Basketball

North Catholic’s Cassie Foster drives past Freeport’s Samantha Clark during their game Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at Freeport Middle School.

Trib WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 8, 2020

February 8, 2020

WPIAL rankings

Upper St. Clair’s Luke Banbury shoots in front of coach Danny Holzer during a game against Bethel Park.

Trib WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 8, 2020

WPIAL rankings

State wrestling gold, basketball playoff spots up for grabs Saturday

The boys basketball playoff field was supposed to be finalized by Saturday. Instead, Mother Nature’s first strike this winter forced the postponement of several boys basketball games from Friday to Saturday, three of which have playoff implications.

Latrobe’s Landon Butler (4) tries to get the ball in the net as Hempfield’s Mike Gaffney lands on his back in WPIAL basketball on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at Hempfield Area High School.

WPIAL clinched: Boys basketball clinchings through Feb. 7, 2020

The WPIAL boys basketball regular season section play is all but over.

North Allegheny boys basketball coach Keith Noftz watches his team scrimmage.

High school roundup for Feb. 7, 2020: North Allegheny overcomes North Hills in winner-take-all battle for playoff spot

Two of the WPIAL’s fiercest rivals met Friday in a winner-take-all showdown on the final night of section play.

Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds celebrates after scoring and being fouled during the fourth quarter against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.

Brayden Reynolds’ big fourth quarter helps Chartiers Valley bury West Allegheny

February 7, 2020

Mother Nature dumped enough snow on the region early Friday to force the cancellation of classes at several schools, including West Allegheny.

Homer-Center’s Ryan Sardone is surrounded under the basket by Ligonier Valley’s Cooper Mills, left, and Michael Marinchak during the Heritage Conference championship game Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at IUP.

Marinchak leads Ligonier Valley to 3rd straight Heritage Conference title

Michael Marinchak’s high school basketball days are numbered, but they won’t soon be forgotten.

Jackson Pruitt led Jeannette with 20 points Friday night.

Jeannette stops Serra Catholic, takes section title

Jeannette won the battle on the glass and made its free throws down the stretch Friday night, holding on for a 56-53 victory over Serra Catholic to become the outright champion of Section 2-2A.

Upper St. Clair boys end Fox Chapel’s bid for undefeated regular season

Upper St. Clair missed its first 12 shots from 3-point range Friday night at Fox Chapel.

Frnaklin Regional’s Caden Smith makes a pass on Feb. 7 when the Panthers hosted the Kiski Area Cavaliers.

Franklin Regional boys punch ticket to playoffs with win over Kiski Area

Sometimes, it’s not always how you start, but how you finish that matters.

Hempfield’s Mikey Gaffney passes through Latrobe’s defense in WPIAL basketball on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at Hempfield Area High School.

Gaffney, playoff-bound Hempfield keep rival Latrobe from WPIAL postseason

Mikey Gaffney thought Hempfield had a playoff team last year, but the Spartans fell short of reaching the WPIAL boys basketball postseason. A 25-point loss on the final night of the season to rival Latrobe, a perennial playoff team, only rubbed salt in the wound.

South Side boys keep playoff hopes alive with win over Burgettstown

The South Side boys basketball team came into its final section game needing a win and some help to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

Clairton’s Wayne Wade drives for a layup past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ben LaCarte.

Ogletree-led Clairton topples No. 4 Greensburg Central Catholic

In many ways, the deck seemed stacked against Clairton on Friday.

Gateway’s Dynasty Shegog (right) competes during practice for the 2019-20 season Nov. 29, 2019.

Shegog’s buzzer-beating layup lifts Gateway over Plum for Section 2-5A title

The winner-take-all game Friday between Gateway and Plum for the girls Section 2-5A championship wasn’t the prettiest, but the Gators gladly accepted the outcome.

Thomas Jefferson’s Riley Holzer competes against South Park on Jan. 27, 2020 at Ice Castle.

Players from basketball families star for Thomas Jefferson hockey team

Both families have rich histories in Western Pennsylvania high school basketball, particularly in the South Hills.

Pine-Richland’s Cameron Kirkland pulls down a rebound next to Butler’s Charles Kreinbucher during their game Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at Pine-Richland High School.

Pine-Richland boys secure big win heading into playoffs

Heading down the home stretch of the regular season, the Pine-Richland boys basketball team had a WPIAL Class 6A playoff spot locked up. Still, the Rams did not lack for motivation as they entered their Section 1-6A finale at Central Catholic.

Brothers Adam Bilinsky (1) and Ty Bilinsky (5) play against Latrobe on Friday, Jan. 10.

Building blocks in place for Norwin boys basketball

Norwin’s boys basketball team bolted out to a 6-0 record and won eight of its first nine games this season.

Fox Chapel boys head coach Zach Skrinjar works with Eli Yofan during practice Nov. 20, 2019, at Fox Chapel High School.

Coach Zach Skrinjar’s passion drives Fox Chapel boys basketball

Now in his 11th season as coach of the Fox Chapel boys basketball team, Zach Skrinjar remains one of the most successful and underrated coaches in the WPIAL.