Alle-Kiski Valley basketball playoff preview capsules: Games of Feb. 21, 2020

By: Michael Love
Thursday, February 20, 2020 | 5:56 PM

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Boys

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

No. 4 Springdale (20-3) vs. No. 12 Winchester Thurston (11-10)

8 p.m. Friday at Shaler

Winner plays: No. 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (21-1) or No. 9 South Side Area (12-11) in semifinals

Coaches: Aaron Epps, Springdale; Jordan Marks, Winchester Thurston

Points scored/allowed: Springdale, 65.0/53.6; Winchester Thurston, 58.8/57.8

Players to watch: Demitri Fritch, Springdale (jr., G/F); Langston Moses, Winchester Thurston (so., F)

About Springdale: The Dynamos and the Bears have faced off three times this season, and Springdale has won each matchup. Friday was the Dynamos’ first playoff win since 2017-18 when they lost to OLSH in the quarterfinals. The Dynamos have won their last five games and 10 of their last 12. Their only losses this season have come against Deer Lakes, Shady Side Academy and Sto-Rox.

About Winchester Thurston: When No. 12 Winchester Thurston defeated No. 5 Laurel last week, 47-45, the Bears won the first WPIAL playoff game in program history. They had lost their playoff opener the last six seasons. The Bears have won more than two games in a row only once this season and lost four of their final six to end the regular season. While the Dynamos beat the Bears three times this season, the teams split their regular-season series a year ago.

Girls

Class 6A

Quarterfinals

No. 8 Fox Chapel (13-9) vs. No. 1 Bethel Park (19-2)

6:30 p.m. Friday at North Hills

Winner plays: No. 4 Mt. Lebanon (17-5) or No. 5 Seneca Valley (15-7) on Tuesday in the semifinals

Coaches: Marty Matvey, Fox Chapel; Jonna Burke, Bethel Park

Points scored/allowed: Fox Chapel, 45.5/44.5; Bethel Park, 55.7/37.7

Players to watch: Ellie Schwartzman, Fox Chapel (jr., F); Maddie Dziezgowski, Bethel Park (sr., F)

About Fox Chapel: The Foxes finished fourth in Section 1. They were edged out of third place by one game by Seneca Valley as a late-season four-point victory by the Raiders was the difference. Fox Chapel owns the No. 8 seed in 6A for the second year in a row. The Foxes lost to eventual WPIAL and PIAA champion Peters Township in the quarterfinals but qualified for states under the follow-the-winner format. Schwartzman leads the way for Fox Chapel at 11.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Junior Domenica Delaney (11.0) and senior Gabby Guerrieri (9.1) also have been scoring threats, while freshman Elsie Smith averages six rebounds.

About Bethel Park: The Black Hawks captured the Section 2 title by one game over Mt. Lebanon. Bethel Park saw a seven-game winning streak snapped with a loss to 4A No. 1 North Catholic in its regular-season finale. The Black Hawks lead 6A in scoring defense at 37.7 points allowed per game. Dziezgowski, a St. Bonaventure commit, leads Bethel Park in scoring at 16.7 points per game. Olivia Westphal, a junior guard/forward, also averages double figures at 15.5 points a contest. The Black Hawks captured the WPIAL 4A title in 2013. Last year, they were eliminated by Peters Township in both the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA second round.

— Michael Love and Greg Macafee

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: Bethel Park, Fox Chapel, Springdale, Winchester Thurston