Alle-Kiski Valley girls basketball notebook: Burrell looks to snap streak

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 | 5:41 PM

Ten years ago next week, Burrell girls basketball began postseason play as a WPIAL No. 2 seed and capped a four-year run as a top team in WPIAL Class AA.

The Bucs that season finished sixth in the WPIAL and went on to upset District 10 champion Harbor Creek and WPIAL champion Bishop Canevin in the state tournament before bowing out in the quarterfinals with a 22-7 record.

This year’s Burrell team is hoping to snap an overall six-game playoff losing streak including five straight WPIAL first-round exits since that 2015-16 season.

Coach Shaun Reddick feels his Bucs, a mix of youth and experience that took third in Section 1-4A behind Oakland Catholic and North Catholic and is 15-7 overall, can get the program back in the playoff winning ways. It will get that chance at 7 p.m. Monday at No. 8 Hampton.

“With turnover in our lineup, we are a new and different team this year,” Reddick said. “The girls are so excited for the opportunity. We got our seeding (No. 9), and we went right to work on a game plan (for Hampton). We hope our experience with the older kids will lead us, and the younger kids will come along and do the right things.

“Hampton has some size. We’re a more skill-based team. We’re not going to pound the paint like they will. Their size will be an issue. They also pass the ball really well and are relentless to the rim.”

Burrell was to face Winchester Thurston, which Reddick said is similar in style and size to Hampton, in a scrimmage Wednesday.

Fox Chapel hopes to tame Wildcats

Fox Chapel coach Marty Matvey said he did some research on Latrobe before Monday’s pairings announcement with the thought the Wildcats would be a possible first-round matchup.

That came to fruition when the WPIAL committee slotted the Foxes, who capped Section 1-5A play last Friday with a 60-43 victory over section champ Plum, as the No. 7 seed and paired them with Latrobe (14-8). The teams battle at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Fox Chapel.

The section-runner-up Foxes have won six in a row. Latrobe, third in Section 2 behind Indiana and Penn-Trafford, is 11-8.

“The girls have been playing really well together, and they deserve this opportunity to play at home,” Matvey said.

“Latrobe has good size and is well coached. We will see if our guard play and our havoc defensive style can disrupt them because they are so good on the boards.”

Fox Chapel is one of nine girls teams from the Alle-Kiski Valley to earn berths to the WPIAL playoffs, and the Foxes, Plum and Kiski Area kick everything off Friday.

Mustangs hope to make a run

Plum won 12 in a row and secured the program’s first section championship before the loss to Fox Chapel in the section finale.

The Mustangs (18-4) got back on the winning track Monday by breezing past Greensburg-Salem, 47-25, in a final WPIAL tune-up. Friday’s first-round home game with Peters Township, the defending WPIAL champ, is set for 7 p.m.

Plum is seeking a fourth all-time playoff victory (Montour, 2023; Lincoln Park, 2021; Ambridge, 2002). The Mustangs made their only PIAA appearance in 2002.

Peters Township, the 12th seed, finished 13-9 overall in the regular season and landed fourth in Section 4 behind Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin and Trinity. Plum coach Rich Mull said the Indians have several players, including senior guard Bri Morreale, who know how to perform when the bright playoff lights come on.

Peters topped South Fayette in last year’s WPIAL title game and made the PIAA semifinals.

“Peters is a good team without many weaknesses,” said Mull, who led his team into a scrimmage against Class 6A power Norwin on Wednesday.

“It is a great opportunity for the girls. We played Peters Township in a home-and-home series (2023 and 2024), so we are familiar with their style and how hard they play. We have to go out and limit our mistakes and play like we know we can.”

Raiders ready to compete

Riverview will trek 42 miles to face No. 4 Fort Cherry in the WPIAL Class A first round Tuesday.

“The girls are excited to go down there with the opportunity to play a great basketball team,” coach Andre Carter said.

“With (senior Isabel Chaparro) injured and not able to play, she has still been so helpful at practice and is in good spirits supporting and encouraging the girls.”

Chaparro, who averaged 24.9 points for the Raiders through 13 games, suffered knee and ankle injuries in back-to-back games the week of Jan. 19. She didn’t play in the final four games of the regular season, and Carter confirmed Wednesday that she will not be able to play in the postseason.

“She was having an amazing senior year and was approaching 1,000 career points,” Carter said. “I feel really bad for her, but she has handled it like a champ.”

Riverview went 2-2 to close out the regular season, and Carter said the team, led by the likes of senior Blake Huffman and freshman Mia Murphy, did well in rallying around Chaparro and each other. Huffman led the way with 20 in a close loss to Apollo-Ridge and 27 in a section victory over Ellis.

Spartans prep for Geibel

St. Joseph coach Geoff Dutelle said his team’s challenging schedule helped it get ready for its quarterfinal matchup Feb. 19 at No. 4 Geibel Catholic.

The youthful fifth-seeded Spartans (13-9) tied Sewickley Academy for third in Section 1.

“Geibel is an excellent team with experience,” Dutelle said. “They have an all-state player in Emma Larkin, and Mallory Clemmer is a solid post player. Some of their other players are improved from last year. It’s a very difficult test. But I’ve been talking with the girls all year that if you are going to make any kind of noise, you have to go in and compete in a game like this.”

Dutelle said he is surprised Geibel slipped to the No. 4 seed. He also felt St. Joseph could’ve landed anywhere from No. 5 to No. 7.

“We played very competitively against (No. 2 seed) Serra Catholic and (No. 8) Bishop Canevin from the other section,” Dutelle said. “We had the lead against Serra for most of that game. I think playing those crossover games helped us.”

With six teams heading to states in Class A, the Spartans are guaranteed at least two WPIAL playoff games. They want that second game to be in the semifinals.

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: Burrell, Riverview