A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020

By: Michael Love
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | 5:50 PM

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Friday’s games

Boys

Class 3A

First round

No. 1 Lincoln Park (18-4) vs. No. 16 Deer Lakes (12-9)

8 p.m. Friday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: No. 7 Washington (15-6) or No. 10 Neshannock (15-7) on Thursday in the quarterfinals

Coaches: Mike Bariski, Lincoln Park; Terence Parham, Deer Lakes

Points scored/allowed: Lincoln Park, 66.7/56; Deer Lakes, 53.1/50.4

Players to watch: Isaiah Smith, Lincoln Park (sr., G); Bryce Robson, Deer Lakes (fr., G)

About Lincoln Park: The Leopards won the Section 1-3A title and are the defending Class 3A WPIAL and PIAA champs. This season they suffered losses to The Villages Charter (Fla.), Highlands, Vincentian Academy and they ended the season with a loss to New Castle. A few signature wins for Lincoln Park came against Central Catholic, Butler and Kennedy Catholic.

About Deer Lakes: The Lancers have made their way into the playoffs for the fourth straight year for the second time in school history. Last year, they made a historic run in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs before losing in the quarterfinals. The Lancers have been up and down this season and haven’t won more than two games in a row. They earned significant nonsection wins over Springdale and Clairton.

Girls

Class 2A

First round

No. 7 Burgettstown (16-6) vs. No. 10 Riverview (14-8)

6:30 p.m. Friday at Northgate

Winner plays: No. 2 Bishop Canevin (16-6) on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Coaches: Megan Zitner, Burgettstown; Keith Stitt, Riverview

Points scored/allowed: Burgettstown, 49.9/30.0; Riverview, 45.2/37.9

Players to watch: Emily Prasko, Burgettstown (sr., G); Francesca Lio, Riverview (sr., F)

About Burgettstown: The Blue Devils (10-2) finished as the runner-up to Bishop Canevin (12-0) in Section 3. Their 30.0 points allowed per game is best in Class 2A. Burgettstown is in the postseason for the third time in four years after an 18-year drought. The Blue Devils are seeking their first playoff win since 1993. Burgettstown features a balanced scoring attack as five players average between 7.0 and 10.3 points. Prasko checks in at 7.7 rebounds a contest.

About Riverview: The Raiders are in the WPIAL playoffs for the 11th year in a row. They hope to break through after losing in the first round the past three years. Riverview, led by a group of six seniors, won its final four regular-season games, including a 48-44 triumph over playoff-bound Ellis in its Section 2 finale. The Raiders finished fourth in the section with a 7-5 mark. They routed Greensburg Central Catholic, seeded fifth in the Class 1A bracket, by 31 points Jan. 29.

—Staff reports

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burgettstown, Deer Lakes, Lincoln Park, Riverview