincentian, 25.3; Dereck RIggleman, Mapletown, 25.2; Maverick Rowan, Lincoln Park, 24.3; Ben Young, Union, 21.5; Isaiah Pete, Wilkinsburg, 20.3; D’Shawn Adair, Wilkinsburg, 18.4; Clintell Gillaspie, Monessen, 18.1; Dom Robb, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, 18.0;  Elijah Minnie, Lincoln Park, 15.8; Carter Ehms, Eden Christian, 15.1.

What to look for: Lincoln Park is loaded. It would be a monumental upset if the Leopards don’t win the title. Even though Vincentian scores a lot of points, Lincoln Park seems to have way too much size and talent for anyone in Class A. But many are anticipating a Lincoln Park-Vincentian final. It might be fun to watch. … Monessen is the intriguing team. Coach Joe Salvino always has good teams and the Greyhounds undoubtedly have athletes who thrive on winning. A number of their players were standout football players. How good is Monessen? Well, the Greyhounds are the only team to beat AAA Uniontown. And wouldn’t a Monessen-Lincoln Park final be interesting considering that Elijah Minnie, one of Lincoln Park’s standouts, played at Monessen as a freshman. … There is a lot of high scorers in the Class A field. The seven leading scorers in the entire WPIAL this regular season were all in Class A, and six are in the playoffs.

Qualifiers for PIAA tournament: Four

History lesson: Thirty years ago, Mark Stanley scored 41 points against Cornell. The point total still ties for second-best in Class A playoff history. Stanley went on to become coach at Union and New Castle.