A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff preview capsules: Games of Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 | 5:46 PM

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BOYS

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

5-Highlands (17-6) at 4-Penn Hills (18-4)

7 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: 8-Hampton (13-10) at 1-Laurel Highlands (22-0) Monday in semifinals (site and time TBD)

Layup lines: Highlands is coming off a dominating 76-40 victory over Albert Gallatin in the first round Monday. Jimmy Kunst scored 24 points and surpassed 1,000 for his career. Bradyn Foster (16), Cam Reigard (11) and Carter Leri (10) also scored in double figures. The Golden Rams have won five of their past six games, including three straight. … Penn Hills rolled to a 72-57 victory over Chartiers Valley in the first round. Noah Barren had 19 points for the Indians, and Daemar Kelly (14), George Mitchell (13) and Julian Dugger (10) also contributed on the scoresheet. … The winner will be guaranteed a trip to the PIAA playoffs. The loser will have to rely on the WPIAL’s follow-the-leader format. The top seven teams advance in Class 5A.

GIRLS

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

9-Apollo-Ridge (16-5) at 1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-4)

7 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Greensburg C.C. (18-4)/5-Seton LaSalle (16-6) Monday in semifinals (site and time TBD)

Layup lines: Apollo-Ridge made Monday’s long trip to Fort Cherry worthwhile as it scored a 40-39 first-round victory over the Rangers. The Vikings are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years. Monday’s win snapped a three-game playoff losing skid. Apollo-Ridge advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. Junior Brinley Toland scored a game-best 18 points and added five steals and five assists for the Vikings against Fort Cherry … OLSH had no trouble with No. 16 Frazier in the first round Monday, winning 53-13. The Chargers used a balanced scoring effort led by Emily Schuck with 11 points. Kyleigh Nagy followed with nine, and Katie Hoff and Mia Grisafi added eight apiece. OLSH has won 15 games in a row after a 4-4 start. The Chargers scored regular-season nonsection wins over Class 5A Penn Hills and Class A power Rochester. OLSH is hoping to return to the top in Class 2A after winning WPIAL gold in 2019.

Class A

Quarterfinals

9-St. Joseph (9-13) at 1-Rochester (16-4)

7 p.m. Thursday

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Aquinas Academy (12-6)/5-Monessen (17-5) Monday in semifinals (site and time TBD)

Layup lines: St. Joseph has won four of its past five games and punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 45-37 victory over Mapletown in the first round Monday at Gateway. Sophomore Julie Spinelli led the way with 18 points, 10 rebound and six steals. Senior Trinity Lockwood-Morris added nine points and five steals. The Spartans controlled the boards with their height, and sophomores Anna Kreinbrook and Emma Swierczewski added 10 and nine rebounds, respectively. St. Joseph is in the WPIAL quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 … Rochester is seeking its fourth consecutive WPIAL Class A title. The Rams have won eight games in a row, and the streak included a 44-31 victory over previously undefeated Union in the Section 1 finale Feb. 10. Rochester and Union finished tied for the section title at 7-1. Senior guard Corynne Hauser is one of the top scorers in the WPIAL at 24.3 points per 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, Highlands, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Rochester, St. Joseph