What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 5, 2022: First place up for grabs in boys basketball showdowns

By: Don Rebel
Friday, February 4, 2022 | 7:28 PM

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Sole possession of first place with one week remaining in section play is at stake in not one, but two WPIAL boys basketball makeup games Saturday.

In Section 2-6A, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair are both 5-2 in the section, one game ahead of Baldwin and Mt. Lebanon.

The South Hills neighbors meet at 1 p.m. in a game you can watch on Trib HSSN.

The defending district champion Panthers have won three of their last four games while the Black Hawks have won four in a row.

Bethel Park won the first meeting between the teams at home, 48-44, on Jan. 11.

First place is also up for grabs in Section 3-5A when Penn Hills hosts Gateway.

The Indians and Gators are both 7-2 in the section, three games in front of both Woodland Hills and Franklin Regional.

Penn Hills took the first meeting on the road, 66-56. The Indians have won four of their last five games while the Gators have been victorious in eight of their last 10 contests.

You can also watch this game at 7:30 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

Mat masters

There is gold to be won on a pair of district wrestling mats Saturday. Will it be more of the same or a changing in the WPIAL wrestling guard?

The WPIAL Class 3A semifinals and championship matches will take place at Peters Township.

At noon in the semifinals, two-time defending champion Waynesburg will battle Canon-McMillan while Latrobe takes on Connellsville.

The Raiders are trying to follow in the footsteps of North Allegheny (1986-88), Canon-McMillan (2010-13) and Kiski Area (2017-19) that have won three straight 3A team titles.

Canon-McMillan last won district wrestling gold in 2013, Connellsville in 2008 and Latrobe is two wins from its first ever WPIAL mat championship.

All pale in comparison to the run Burrell has put together in Class 2A. The Bucs are trying to capture a 16th consecutive team championship, the second-longest title run in any sport in WPIAL history.

In the 2A semifinals at Chartiers-Houston, Burrell will face Mt. Pleasant while Quaker Valley goes up against Burgettstown.

Mt. Pleasant is the last WPIAL school to win a 2A crown not named Burrell. That happened back in 2006.

Burgettstown’s only WPIAL wrestling championship came in the first district playoffs nearly 50 years ago in 1974.

Quaker Valley is out for the school’s first team wrestling crown.

You can watch some of the semifinals and both district championship matches on Trib HSSN.

Black and red clash

Coming down the stretch run of the 2022 WPIAL basketball regular season, one of the tightest races for a section championship is in girls basketball Section 3-4A.

With just over a week left in section play, Elizabeth Forward and Southmoreland are deadlocked for first place with 8-1 section records. Belle Vernon is a half-game back with an 8-2 mark.

That deadlock will be broken Saturday morning when Southmoreland hosts Elizabeth Forward in a makeup of Thursday’s postponed contest.

EF may have the toughest section schedule remaining among the three. After visiting the Scotties on Thursday, the Warriors will visit the Leopards next Thursday before hosting Ligonier Valley the next night.

Southmoreland and Belle Vernon split their two head-to-head games this season.

In the first meeting Jan. 10, Olivia Cernuto scored a game-high 23 points as Southmoreland pulled away from host Elizabeth Forward, 50-35.

You can watch the game on Trib HSSN at 11:30 a.m.