Boys basketball playoffs seeding in play as part of 3 things to watch Friday in WPIAL athletics

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 1, 2018 | 11:48 PM

Only 11 days remain in the regular season for WPIAL boys basketball teams, with playoff brackets scheduled to be announced Feb. 13.

But there's still much to be decided.

Three key matchups Friday night will help influence the WPIAL basketball steering committee and affect who earns a high seed when the tournament begins.

A double-overtime rematch

In Class 2A, the Section 1 title is on the line.

A half-game separates second-place Jeannette (13-2, 7-1) and section-leading Serra Catholic (15-2, 8-1) in the standings. When they met in early January, the gap that night was exceptionally close. Jeannette defeated Serra, 71-70, in double overtime on Jan. 9.

They'll rematch Friday at Serra Catholic's gym and the game will be video streamed on the TribLive High School Sports Network .

Mars tries to clinch a title

With three section games left on the schedule, No. 1-ranked Mars (15-3, 9-0) can clinch the Section 2 title with a win Friday. The Planets have a two-game lead as they enter a key matchup at second-place Moon (15-4, 7-2), the defending WPIAL champion.

Mars senior Robby Carmody scored 27 points when they met Jan. 9. The Planets won 72-64, but Moon hung close for awhile.

The game can be heard on the TribLive High School Sports Network .

Strength of section

In Class 4A, Ambridge (12-6, 8-3) and New Castle (13-4, 8-3) are tied for second in Section 2 entering Friday's head-to-head matchup on the Red Hurricanes' court.

Ambridge defeated New Castle, 56-53, earlier this season.

Whoever wins the rematch could earn a top-four seed in the WPIAL playoffs as a second-place team. A year ago, the WPIAL committee awarded the top four seeds in Class 4A all to teams from Section 2.

The game can be heard on the TribLive High School Sports Network .

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.