Basketball
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/08/2013
December 8, 2013
Well the weather outside is frightful, but the broadcast schedule for the final week of the high school football season is quite delightful this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have all three remaining WPIAL football champions in action this weekend as the Road to Hershey concludes with the PIAA Football Championship Games at Hersheypark Stadium. We also open up section play in boys and girls high school basketball along with the start of section action on the mats in high school wrestling and men's and women's college basketball as well, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle and the PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 9th:WPIAL Girls Basketball – 2013-2014 Preview
December 6, 2013
With the exception of Vincentian Academy in Class A, repeating for the 2012-2013 WPIAL girls basketball champions could be a steep up hill climb. Sure, bethel Park, South park and Bishop Canevin are going to be competitors and will be tough outs once the district playoffs start in mid-February, but graduation and injuries have hit those three defending champs hard, possibly leaving the door open for some new faces raising the gold in March. Here is a rundown of WPIAL girls basketball Players to Watch and the Preseason Top Ten in all four classifications. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Players to Watch: Monica Burns - Hempfield Maria Palarino - Penn-Trafford Alayna Gribble - Norwin Erin Mathias - Fox ChapelWPIAL Girls Basketball – 2012-2013 Review
December 5, 2013
The 2012-2013 WPIAL girls basketball championship games had a bit of a southern flavor to them. Five of the eight participants, including two of the eventual champions are from south of the City of Pittsburgh. Bethel Park in AAAA and Bishop Canevin in AA celebrated first ever district girls basketball titles while South Park won for the second time in six years in AAA and Vincentian Academy repeated in A with the Royals third crown in four years. The Eagles and Crusaders followed up their district gold with a PIAA state championship as well. Here is a look back at the standings and results from the WPIAL and PIAA girls basketball playoffs in 2012-2013. 2012-2013 WPIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS:WPIAL Boys Basketball – 2013-2014 Preview
December 4, 2013
The boys basketball gold has been somewhat hoarded the last few years in the WPIAL. Of the twelve championships won over the course of the last three years, five schools (Gateway, New Castle, Montour, Beaver Falls and Vincentian Academy) have won ten of them. Could the 2013-2014 season mark a changing of the guard in District 7 boys hoops, or just more of the same golden antics from those teams listed above? Here is a rundown of WPIAL boys basketball Players to Watch and the Preseason Top Ten in all four classifications. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Players to Watch: Kason Harrell - Hempfield Tony Pilato - Hempfield Matt D'Amico - Fox Chapel Brian Papich - Fox Chapel Tom Kromka - GatewayWPIAL Boys Basketball – 2012-2013 Review
December 3, 2013
It was an historic season for New Castle, as they won a second straight boys basketball district title, this time in Class AAAA after winning gold in the 2011-2012 season in Class AAA. It was also a year to shine for Montour in Class AAA, Beaver Falls for a second straight year in Class AA and Vincentian Academy in Class A. Beaver Falls took their winning seriously as they then went on to be the only WPIAL to win a boys basketball state crown. Here is a look back at the 2012-2013 WPIAL boys basketball season. FINAL 2012-2013 WPIAL BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/25/2013
November 25, 2013
We have no turkey programming for you this holiday week as the weather turns frosty and the calendar turns from November to December this week here on the MSA Sports Network. All four WPIAL football champions are in action this weekend as the Road to Hershey continues with PIAA state football playoff action along with the Class A District 6 champs, plus we have men's and women's college basketball featuring Slippery Rock, Geneva and Penn State-Fayette all here at MSAsports.net Monday, November 25th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, November 26th: No Broadcasts Wednesday, November 27th:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/18/2013
November 18, 2013
The Highway to Heinz comes to a conclusion with four district title contests on the North Shore this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The ONLY place where Championships are heard is here on MSA Sports as we have all four WPIAL football finals along with the District 6 Class A championship game, plus college football postseason action, men's and women's college basketball, PIHL high school hockey and our Championship Saturday preview with This Week in the WPIAL ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, November 18th:No BroadcastsTuesday, November 19th:PIHL High School Hockey - Bethel Park vs North Allegheny at 6:10pm on the North Allegheny Sports Network at MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/10/2013
