Ligonier Valley boys basketball playoff capsule for Feb. 26, 2019

By: Bill Beckner
Sunday, February 24, 2019 | 7:29 PM

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Boys

District 6 Class 3A

Semifinals

No. 1 Ligonier Valley (21-2) vs. No. 5 Bellwood-Antis (16-7)

7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Central Cambria

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Richland (18-6)/No. 3 Forest Hills (14-8) in championship 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mt. Aloysius College, Cresson

Coaches: John Berger, Ligonier Valley; Kevin Conlon, Bellwood-Antis

Players to watch: Michael Marinchak, Jr., G, Ligonier Valley; Mason Yingling, Sr., G, Bellwood-Antis

How they got here: Ligonier Valley — defeated Central Cambria, 75-55, in quarterfinals; Bellwood-Antis — defeated West Shamokin, 62-48, in quarterfinals

About Ligonier Valley: The high-powered Rams rolled into the semis with a dominant second-round win as senior 6-foot-8 center Marrek Paola scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Seton Hill recruit is Ligonier Valley’s all-time leading scorer with 1,822 points and also has 1,016 career rebounds. … Ligonier Valley is seeking back-to-back district titles. … Berger, in his first season guiding the Rams, is the police chief of Ligonier. … The Rams could see Forest Hills in the finals. They beat the Rangers, 78-70, in mid-December. Forest Hills and Richland will play before the Rams and Blue Devils at Central Cambria, starting at 6 p.m.

About Bellwood-Antis: The Blue Devils were met with little resistance in the quarters as they controlled fourth-seeded West Shamokin from tip to finish. Yingling scored 20, including 13 of 13 free throws. Bellwood-Antis went 19 of 24 from the foul line. … Yingling averages 18.8 points. Senior 6-5 forward Nathan Wolfe is next at 14 points and also grabs 11.0 rebounds. Wolfe will be the Blue Devils’ best chance to contain Paola.

Tags: Ligonier Valley