A-K Valley lookahead for Week of Feb. 11, 2019

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, February 10, 2019 | 10:36 PM

MONDAY

Girls basketball: Deer Lakes and Freeport don’t share the same section — or even the same classification — anymore, but will meet up in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader at Deer Lakes. Both the host Lancers and visiting Yellowjackets qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, Deer Lakes in Class 3A and Freeport in 4A. Freeport swept the two games against Deer Lakes last season, 53-41 and 45-40.

Valley and Kiski Area missed out on the WPIAL playoffs, but they’ll finish the season with a nonsection game.

Plum and Fox Chapel will finish their prep for the WPIAL playoffs with nonsection games against Burrell and Armstrong, respectively.

Boys basketball: Deer Lakes and Freeport built an intense rivalry as section opponents, and they’ll see if a nonsection game will have the same fire as they meet at Deer Lakes in the second game of a girls-boys doubleheader. Freeport swept the two meetings last year, including an 80-78 thriller at Deer Lakes.

Plum and Woodland Hills will get a unique experience, as they’ll play a nonsection game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Hockey: Knoch is hoping to move up the PIHL Division II standings, and the Knights (5-12) face a difficult test against Neshannock (12-3-0-1). The Knights have lost six of their past seven games. Neshannock beat them, 4-1, earlier this season.

TUESDAY

Boys/girls basketball: The Alle-Kiski Valley’s playoff qualifiers will find out their fates as the WPIAL releases the brackets for the opening rounds of the postseason at the league’s annual pairings meeting in Green Tree.

Hockey: Burrell will attempt to finish off a perfect regular season as the Bucs travel to Connellsville (12-2-0-2) for their Division II finale. The Bucs (19-0) are coming off a week in which they scored 23 goals in wins over Knoch and Morgantown. They beat Connellsville, 7-2, earlier this season.

THURSDAY

Hockey: With a Penguins Cup playoff berth already clinched, Freeport will look to pick up some momentum for the postseason as the Yellowjackets (5-10) visit Beaver (2-14). Connor Hoffman and Alex Colflesh each scored a pair of goals in Freeport’s 7-1 win over Beaver earlier this season.

FRIDAY

Wrestling: The WPIAL individual season gets underway in Class AA, as section tournaments and the first round of the WPIAL championships take place at Canon-McMillan. Burrell has three returning section champions in junior Bryan Gaul and sophomores A.J. Corrado and Ian Oswalt, while Valley seniors Matt Ashbaugh and David Schuffert also won titles last season. The section tournament begins at 3 p.m., with consolation and championship finals at 7 p.m. The top four placewinners in each section advance to the WPIAL championships. The first round of the WPIAL championships will begin at approximately 9:30.

Basketball: The WPIAL basketball playoffs are scheduled to begin with first-round games.

SATURDAY

Wrestling: The WPIAL Class AA individual championships will conclude at Canon-McMillan, with quarterfinals at 10 a.m., semifinals at 12:20 p.m. and the championship and consolation finals at 5. The top seven finishers in each weight class advance to the PIAA Class AA Southwest Regional. Burrell’s Ian Oswalt won a WPIAL title as a freshman last season.

Basketball: The first round of the WPIAL playoffs will continue.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski School, Knoch, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, St. Joseph, Valley