2012 WPIAL Boys Basketball Championship Previews

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 2, 2012 | 1:27 PM

For the WPIAL boys basketball championships this weekend, the theme might be: “Weren’t you just here?”

Three of the eight finalists at Duquesne University’s Palumbo Center were in the title games a year ago – Gateway in Class AAAA, Monessen in Class AA and Lincoln Park in Class A. Lincoln Park has actually been in the title game the past two seasons.

Here is a look at the title games.

CLASS AAAA
The game: Gateway (19-6) vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (15-10), Saturday at 9 p.m.

The statistics: Central Catholic senior guard Lincoln Davis averages 20.2 points a game while senior guard Tyler Scott leads Gateway at 16.5 points a game. … Central Catholic has held three playoff opponents below 50 points. Gateway has scored 60 or more in three playoff games.

What to look for: This looks like an even matchup between two teams that were highly acclaimed coming into the season, but didn’t quite live up to expectations during the regular season. Now, they both appear to be hitting full stride. … Gateway’s overall team size has given opponents problems in the playoffs, but Central Catholic is the biggest team the Gators have faced in the postseason. … Central’s Davis has to be one of the best leapers in the state and he has had many highlight-reel dunks. … Both teams like to play man-to-man. Gateway must be able to handle Central Catholic’s pressure defense. … If Gateway’s Tyler Scott and Barnett Harris both score around 15 or more, Central Catholic could have problems. … Scott and Davis are extremely athletic. It will be interesting to see if they guard each other. … Central Catholic coach Chuck Crummie has always been a man-to-man defense coach, but the Vikings played some zone in the semifinals. Will they do it again?

History lesson: Gateway could become the first team to win back-to-back titles in Class AAAA since New Castle won three in a row from 1997-99. … Although Central Catholic coach Chuck Crummie has more than 500 career victories, this is only his third championship appearance. The 1987 team, which featured Jim McCoy, lost to Penn Hills, 64-44. The 2008 team defeated Moon, 55-54, on a 3-pointer by Matt McKenna with 1.1 seconds left.

CLASS AAA
The game: New Castle (25-0) vs. Hampton (22-3), Friday at 9 p.m.

The statistics: Junior forward Shawn Anderson averages 19 a game for New Castle and senior forward Corey Eggleston 18. … Sophomore Ryan Luther leads Hampton at 15 points a game. … New Castle is the only undefeated team in the boys’ playoffs. … New Castle averages 81.3 points a game, the best in the WPIAL. The Red Hurricanes allow only 53 a game. … The two teams met in December and New Castle won, 78-61, but led by only five going into the fourth quarter. New Castle has scored 74, 96 and 72 points in three playoff games. They have won three games by 16, 44 and 41 points.

What to look for: New Castle likes to run and gets a lot of offense off its pressure defense. How well Hampton handles that pressure defense might be the biggest key to the game. … Hampton would probably like a game in the 50s. … When Hampton lost to New Castle in December, 6-5 senior center Mark Pilarski didn’t play because of an appendectomy. … Hampton has a big size advantage, but can the Talbots take advantage of it. … If Hampton can handle the traps and 6-6 Ryan Luther and 6-5 Collin Luther are able to throw over top of the traps, Hampton could be right in the game.

History lesson: New Castle is trying to become the first team to win a WPIAL title in any class with an undefeated record since Blackhawk in 2000. … This is the fourth time in six years Hampton is in the title game. … It was only three years ago that Hampton tied a WPIAL Class AAA championshp game scoring record when the Talbots beat Highlands, 84-59.

CLASS AA
The game: Monessen (23-2) vs. Beaver Falls (23-2), Saturday at 5 p.m.

The statistics: Jaisen Irwin, a 6-4 senior forward, leads Monessen at 17.9 points a game. The funny thing is he doesn’t start. Earl Pinkney has scored in double figures four of the past five games. … Sheldon Jeter, a 6-7 senior forward for Beaver Falls, averages 21 points a game and has scholarship offers from Wisconsin, South Carolina and Kansas State, among others. … Beaver Falls has won three playoff games by 25, 18 and 30 points. … Sophomore guard Elijah Cottrill has played well the last part of the season for Beaver Falls, scoring in double figures eight of the past nine games.

What to look for: Beaver Falls’ full-court, man-to-man defense has been a primary reason for the Tigers’ success – along with the play of Jeter, who seems to pick it up a notch in big games. … Monessen needs a big game from Irwin, who had 33 in the semifinals against Greensburg Central Catholic. A big question is who will guard Jeter? Or will Monessen play some zone?

History lesson: Monessen is the defending WPIAL champion. Did you know that Monessen won two PIAA titles in a row in 1988 and ’89, but didn’t win the WPIAL championship either year. … This is Beaver Falls’ fifth championship appearance under coach Doug Biega. Their last appearance was in 2008 when a lad named Terrelle Pryor had 39 points, 24 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in an 82-68 victory.

CLASS A
The game: Lincoln Park (21-4) vs. Cornell (19-5), 5 p.m. Friday.

The statistics: Lincoln Park is a high-scoring team with three players averaging 14 points or more. Senior guard Trey Hosack leads at 18.2, senior center Devontae Watson is next at 14.8 and sophomore forward Ryan Skovranko averages 14.7. … Corey Mackey leads Cornell at 15.4 points. … Lincoln Park defeated Cornell twice during the season (92-81 and 76-52). The 11-point game was the closest any Class A team has come to Lincoln Park. … Dorian Maynard has been Cornell’s top scorer lately, going for 14 and 19 in the past two games.

What to look for: Can Cornell slow down Lincoln Park? What will Cornell do against Lincoln Park’s size? Cornell’s tallest starter is 6-1. Lincoln Park starts 6-11 Watson, a Temple recruit, 6-6 Skovranko and 6-4 Jaylin Cottrill. Cornell tried to run with Lincoln Park in the previous two games. Will the Raiders do it again or change their approach? Of course, Lincoln Park’s defense many time forces the tempo. … Lincoln Park is a big favorite. It will take a monumental effort by Cornell to win.

History lesson: Lincoln Park is the first team to make the Class A final three years in a row since Duquesne qualified five consecutive years from 1992-96. Cornell has five WPIAL titles. The first was in 1979 and the last was in 2000.

Tags: Cornell, Gateway, Hampton, Lincoln Park