A-K Valley boys basketball notebook: Holiday tournaments offer chance to reset, maintain momentum

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, December 26, 2024 | 4:45 PM

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The holiday break allows high school students to rest, relax and get refocused ahead of the new year.

For high school basketball players, it offers a chance to take a step away from the stress of section play and work on fundamentals, skills and strategy that will pay dividends as the calendar year turns and competition heats up toward a playoff run.

That doesn’t mean teams won’t be tested this week. Holiday tournaments are scheduled for boys basketball teams across the A-K Valley. Many matchups will provide opportunities to either rebound from slow starts or continue building momentum.

Here’s a look at some intriguing holiday tournament matchups for A-K Valley boys basketball teams.

Knights on the road

Knoch, Trib HSSN’s top-ranked team in Class 4A, will play in one of the marquee tournaments of the week.

The Knights (7-1) will take on Johnstown (6-0) at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Central Valley Roundball Classic at Geneva College.

Knoch then will play Class 5A No. 1 Baldwin (7-0) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Knights have won seven straight games since falling to Moon, 63-56, in the season opener, also played at Geneva College.

Home sweet home

Four area schools will be hosting holiday tournaments this week.

• Apollo-Ridge is off to a 2-7 start and will look to gain some traction with a matchup against Summit Academy (1-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Vikings’ host tournament. Leechburg (2-7) and River Valley will play in the earlier game at 4:30. The winners will play for the championship at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Apollo-Ridge defeated Leechburg in the season opener, 54-44, at the Blue Devils’ tip-off tournament.

• Coming off back-to-back WPIAL championships, Deer Lakes is 7-2 to start this season. The Lancers will welcome Section 2-3A leader Keystone Oaks (8-0), Indiana (2-4) and Belle Vernon (6-3). The Lancers will meet the Leopards at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Indiana at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

• Plum (4-3) will host a round-robin tourney featuring Shaler (4-4), Seneca Valley (3-6) and Highlands (1-5). The Mustangs and Golden Rams play at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Highlands takes on Shaler at 2 p.m. Saturday, with Seneca Valley vs. Plum to follow.

• St. Joseph (3-3) will have a local flair with three A-K Valley teams in attendance. Valley (3-5) will take on Propel Braddock Hills (1-8) at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with Cheswick Christian playing the Spartans at 7:30. Winners will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Close to home

Fox Chapel is 3-0 and atop the Section 1-6A standings and 7-1 overall after a thrilling 59-50 overtime win over Class 5A No. 3 Peters Township on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.

The Foxes will make the short trip to Shady Side Academy for the annual Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament. The Foxes will play the host Bulldogs (2-6) at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Class A No. 1 Neighborhood Academy (7-0) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Dynamos riding high

Springdale is riding a three-game winning streak and has a 7-1 overall record as it heads to the Aquinas Academy tournament for a matchup with Winchester Thurston (5-1) at 5 p.m. Friday. Carlynton (4-3) and host Aquinas (6-1), ranked fourth in Class A, will play in the other game, and the winners meet at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Heading north

• After dropping back-to-back games, Kiski Area (3-5) will head an hour and a half north to play Mohawk (6-2) at 6 p.m. Friday in the Sharon tournament. The winner plays the winner of Greenville and host Sharon in the championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

• Burrell (4-4) will visit Lawrence County to play at host Neshannock (6-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The winner will take on Grove City or Union at 7 p.m. Saturday.

• Freeport (1-6) will try to rebound from a five-game skid at the Slippery Rock tournament. The Yellowjackets will square off with Cranberry at 6 p.m. Friday and play Moniteau at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Notable

Burrell’s Tucker Bitar scored his 1,000th career point Saturday in the Bucs’ 63-56 win over Derry in the WCCA Shootout at Hempfield. … Riverview (4-5) is the lone A-K Valley boys basketball team not playing in a holiday tournament. The Raiders return to action Jan. 3 to host rival Springdale in a Section 1-2A contest. … Deer Lakes senior forward Nathaniel Moore is averaging over 22 points this season and has been on a scoring tear of late. In the past two weeks, he scored 35 against Mohawk, 17 vs. Freeport, 28 against Valley, 27 vs. Burrell and 22 against Plum.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

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