Class 6A girls step into spotlight in 3 WPIAL basketball playoff games to watch Tuesday

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, February 19, 2018 | 8:39 PM

It will be a somewhat quiet night Tuesday as the opening round of the WPIAL girls basketball postseason continues with only one classification on the hardwood spotlight. There will be five Class 6A first-round games, including three former champions this decade in action.

Class 6A first round: Upper St. Clair vs. Butler at North Hills, 6:30 p.m.

Two programs looking for some postseason success collide in the 8-9 game in the Class 6A girls basketball tournament, with the winner facing undefeated defending champion North Allegheny in the quarterfinals Friday.

Butler made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2012 and fell to Norwin in the opening round. The last time the Golden Tornado won a district playoff game was in 2010 when they beat Penn-Trafford in the first round. This year, Butler finished in second place in Section 1 with a mark of 13-9 overall thanks to the play of senior Jenna Kunst and sophomore Alyssa Eyth.

Meanwhile, veteran coach Peter Serio has Upper St. Clair back in the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Panthers' last WPIAL postseason win was a 53-48 triumph over Hempfield in 2013. The Panthers finished fourth in Section 3, with an overall mark of 12-9 and three straight wins to close out the regular season. The last postseason game between these two teams was a PIAA first-round game in 2008 when USC knocked off Butler, 59-45.

Class 6A first round: Seneca Valley vs. Hempfield at Fox Chapel, 6:30 p.m.

It's a battle of the 11-win club Tuesday evening at Fox Chapel as Seneca Valley (11-10) faces Hempfield (11-11) in the No. 10 vs No. 7 matchup with the winner advancing to play second-seeded Peters Township.

It's a good news/bad news situation for Seneca Valley. The good news is the Raiders have made the playoffs for a fifth straight year. The bad news is they are still searching for their first girls basketball playoff win this decade. If the one-and-done pattern is to end, the Raiders need big contributions from junior McKenna Gross, who pumped in 26 points in Seneca Valley regular-season finale loss to Canon-McMillan.

Four years ago, Hempfield advanced to play for gold in the WPIAL Quad-A championship, where the Spartans fell to rival Penn-Trafford. Last year, the Spartans won big in the first round over Canon-McMillan before falling to eventual champion North Allegheny in the quarterfinals. Hempfield had won five straight from late January into early February before losing to Norwin and Blackhawk to close out the regular season. Allison Podkul is a big reason why, as she averages more than 17 points per game.

Class 6A first round: Penn Hills vs. Mt. Lebanon at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Back on Dec. 11, Penn Hills edged Mt. Lebanon in the third and final game of the North Allegheny tip-off tournament. The two meet again with much higher stakes, notably a berth in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Both of these teams reached the district semifinals last season only to fall one win short of the title game. After a first-round bye and a win over Peters Township, Penn Hills fell to Bethel Park, 41-36. This year's Indians squad started slow but finished strong with three straight wins and victories in five of its last six games. Part of that is because of the return from injury of both junior Tayonna Robertson and freshman Delainey Carpenter.

Mt. Lebanon also started slow with only five wins in its first dozen games. But don't be deceived by the Blue Devils' 11-11 record as coach Dori Oldaker loads up against tough opponents in her nonsection schedule. Mt. Lebanon lost to tough out-of-district teams such as Altoona twice, Hoover, Ohio, and teams from Florida, Tennessee and California. Senior Alyssa Hyland has led the way on offense for Mt. Lebanon.

Don Rebel is a TribLive High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: Butler, Hempfield Area, Mt. lebanon, Penn Hills, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair