A-K Valley high school lookahead: Week of Jan. 15, 2018

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 15, 2018 | 12:22 AM

Monday

Burrell girls basketball faces a significant week as the Bucs (3-8, 1-4) attempt to remain in the Section 1-4A playoff race, and it begins with a game at archrival Valley. The Vikings (2-10, 0-5) are looking to snap a five-game losing streak.

• Deer Lakes hockey plays another key PIHL Class A game, traveling to Wesbanco Arena to face Wheeling Catholic. The Lancers (6-6) stand just behind Wheeling Catholic (6-7-1) in Class A.

Tuesday

The Alle-Kiski Valley's top two wrestling teams square off as Kiski Area hosts Burrell for their annual rivalry match. The Class AAA No. 2 Cavaliers won each of the past six meetings, but the Class AA No. 1 Bucs have one of their deepest rosters in recent memory. Both teams won WPIAL titles in their respective classifications last season.

• Deer Lakes and Freeport play a significant Section 1-4A basketball doubleheader at Freeport Area Middle School, with the girls playing at 6 p.m. and the boys at 7:30. Both games hold major meaning in the section race. Deer Lakes (5-5, 2-2) trails Freeport (6-5, 4-1) by a game-and-a-half in the girls standings. The Lancers have won two straight in section play and Freeport three in a row. Freeport's boys (6-4, 2-2) began the week on the outside of the playoff race, but a win over Deer Lakes (6-5, 2-1) would put the Yellowjackets on the inside.

• Leechburg travels to Brentwood in a Section 2-2A girls basketball matchup of ranked teams. The No. 4 Blue Devils (9-2, 5-1) and No. 5 Spartans (10-3, 5-1) are tied for second place in the section.

• Highlands and Gateway began the week tied for second place in Section 3-5A boys basketball, and the winner of this matchup will gain an edge. The host Golden Rams (8-3, 2-1) have won six games in a row but face a major test against Gateway (5-6, 2-1) and its talented big man, John Paul Kromka.

Wednesday

Burrell faces its second rivalry wrestling match in as many nights, this time squaring off against Valley. The host Vikings face a major undertaking against the Bucs, however. Burrell, the 12-time defending section champion, recently won its 100th consecutive section match.

• St. Joseph and Quigley Catholic met in the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs in four out of the past five seasons, with Quigley Catholic winning in 2013-15 before St. Joseph got its revenge with a 69-65 win in last season's WPIAL Class A quarterfinals. The teams meet in a nonsection game. No. 4 Quigley (6-6) is holding teams to 24 ppg during its three-game winning streak. St. Joseph (6-6) is averaging 56 ppg.

Thursday

Burrell and Highlands are attempting to stay in the Section 1-4A girls basketball race, and they'll face off in a key game. The teams played twice this season, in the St. Joseph tip-off tournament and in a section game the following week. Burrell won both matchups, 61-42 and 56-46.

• Riverview put a scare into Leechburg in their first Section 2-2A meeting of the season before the No. 4 Blue Devils prevailed 51-46. Now the A-K Valley rivals meet again at Leechburg. Riverview (5-6, 2-4) needs a win to remain in the playoff race.

Friday

Freeport and Valley began the week as two of the hotter teams in Section 1-4A boys basketball, and the teams will square off at Freeport Area Middle School. Valley (7-2, 4-1) had won five in a row, and Freeport (6-4, 2-2) had taken four. Valley beat Freeport in the teams' section opener behind 24 points from Dru Stokes.

• Deer Lakes faces its second big Section 1-4A test of the week with a road trip to Indiana. The No. 4 Little Indians (8-1, 4-0) are averaging nearly 70 points per game in section play and beat Deer Lakes, 67-43, in their section opener. Deer Lakes has held six opponents to 50 points or fewer.

• Two weeks after the Westmoreland County Coaches Association wrestling tournament, the Allegheny County tournament will kick off at Fox Chapel. Wrestlers will compete for county glory. In the A-K Valley, that includes wrestlers from Fox Chapel, Highlands, Plum and Riverview.

Saturday

Twice Leechburg saw its Section 2-2A boys basketball contest against first-place Jeannette postponed by adverse weather conditions. The Blue Devils and Jayhawks will try for a third time Saturday afternoon at Leechburg. Jeannette (7-1, 3-0) beat second-place Serra Catholic in a double-OT thriller last week. Leechburg, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Springdale that dropped the Blue Devils into a third-place tie.

• The Allegheny County wrestling tournament concludes at Fox Chapel.

Week in review

Sid the kid: Sidney Shemanski led Freeport to a pair of Section 1-4A girls basketball victories last week, first scoring a game-high 21 points in a 55-15 win over Valley and then posting 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 48-37 victory over Burrell.

Carson feat: Carson Cohen missed Fox Chapel's Section 3-6A boys basketball loss to Penn-Trafford, but he came back strong with a 19-point performance in the Foxes' rout of Latrobe on Friday.