A-K Valley high school sports look-ahead: Week of Jan. 14, 2019

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 13, 2019 | 10:30 PM

Monday

Girls basketball

• Deer Lakes visits Shady Side Academy for a Section 3-3A game. Deer Lakes (9-2, 5-1) can tie for first place in the section with a win.

• Apollo-Ridge’s defense will be put to the test at Greensburg Salem, which features 1,500-point scorer Megan Kallock. Apollo-Ridge allows under 38 points per game.

• Knoch will try to slow top-ranked North Catholic in a Section 1-4A game. The defending WPIAL champion Trojanettes are averaging nearly 70 points.

Hockey

First-place Burrell returns to the ice for the first time in more than 10 days to take on Trinity in a Division II game at Pittsburgh Ice Arena.

Tuesday

Boys basketball

• St. Joseph will try to maintain its hold on first place in Section 3-A as the Spartans (11-2, 5-0) visit rival Leechburg (8-5, 4-1), which sits in second place.

• Freeport will see if it can cool down Knoch as the Yellowjackets visit the first-place Knights for a Section 1-4A game. Freeport (8-3, 3-1) sits a game behind the Knights in second place.

• Springdale fell out of first place in Section 1-2A after a narrow loss to Summit Academy, and the Dynamos (8-4, 4-2) will try to get back on track as they visit rival Riverview, which has lost six of eight since a 3-0 start.

• Rivals Burrell and Valley are back in the same section, and both could use a win as they meet for a Section 3-3A game. Valley (4-6, 4-1) is coming off its first section loss of the season, a game in which the Vikings played without seniors Nyjewel Carter and Deonte Ross.

Girls basketball

• Fox Chapel saw its four-game winning streak end at the hands of Seneca Valley last week, and the Foxes will attempt to bounce back quickly as they travel to Norwin (10-1, 4-1) for a Section 1-6A game. The Foxes (9-3, 4-2) and Knights are battling for second place in the section.

• A pair of local rivalry games will take place as Riverview (4-8, 2-3) hosts Springdale (0-12, 0-5) in a Section 2-2A game, and Valley (2-11) visits Burrell (3-8) in a nonsection game.

Wednesday

Wrestling

• The Section 3-AA subsection B regular-season championship will be decided when Valley hosts Burrell in their rivalry match.

• Kiski Area can secure the Section 1-AAA, subsection A, regular-season title if the No. 1 Cavaliers defeat Franklin Regional in their final section match. Franklin Regional was the last section team to beat Kiski Area (2015).

• Highlands can earn a spot in the Section 3-AA fifth-place match if the Golden Rams beat Summit Academy in the teams’ section finale. The winner of the fifth-place match would advance to the WPIAL playoffs.

Girls basketball

Apollo-Ridge and Leechburg met once this season already, with Apollo-Ridge (9-3) coasting to a 73-16 win at the Apollo Trust Company Holiday Tournament.

Thursday

Girls basketball

• Burrell and Apollo-Ridge went down to the wire in their first Section 1-4A meeting this season, with Apollo-Ridge getting a three-point win only after a potential tying 3 from Burrell missed the mark at the buzzer. The Bucs and Vikings will begin the second half of their section schedule against each other at Burrell.

• Fox Chapel edged Butler by three points in their first Section 1-6A matchup this season, and they teams will square off to start the second half of section play.

• Freeport and Greensburg Salem (6-6, 2-4) feature significant offensive firepower, potentially giving their Section 1-4A matchup some juice. Freeport won the first meeting this season 71-56.

Friday

Boys basketball

• The second half of the section season starts with a big game for St. Joseph, which visits Greensburg Central Catholic (7-5, 3-2) in Section 3-A. The Spartans held off the Centurions, 72-63, in mid-December.

• Apollo-Ridge, loser of three of its past four games, travels to Sto-Rox, which shares the Section 1-2A lead. Sto-Rox (7-5, 5-1) won the first matchup 62-44.

• Fox Chapel and Penn Hills meet for what should be an entertaining nonsection game at Penn Hills.

Wrestling

Allegheny County wrestlers will take center stage as Fox Chapel again hosts the Allegheny County tournament. Fox Chapel, Highlands, Plum and Riverview will attend from the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Saturday

Wrestling

• The Allegheny County Tournament will conclude at Fox Chapel, with 14 wrestlers claiming individual titles.

• Burrell will make its annual pilgrimage to Brookville High School for the “Ultimate Duals,” the Bucs’ final competition before the WPIAL team postseason begins.

Boys basketball

Freeport takes on another challenge in its nonsection schedule as the Yellowjackets visit Sewickley Academy (7-3), one of the top teams in Class 2A.

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