George Guido: A-K Valley teams set for PIAA basketball playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 | 8:45 PM

It's PIAA basketball playoff time, and six local schools qualified.

For the first time, Leechburg's boys and girls qualified for the state playoffs.

A closer look at the first-round matchups this weekend, chronologically:

Friday

• Leechburg girls vs. West Middlesex, Morrow Fieldhouse, Slippery Rock, 5 p.m. The only local girls team to make the state playoffs, Leechburg won its first PIAA game last season against Coudersport. Senior Mikayla Lovelace became the second-leading scorer in A-K history by scoring 22 in the Blue Devils' loss to Chartiers-Houston on Feb. 22. Lovelace has 2,028 career points and needs three to catch Clairton's Kameica Robinson at 2,031 and 10 to catch Aliquippa's Mona Gaffney at 2,038 on the all-time WPIAL list.

West Middlesex won the District 10 title.

• Highlands vs. Franklin Regional at Fox Chapel, 6 p.m.. This will be the fourth meeting of the year between the section rivals who split the regular-season series before Franklin Regional posted a 48-40 victory in the Class 5A semifinals last week. The Panthers upset WPIAL title-winner Moon in the PIAA first round last year at Plum. This will be the third consecutive playoff game at Fox Chapel for the Golden Rams, whose last state playoff victory was two years ago in the second round against Hollidaysburg. Prior to this season, the only time Highlands and Franklin Regional met in the postseason was in 1984, with the Golden Rams winning. Tthis will be the teams' second playoff meeting in 10 days.

• Valley vs. Sharon, Morrow Fieldhouse, Slippery Rock, 8 p.m. The last game of a tripleheader at The Rock, the Vikings have progressed considerably under coach Mark Faulx after winning just one game two years ago. Valley last made the PIAA playoffs in 2009, losing to Oliver. The last PIAA playoff victory for Valley came in the 1999 opening round: a 40-36 win over Grove City. The Tigers have won 20 in a row, including the District 10 title game against West Middlesex. In the 1930 state playoffs, Sharon defeated Ken High, 20-10. No, that wasn't a slowdown game. In those days, there was a center jump after every basket.

Saturday

• Fox Chapel vs. Penn Hills at North Hills Middle School, 4:30 p.m. The teams split regular-season section games, and this could be one of the day's closest matchups. Fox Chapel last won a state playoff game in the 1998 opening round, defeating Bradford, 60-45. Penn Hills won the WPIAL Class 6A title Saturday, defeating Pine-Richland, 60-56. The Foxes have to battle staleness, playing just their second game in 26 days.

• Leechburg boys vs. Cambridge Springs, Meadville High School, 5:30 p.m. Nothing says idyllic, small-town America like having a prison in the middle of the community. That's the story of Cambridge Springs, former home of Alliance College until the school went out of business. Now it's a female state prison. Former Apollo-Ridge and Plum coach Ron Richards holds the scoring record at Alliance, a record that never will be broken. It'll be the Blue Devils vs. the Blue Devils as Leechburg seeks its first PIAA win after losses to Elk County Christian in 2006 and DuBois Central Catholic in '07.

• Springdale vs. West Middlesex at Sharon High School, 7 p.m. The Dynamos are looking for their first PIAA tournament victory since March 11, 1991, when Springdale defeated Sharpsville, 59-23, at Farrell High School. It was the 659th and final victory in the legendary career of coach Chuck DeVenzio. The Dynamos were eliminated by Conemaugh Township in the second round and haven't been back to the state playoffs since. Current coach Seth Thompson has done a masterful job keeping the team together despite player defections and injuries.

George Guido is a Valley News Dispatch scholastic sports correspondent. His column appears Wednesdays.