What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 17, 2023: First-round basketball action heats up

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, February 16, 2023 | 11:12 PM

The first full night of first-round action in the 2023 WPIAL basketball playoffs takes place Friday with three tournaments — boys 5A, boys A and girls 2A — taking center stage.

There may be no streakier team in district hoops this year than the South Fayette boys basketball team.

To date, the Lions have won four in a row, lost two straight, won two, lost four, won two, lost three and ended up winning their final five games.

Four of those five wins were section victories that helped South Fayette finish a game ahead of Chartiers Valley for fourth place in the tough Section 4-5A.

Because of the strong finish, South Fayette (13-9) was awarded the No. 8 seed in the 5A playoffs and will host a first-round playoff game Friday against Shaler (16-6).

The Titans also finished strong, winning four of their final five games and ending up in second place in Section 2-5A, two games behind Penn Hills and two games in front of playoff-bound Woodland Hills and Fox Chapel.

These two teams played a thriller in the first round of the 2022 Class 5A playoffs at South Fayette with Shaler winning in overtime, 68-64.

Senior Logan Bernesser scored 26 points, had 14 rebounds and blocked seven shots for the visiting Titans.

You can watch the 2023 postseason clash on Trib HSSN starting at 7 p.m.

There are six other opening-round Class 5A boys games on HSSN Friday including:

• It’s PT vs. PT as top-seed Peters Township (19-3) hosts Penn-Trafford (7-15) at 8 p.m.

• Eastern neighbors collide when Woodland Hills (14-8) visits Section 3-5A champion Gateway (15-5) at 8 p.m.

• A team many felt would be No. 1, No. 2 seed Penn Hills (17-3) hosts Trinity (10-12) at 7 p.m.

• Last year’s 6A champion Fox Chapel (13-9) visits Thomas Jefferson (15-7) at 7 p.m.

• 2018 and 2019 Class 5A champion Mars (14-8) faces Bethel Park (13-8) in a game played at North Hills at 6 p.m.

• The second game of a 5A doubleheader has North Hills (17-5) hosting Kiski Area (11-11) at 8 p.m.

Girls 2A openers

Only one WPIAL girls basketball player averaged over 30 points per game, and she’ll be in action Friday.

Clairton sophomore Iyanna Wade averaged over 33 points per game to lead the district.

Her Bears lost their last three games after winning four in a row and finished 9-9 overall and tied for third place with Winchester Thurston in Section 3-2A.

Clairton is the No. 9 seed and will visit Brentwood at 7 p.m. Friday on Trib HSSN.

The Spartans are four years removed from reaching the 2019 Class 2A title game before falling in the finals to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Brentwood hopes to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since then with a home victory.

The Spartans are 9-3 in the new year and finished 12-9 overall and in second place behind Burgettstown in Section 2-2A.

There are seven other opening-round contests in girls Class 2A basketball Friday, including:

• Top seed and Section 1 co-champ Shenango (18-4) hosts Carmichaels (8-14) at 7 p.m.

• No. 13 California (10-12) will face traditional power and Section 3 co-champ Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) at Gateway at 6 p.m.

• Section 2 champion Burgettstown (17-5) hosts Winchester Thurston (10-11) at 6 p.m.

• The No. 2 seed and Section 1 co-champion Freedom (17-4) hosts Carlynton (8-13) at 7 p.m.

• Washington County rivals Fort Cherry (14-8) and Chartiers-Houston (15-7) collide at 7 p.m.

• Section 3 co-champion Serra Catholic (16-2) will host 2019, 2020 and 2021 WPIAL Class A champion Rochester (6-14) at 7 p.m.

• Washington (18-4), winner of Section 4, will welcome Aliquippa (10-9) at 7 p.m.

Boys A lid lifters

There are only eight teams in the Class 6A postseason. The second smallest tournament is the Class A playoffs with 13 teams.

Three of them — Imani Christian, Union and Carlynton — will wait until the quarterfinals Wednesday because they received first-round byes.

The other 10 are in action Friday.

Aquinas Academy has never won a WPIAL playoff game, despite having the district’s all-time leading scorer the last four years in senior Vinnie Cugini.

The Crusaders won three straight games and finished 18-4 this season and in third place in Section 3-A.

Cugini and the Crusaders hope to make history Friday at Peters Township when they face Jefferson-Morgan (13-9) at 6 p.m.

The Rockets are 3-3 in their last three games and finished in third place in Section 2-A.

The winner will visit Union in the quarterfinals.

The other four Class A first-round games are:

• Rochester (10-12) will host the only fourth-place team in the classification with a winning record in Summit Academy (10-7).

• One of the district’s top players, senior Jaydis Kennedy, leads Geibel Catholic (15-6) against Avella (6-16) in a game at Charleroi at 6 p.m.

• In the second game of a doubleheader at Charleroi, Neighborhood Academy (17-4) will try to reach the quarterfinals for a second straight season when it faces Mapletown (7-13).

• Despite winning Section 2-A with an overall record of 20-2, Monessen was seeded No. 6 by the WPIAL basketball steering committee. The Greyhounds host Western Beaver (10-12).