A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff preview capsules for Wednesday’s games

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 | 8:15 PM

Boys

Class 4A

First round

No. 8 Valley (13-4) vs. No. 9South Park (12-9)

8 p.m. Wednesday at North Hills

On the air:TribHSSN.triblive.com

Winner plays: No. 1 Quaker Valley (21-0)

Layup lines: Valley returns to the playoffs for the second consecutive season after tying for second place in Section 1-4A. Last season’s postseason appearance ended in heartbreak, as a double-digit lead slipped away in the fourth quarter of a first-round loss to McGuffey. Senior Dru Stokes, who has four go-ahead shots this season, leads Valley, which won 11 of its final 13 games. The Vikings are seeking their first playoff win since 2009. … South Park, which tied for third place in Section 3-4A, is making its first playoff appearance since 2015. The Eagles’ resume includes a victory over section champion Belle Vernon. South Park averages 65.5 points but also gives up 65.

No. 10 Freeport (15-6) vs. No. 7 South Fayette (15-7)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

On the air:

TribHSSN.triblive.com

Winner plays: No. 2 New Castle (18-4)

Layup lines: The Yellowjackets and Lions meet in the first round for the second consecutive season. South Fayette won 63-60 last year and then beat Freeport by three points in the first weekend of this season. … Freeport is seeking its first playoff win since 2010. The Yellowjackets won 13 of 15 games to close the regular season. They average 67.6 points, second best in Class 4A, with a high of 99 points. Senior Ben Beale, a Penn State-Behrend recruit, averages 18.8 ppg. … The second-place team from Section 3-4A, South Fayette advanced to the PIAA playoffs last season. The Lions’ defense yielded 50.4 points per game, holding Freeport to a season-low 46 points.

No. 11 Deer Lakes (12-9) vs. No. 6 Ambridge (12-9)

8 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel

On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com

Winner plays: No. 3 Belle Vernon (17-5)

Layup lines: Deer Lakes gets another crack at its first WPIAL playoff victory since 1985. The Lancers lost to Belle Vernon in last season’s first round. The fourth-place team from Section 1-4A, Deer Lakes lost its final two section games by a combined seven points — including an overtime defeat. Jake Kelly leads a deep roster, as the Lancers often use as many as 10 players in their rotation. … Ambridge finished in fourth place in the rugged Section 2-4A, behind Quaker Valley, New Castle and Central Valley. The Bridgers missed the postseason entirely last season. Aaron Hilzendeger averaged a team-best 19.8 points for Ambridge,

Girls

Class 3A

First round

No. 11 Apollo-Ridge (10-12) vs. No. 6 Charleroi (19-3)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Peters Township

On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com

Winner plays: No. 3 Neshannock (19-3)

Layup lines: Apollo-Ridge returns to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Vikings won a preliminary-round game over Frazier in their most recent appearance. Senior Megan Ost, a Carlow recruit, averages 16.5 points and 10.8 rebounds for Apollo-Ridge, while Maddy Moore averages 11.9 and set a single-season school record with 41 3-pointers. The Vikings enter the postseason on a five-game losing streak. … The second-place team from Section 2-3A, Charleroi has won 10 of 11 games. The team’s lone losses came to No. 2 seed East Allegheny and Class 5A playoff qualifier Ringgold. Kaitlyn Riley and Maria Claybaugh average 16.3 and 16.1 ppg, respectively, for Charleroi, which gives up 36.5 ppg defensively.

— Doug Gulasy

Tags: Ambridge, Apollo-Ridge, Charleroi, Deer Lakes, Freeport, South Fayette, South Park, Valley