A-K Valley basketball’s starting 5 season primer

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 7, 2017 | 8:51 PM

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Boys

5 players to watch

Ben Beale, Sr., 6-2, G/F, Freeport — Beale hit one of the biggest shots of last season, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to upset Indiana. Not only did the sharpshooting son of coach Mike Beale lead the Yellowjackets with 16.1 points per game, his size made him an impactful rebounder.

Luke Cochran, So., 6-1, G, Highlands — Although he played sparingly as a freshman, Cochran earned MVP honors as the Golden Rams won the Pittsburgh Basketball Club's summer league and figures to step up as the point guard for a young team.

Carson Cohen, Sr., 6-1, G, Fox Chapel — The Tufts (Mass.) recruit led the Foxes in scoring last season and figures to carry a heavier load this season in the wake of Fox Chapel's graduation losses.

Christian Hack, Sr., 5-11, G, Leechburg — Of the Blue Devils' three returning starters, Hack is the most seasoned and the most natural scorer. He needs about 150 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

Dru Stokes, Sr., 5-10, G, Valley — On a Valley team deep in returning talent, especially on the perimeter, Stokes is the point guard engine that can make the Vikings go.

5 teams to watch

Fox Chapel: After an entertaining race, the Foxes shared the Section 3-6A title with Latrobe and Penn Hills before bowing out in their first playoff game. Three starters graduated, but guards Carson Cohen and Ben Kelly will lead the way.

Freeport: The Yellowjackets finished second in Section 1-4A last season and knocked off section champ Indiana along the way. Guards Ben Beale, Jalen Brown and Gavin Skradski return, but the team will miss steady seniors Kevin Lynch and Evan Schaffhauser.

Highlands: Perhaps no team saw more offseason overhaul than the Golden Rams after the graduation of one of the most successful senior classes in school history. But a Pittsburgh Basketball Club summer league title — with a championship win over Allderdice — gives them confidence.

St. Joseph: The Spartans are one of the most consistent playoff contenders in Class A, but veteran coach Kelly Robinson faces some questions after the graduation of three starters and an injury to projected starter Matt Arvay.

Valley: The Vikings seemingly had their playoff game against McGuffey won until some late turnovers and cold shooting caused a double-digit lead to slip away. With four starters back, Valley should contend in Section 1-4A.

5 storylines to watch

A happier ending?: The A-K Valley's playoff-qualifying boys teams last season went home after their first games, including some gut-wrenching losses. They'll look for more postseason success this time.

Late-season entertainment: Several section races came down to the wire last season. Riverview beat Springdale in the season finale, knocking the Dynamos out of the playoffs and letting Leechburg in. Five teams qualified in Section 3-5A, including Highlands and Kiski Area. And Fox Chapel, Latrobe and Penn Hills shared the Section 3-6A title, staging classic games along the way. What's coming as an encore?

No more Richards: Plum games will have a different look this season, with Hart Coleman replacing Ron Richards on the sidelines. The intense Richards won more than 250 games and four section titles in 17 seasons.

On guard(s): Score one for the little guys. Talent abounds on the perimeter around the A-K Valley, particularly at Valley — where Nyjewel Carter, Deonte Ross, Dru Stokes and Alex Ward lead the way. Other top guards include Logan Bitar at Burrell, Carson Cohen at Fox Chapel, Ben Beale at Freeport, Luke Cochran at Highlands, Christian Hack at Leechburg and Mike Zolnierzyk at Springdale.

Youth in revolt: Several teams will need their young players to step up after big graduation losses. Deer Lakes, Highlands and Kiski Area are among last season's playoff teams that will need a boost. All-time leading scorer Nico Sero is gone at Riverview. And the biggest hole is at Cheswick Christian, after 6-foot-10 center Ben Pollock graduated.

Girls

5 players to watch

Alex Jones, Sr., 5-9, G/F, St. Joseph — After primarily coming off the bench for WPIAL semifinalist Spartans, she'll claim a spot in the starting lineup. Jones can play any position on the floor and averaged 11.4 points last season.

Mikayla Lovelace, Sr., 5-10, G/F, Leechburg — The IUP recruit is already the most prolific player in Leechburg history with 1,455 career points and will look to lead the senior-heavy Blue Devils to even greater heights this season.

Jenna Manke, Sr., 5-9, F, Freeport — On a guard-heavy team, Manke was the interior threat and posted regular double-doubles last season as the Yellowjackets made a run to the PIAA playoffs.

Megan Ost, Sr., 6-1, F, Apollo-Ridge — She averaged a double-double with 15.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for a young Vikings team and will look to lead them to the playoffs this season.

Hannah Potter, So., 5-5, G, Kiski Area — Potter led a young Cavaliers team in scoring as a freshman. A longtime student of coach Nick Ionadi, she'll be counted on for leadership and scoring ability at point guard this season.

5 teams to watch

Deer Lakes: After a slow start last season, Deer Lakes came on to earn a spot in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. With four returning starters, the Lancers could be ready to take a jump this season.

Freeport: The Yellowjackets had one of the stingiest defenses in the Alle-Kiski Valley last season and advanced to the PIAA playoffs even while starting three freshmen. Four starters return, including top scorers Jenna Manke and Sidney Shemanski.

Kiski Area: The Cavaliers took a step forward in their rebuilding process last season but still went winless in section play. With virtually its entire core returning, Kiski Area hopes to keep its upward trajectory going.

Leechburg: The Blue Devils made history last season, winning WPIAL and PIAA playoff games for the first time in school history. The senior class responsible for Leechburg's rise — Hannah Berry, Cam Davies, Makenzie Fello, Daesha Knight, Mikayla Lovelace and Brittany Robilio — is ready for one last run.

St. Joseph: The Spartans made the PIAA playoffs and just missed a trip to the WPIAL championship game last season. Three official starters — Gia Angelo, Chloe Kurpakus and Anna Swierczewski — and another unofficial one — Alex Jones — return as St. Joseph seeks a repeat.

5 storylines to watch

Encore, encore: Freeport, Leechburg and St. Joseph made runs to the PIAA playoffs last season, and with a large amount of returning experience, all three schools look poised for at least a repeat of that performance. One factor they'll have to combat is their new status as favorite and the target that comes with it.

New era at Burrell: After a run of four state playoff appearances in six seasons under former coach Meghan Ziemianski, Burrell is under a new coach in Meaghan Volek and has perhaps its most unheralded team in years. The Bucs will try to keep their tradition going.

Numbers game: Springdale had to cancel its early nonsection games when the Dynamos couldn't field enough players at the beginning of last season. Valley likewise struggled with numbers, and the two schools combined for a single win. Both have larger rosters this year and hope for more success.

On the rise?: Apollo-Ridge and Kiski Area saw neighboring school Leechburg rise from the bottom of the WPIAL to a playoff team. Now the Vikings and Cavaliers, both of whom played mostly underclassmen last season, are looking for their own success story.

Section 1-4A race: It includes the most A-K Valley teams, with Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands and Valley. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic begins the season as the heavy favorite; can anyone knock the defending WPIAL champs off their perch?

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Cheswick Christian, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Kiski School, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley