Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules for Feb. 22, 2022

By: Michael Love
Monday, February 21, 2022 | 6:47 PM

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Boys

First round

Class 2A

9-Sto-Rox (11-7) at 8-Springdale (11-11)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-0)/16-Chartiers-Houston (9-13) on Friday in quarterfinals (site, time TBD)

Layup lines: Sto-Rox finished in third place in Section 2 behind co-champions Fort Cherry and Carlynton. The Vikings were one of seven teams in Class 2A to average 60-plus points a game this season. They averaged 61.4 and gave up 53.5. Sto-Rox’s four section losses — two to Fort Cherry and two to Carlynton — came by a combined 18 points. It upended Class 5A No. 5 Highlands on Dec. 29 at the Montour tournament. Senior 6-foot-1 guard Corey Simmons averages 19.3 points per game. … The Dynamos hope to make a run in the postseason in Kobi Phillippi’s first year as coach. Springdale and Shenango, both at 6-4, tied for second place in Section 1 behind undefeated OLSH. The Dynamos are in the playoffs for the 37th year in a row, a record for boys teams in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Last year, Springdale, as the No. 4 seed, was forced to forfeit its Class 2A first-round playoff game with Winchester Thurston because of covid protocols. Seniors Logan Dexter and Ryan Reinsfelder are scoring threats for the the Dynamos.

Girls

First round

Class 4A

11-Deer Lakes (8-11) at 6-Montour (15-6)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: at 3-Knoch (19-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals

Layup lines: Deer Lakes finished tied with Freeport for third place in Section 1 at 6-6. The Lancers are in the WPIAL playoffs for the 25th time, second only to Apollo-Ridge (30) in Alle-Kiski Valley girls basketball. Senior Reese Hasley, a Grove City commit, scored her 1,000th point on a game-winning shot at home against Freeprt on Jan. 24. Hasley leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points a game. Senior guard Nikki Fleming averages 7.5 points. Deer Lakes won the 1985 WPIAL Class 3A title. … Montour won the first WPIAL girls basketball championship. The Spartans took home the Class 3A title in 1971. Montour hasn’t won a WPIAL title in girls basketball since. Montour finished third in Section 2 (10-4) behind No. 1 Blackhawk and No. 4 Beaver Area. Senior 5-10 guard/forward Olivia Lyscik leads Montour in scoring at 17.1 points a game. She scored her 1,000th point Feb. 10 in a 65-41 victory over Hopewell. The Spartans are led by former Fox Chapel coach Jen O’Shea.

13-Freeport (7-11) at 4-Beaver (15-5)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Central Valley (7-13)/5-Elizabeth Forward (17-4) on Friday in quarterfinals (site, time TBD).

Layup lines: Freeport alternated wins and losses over its last nine games of the regular season. The Yellowjackets took No. 3 Knoch to the limit on senior night, losing by three. They finished tied with No. 11 Deer Lakes for third in Section 1 with 6-6 records. Freeport is making its 24th postseason appearance. Juniors Ava Soilis and Melaina DeZort both lead the Yellowjackets in scoring at 14.5 points per game … Beaver is the defending Class 4A champion. The Bobcats defeated Quaker Valley 45-29 for their first-ever WPIAL title. Although it graduated a number of standout players from last year, senior Payton List is one of the WPIAL’s leading scorers at 22.8 points a game. Beaver, runner-up to Blackhawk in Section 2, allows 34.5 points a game, third overall in Class 4A to Knoch (29.6) and Blackhawk (32.3).

10-West Mifflin (7-15) at 7-Highlands (18-4)

7 p.m. Tuesday

Winner plays: At 2-Southmoreland (17-3) at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.

Layup lines: West Mifflin placed fourth in Section 3 behind Southmoreland, No. 5 Elizabeth Forward and No. 9 Belle Vernon. The Titans won three of four to conclude the regular season, and one of the wins came against Belle Vernon. Junior guard Emily Beck had 20 in the upset of Belle Vernon. West Mifflin won the 2001 WPIAL Class 3A title led by Tanisha Wright, who went on to star at Penn State before playing 15 years in the WNBA … This game is a rematch of a 71-46 victory by Highlands at the Highlands tournament Dec 29 … The Golden Rams broke out this season behind a youthful and balanced scoring attack. Six players – seniors Maria Fabregas and Jocelyn Luzier and sophomores Kalleigh Nerone, Jocelyn Bielak, Kate Myers and Shelby Wojcik – scored in double figures in a senior-night victory over Freeport. Highlands finished runner up to No. 3 Knoch in Section 1. The Golden Rams owned an eight-game winning streak in the regular season.

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: Beaver, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands, Montour, Springdale, Sto-Rox, West Mifflin