A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 11, 2023

By: Michael Love
Friday, March 10, 2023 | 3:28 PM

PIAA basketball playoffs

Girls

Class 4A

First round

Highlands (16-9) vs. Penn Cambria (12-12)

3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mt. Aloysius College, Cresson

District finish: Highlands 7-4; Penn Cambria 6-1

Winner plays: Winner of Fairview (19-8)/Beaver (15-10) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Abby Crossman, Penn Cambria

Layup lines: Highlands enters the playoffs hoping to bounce back from a pair of WPIAL-playoff losses — to North Catholic in the WPIAL semifinals and to Quaker Valley in the third-place consolation. The Golden Rams struggled offensively against the Quakers, scoring 22 points under their season average in the 44-28 setback. Myers, a junior who is a marksman from beyond the arc, led Highlands with 10 points. The Golden Rams are in the PIAA playoffs for the first time in program history. They clinched with a 43-37 victory over Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL quarterfinals. They are the fourth-place team from the WPIAL behind champion North Catholic, runner-up Blackhawk and Quaker Valley. Highlands is paced by Myers, fellow juniors Jocelyn Bielak, Kalleigh Nerone and Shelby Wojcik, and senior forward Ava Nitowski. … Penn Cambria captured its third District 6 title (1993, 2019) with a 54-25 victory over Somerset in the Class 4A final at Mt. Aloysius. The Panthers bumped up to Class 4A this season. Last year, they entered the state playoffs as the fourth-place team from District 6 Class 3A and faced North Catholic. The Trojanettes won 52-36 en route to the PIAA semifinals. With the district title win, Penn Cambria reached .500 for the first time this year. The Panthers started the season 2-8, but they rallied to go 10-4 since the start of January. Crossman, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, almost outscored Somerset herself in the District 6 title game with 24 points. Fellow Panthers senior Emily Hite scored 12 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Penn Cambria, the third seed for its District 6 playoff, forced 25 Somerset turnovers.

Knoch (17-9) at Punxsutawney (22-1)

3 p.m. Saturday at Punxsutawney High School, Punxsutawney

District finish: Knoch 7-5; Punxsutawney 9-1

Winner plays: Winner of Blackhawk (21-4)/Warren (18-7) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Hattie McGraw, Knoch; Avary Powell, Punxsutawney

Layup lines: Knoch is back in the PIAA playoffs for the second straight season after last year’s run to the WPIAL finals and the second round of the state tournament. The Knights again will face the District 9 champion in the first round. Last year, Knoch, on its home court playing in its first PIAA playoff game, rolled past St. Mary’s, 65-35, on the strength of 15 3-pointers. The Knights fell to District 3 champ Delone Catholic in the PIAA second round last year. Knoch fell to Quaker Valley in the WPIAL quarterfinals but rallied in the consolation bracket. The Knights clinched one of the six WPIAL Class 4A playoff berths at states with a dominating 66-44 win over Belle Vernon in the consolation semifinals. Knoch got balanced scoring as four players — senior McGraw (15), juniors CeCe Kosecki (12) and Naturelle Ewing (12) and senior Nina Shaw (11) — reached double figures. The Knights then clinched the No. 5 seed to states with a 42-29 victory over Beaver behind 12 from McGraw and 11 more from Shaw. … Punxsutawney rallied past St. Mary’s for the District 9 championship. It was the Chucks’ eighth district title in the last nine years. The win denied the Flying Dutch their third District 9 title in a row and second straight trip to the PIAA playoffs. It was Punxsutawney’s third win over St. Mary’s in as many matchups this season. Powell and fellow sophomore Samantha Griebel hit key field goals late in the game, and junior Danielle Griebel added a 3-pointer to help Punxsutawney rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Chucks won despite shooting 31% from the field (17-54) and 15% from 3-point range (3-20). Powell led with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior Chloe Presloid is Punxsutawney’s leading scorer at 16.1 points per game. She scored a career-high 36 points against Bradford last month with 27 coming on nine 3-pointers.

Class A

First round

St. Joseph (20-6) vs. Williamsburg (26-1)

4 p.m. Saturday at Claysburg-Kimmel High School, Claysburg

District finish: St. Joseph 7-4; Williamsburg 6-1

Winner plays: Winner of Jamestown (5-18)/DuBois Central Catholic (14-12) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Julie Spinelli, St. Joseph; Ayla Hileman, Williamsburg

Layup lines: St. Joseph hopes for a better fate in the PIAA first round Saturday than the one it experienced last year when it fell to District 5 champion Shanksville Stonycreek, 61-45. The Spartans feature one of the tallest lineups in the Class A tournament with junior Anna Kreinbrook leading the way at 6-foot-2. Fellow junior Spinelli is 5-11, and juniors Emma Swierczewski and Maggie Bernat both are 5-10. The Spartans clinched a spot in the PIAA playoffs with their 53-46 win over Monessen in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Its run in the WPIAL tournament ended with a loss to eventual champion Union, 55-40, in the semifinals. St. Joseph was locked into the No. 4 seed from the WPIAL with its 54-48 setback to Bishop Canevin in the third-place consolation. Spinelli led the way with 19 points against the Crusaders. She is averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 steals. Sophomore guard Gia Richter added 12 points, and Kreinbrook added 12 blocks. Kreinbrook averages 5.5 blocks. … Williamsburg lost its season opener to Penns Manor, 50-39, but it hasn’t lost since. The Blue Pirates own a potent offense, averaging 61.4 points. They also average 32.5 rebounds and 15.3 steals. Williamsburg rolled to the District 6 championship and topped Bishop Guilfoyle, 57-39, in the title game. It is the Blue Pirates’ first district championship since 1997. Hileman, a 5-8 junior guard, led Williamsburg with 22 points against the Marauders. Freshman point guard LeAnna Royer added 12 points and four assists, and senior guard/forward Jayla Woodruff contributed 10 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Williamsburg lost in the District 6-A title game last year, but it rebounded in the PIAA playoffs with three victories en route to a spot in the semifinals.

Boys

Class 3A

First round

Deer Lakes (17-8) vs. Seneca (12-13)

3:30 p.m. Saturday, Deer Lakes High School, West Deer

District finish: Deer Lakes 7-1; Seneca 10-3

Winner plays: Winner of Bishop Guilfoyle (23-4)/Loyalsock Township (15-11) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Bryce Robson, Deer Lakes; Evan Moffett, Seneca

Layup lines: Deer Lakes is riding a four-game winning streak, including a thrilling 61-60 victory over OLSH in the WPIAL championship game. It was the first title in program history for the Lancers. Robson scored 18 points to lead Deer Lakes in the finals. Billy Schaeffer had 11 and Wayne Love 10 for the Lancers. Robson averaged 18.1 points in the regular season. The Lancers average 68.8 points as a team and allow just 55.3. Though the Deer Lakes boys have never won a PIAA title, the girls’ team captured the 1985 championship in Class AAA with a win over Palmyra. … Seneca lost to Oil City in the District 10 semifinals but bounced back to beat Fairview, 58-44, in the consolation game March 3. Moffett scored 17 points and added 13 rebounds in the win. Senior guard Logan Kibbe reached 1,000 career points in late February. Last season, Seneca played in the District 10 championship game for the second time in program history and first since 1967. Seneca is looking for its first PIAA title. This will be the Bobcats’ fourth trip to the state tournament (1967, 1996, 2022). Last season, Seneca lost to South Allegheny, 52-41, in the opening round.

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: Deer Lakes, Highlands, Knoch, St. Joseph