Trib HSSN What to Watch for: Monday, March 22, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, March 21, 2021 | 9:55 PM

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It was an emotional PIAA quarterfinals weekend for the WPIAL basketball champions.

From blowout wins by the Lincoln Park boys, OLSH boys and North Allegheny girls, to heartbreak losses for the Beaver girls and Ellwood City boys and the Bishop Canevin boys having to forfeit before they hit the court because of a positive covid-19 test.

And that doesn’t even include the storybook win by the Upper St. Clair six.

It truly was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

What type of ride do the eight remaining District 7 teams have in store for Monday’s semifinals?

Seems like a perfect time for some Final 4 factoids.

Hickory at Lincoln Park, 6:30 p.m.

Lincoln Park’s first PIAA playoff game was 1 years ago. In that short period of time, the Leopards have amassed 33 state postseason wins and two state titles. … The Leopards are 5-3 in PIAA semifinals games, including a win over District 10 Sharon in 2019 Class 3A. … Lincoln Park never has played Hickory in the state playoffs, but the WPIAL champs are 5-2 against teams from District 10. … Hickory defeated New Castle and Huntingdon last year before the pandemic cancelled the tournament prior to their quarterfinals game against Greenville. … Hickory is 21-20 all-time in the PIAA playoffs after winning a thriller over Johnstown. At one time, the D-10 champs were 5-13 after losing to Aliquippa in 1992.

North Allegheny vs. Cumberland Valley, 5 p.m.

This is the eighth straight season the North Allegheny girls qualified for the PIAA postseason. … The Tigers are 1-3 since 2015 in the PIAA semifinals. The lone victory came against Souderton, 32-31, in 2017. … These teams clashed in a memorable 2016 state semifinal. Abby Gonzalez hit a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining to give NA a 42-41 lead. However Cumberland Valley’s Morgan Baughman was fouled on the inbound pass and sank both free throws with 0.8 seconds left to give the Eagles a 43-42 win. … The Eagles won the last three Class AAAA girls basketball state titles before expansion to six classifications. CV won the 2014, 2015 and 2016 PIAA AAAA crowns. … North Allegheny has won eight in a row coming into Monday’s matchup. Cumberland Valley brings a seven-game win streak into the state semifinals game at Altoona High School.

Forest Hills at Mohawk, 6:30 p.m.

Mohawk has won three straight state playoff games, all by double digits. The Warriors average margin of victory in those three wins is 19 points. … The Warriors are in the state semifinals for the first time. … The last time a Mohawk basketball team won a PIAA semifinals game was 51 years ago. The Warriors boys team won and advanced to the 1970 state title game. … Forest Hills beat Quaker Valley and Villa Maria Academy in the 2020 Class 4A state playoffs and were set to face North Catholic in the quarterfinals when the PIAA postseason was cancelled. … The Rangers have a 24-game winning streak and their only loss over the last two seasons was to Bishop Guilfoyle, 57-48, last February.

Penns-Manor at Neshannock, 6:30 p.m.

Neshannock has appeared in the girls state payoffs in six of the last eight years and has a 5-5 overall record after beating Windber, 51-48, in the quarterfinals, 51-48. … In the past decade, the Lancers are 1-2 against District 6 teams in the PIAA postseason. The lone win came in the 2019 first round, 42-38 over Tyrone. … History is not on the side of Penns-Manor. Only three District 6 girls teams have won PIAA titles this century. Bishop Guilfoyle has three titles and Bishop Carroll has two. The good news for the Comets is Bellwood-Antis won the past two PIAA Class 2A girls basketball crowns in 2018 and 2019. … Penns-Manor has won four straight games and six of their last seven while Neshannock has a five-game winning streak and has won 17 of their last 19 games.

PIAA team wrestling begins

WPIAL team champions Waynesburg Central in Class AAA and Burrell in AA return Wednesday for a PIAA quarterfinals match.

Their opponents will be decided Monday.

In first-round state playoff matches, City League champion Carrick visits Cathedral Prep in Erie in AAA with the winner visiting Waynesburg Central on Wednesday. In AA, Chestnut Ridge visits Brookville on Monday with the winner at Burrell in the state quarters on Wednesday.