A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 13, 2025

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 11:48 AM

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WPIAL basketball playoffs

Girls

Class 4A

Preliminary round

17-Highlands (6-15) at 16-Yough (11-11)

7 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: At No. 1 Blackhawk (20-2), 7 p.m. on Monday in first round

Players to watch: Tyarah Woody, Highlands; Hailey Bock, Yough

Layup lines: Highlands made the playoffs despite starting the season 0-8. Woody (20 ppg) can score in bunches. The 5-foot-8 combo guard had 35 points in a win over Derry and 33 in a victory against Southmoreland. … Yough is back in the postseason for the second time in three years but has not won a playoff game since 2009. The team’s last winning season was 2010. Bock provides a strong post presence for the Cougars.

Class 2A

Preliminary round

17-Bentworth (7-14) at 16-Apollo-Ridge (9-11)

7 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: At No. 1 Neshannock (20-2), 7 p.m. on Tuesday in first round

Players to watch: Madison Hughley, Apollo-Ridge; Kayla O’Dell, Bentworth

Layup lines: Apollo-Ridge will host a WPIAL playoff game for the second time in the history of both the boys and girls programs. The Vikings, as the No. 6 seed, hosted Mohawk in the 2023 Class 3A first round but lost 55-41. Apollo-Ridge will be a part of a WPIAL playoff tournament for the fourth year in a row. The Vikings lost to No. 1 Avonworth in last year’s first round. The Vikings finished tied with Ellis School for fourth in Section 4 at 5-5. They were 3-3 in the second half of section play. Apollo-Ridge is scoring 36.1 points a game and is giving up 38.1. …. Bentworth is seeking its first playoff victory in 41 years. It has gone one-and-done seven times since tasting victory in the 1984 playoffs. The Bearcats finished tied for fourth in Section 3 with Carmichaels. The teams split their season series. Bentworth lost nine of its last 10 games in the regular season. O’Dell, a senior, leads the Bearcats in scoring at 9.0 points a game.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Bentworth, Highlands, Yough