November 10, 2013
We are midway through our journey on the Highway to Heinz as the high school football playoffs share center stage with high school and college winter sports this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We continue our exclusive coverage of the District 7 football playoffs with all 8 WPIAL Semifinals games starting Friday with the expanded MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL High School Football Scoreboard Show. We also have Semifinals high school football playoff action in District 6 along with three college football games, men's and women's college basketball, women's college volleyball, plus This Week in the WPIAL with a preview of Semifinals Friday ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, November 11th:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/04/2013
November 4, 2013
With the WPIAL soccer and volleyball playoffs behind us, we focus on the ride on the Highway to Heinz as well as open up a new chapter of winter high school and college sports this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We continue our exclusive coverage of the District 7 football playoffs with all 16 WPIAL Quarterfinals games starting Friday with the expanded MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL High School Football Scoreboard Show.Scholastic Notebook – 11/01/2013
November 1, 2013
Moon’s running game went from Colaianni to Cole, and now everything is cool with the Tigers on the ground.Moon is in the WPIAL football playoffs this season for the first time since 2006, and one of the main reasons for the turnaround is Cole Blake, a senior running back who is the fifth-leading rusher in the WPIAL heading into the playoffs.Blake has made a name for himself, rushing for 1,457 yards. He set a school record with 342 yards in one game. But Blake’s story is interesting in that he only got a chance to be the featured back this year because of an injury. Suffice to say, Blake has run with that chance.Scholastic Notebook – 10/25/2013
October 25, 2013
West Allegheny doesn’t have a running back among the WPIAL’s top 40 rushers. The team’s quarterback isn’t among the top 30 in passing yardage.Yet, when you look at the top offenses in Class AAA, West Allegheny is near the top of the list. And when you look at the rankings of the best teams in Class AAA, West Allegheny is right at the top.So how does it work? No big offensive star, but yet a powerful offense? Well, if ever a team was indeed a “team,” it is West Allegheny. And they are the MSA Sports No. 1-ranked Class AAA team heading into the final Friday night of the regular season.Scholastic Notebook – 10/18/2013
October 18, 2013
These are the days of spread offenses and pass-happy teams in WPIAL football. It’s not often you see a team average over 300 yards a game on the ground.But in the next two weeks, two of the top games in the WPIAL will match teams that average more than 300 yards a game rushing. It is definitely unusual. And if you think running the football is not important any more, consider that all four of the teams involved in those games enter Week 8 with perfect records.Aliquippa plays at Beaver Falls in a big WPIAL Class AA Midwestern game tonight, matching two teams that average more than 300 yards a game rushing. It will be the same next week when Thomas Jefferson plays at West Mifflin a WPIAL Class AAA Big Nine Conference game.Scholastic Notebook – 10/11/2013
October 11, 2013
The Beaver football team changed its offense this year, going to a spread offense with much more passing.You could say the new offense has been a Rowse-ing success.Alex Rowse is Beaver’s quarterback and is doing things unheard of by Beaver quarterbacks. After six weeks of the season, Rowse leads the entire WPIAL in passing yardage with 1,581 yards. To put that in perspective, consider that last year’s quarterbacks – Rowse and Austin Ross - had less than 1,000 yards passing combined.2012-2013 WPIAL Champions on Parade
July 16, 2013
We celebrated America's Birthday earlier this month with various parades and fireworks. You'll forgive us if we celebrate the 2012-2013 school year with just a parade and no pyrotechnics. It was been another great high school sports year in District 7 of the PIAA. All of us here at the MSA Sports Network and Management Science Associates thank our sponsors and fans for their support during the school year. As we get ready for another great scholastic campaign in 2013-2014, we look back at all the WPIAL team champions on parade from this past school year.Football:Class AAAA - North Allegheny TigersClass AAA - West Allegheny IndianaClass AA - Aliquippa QuipsClass A - Clairton Bears
2012-2013 MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year – DEVIN WILSON
June 28, 2013
Devin Wilson likes to debate many topics and hopes to be a lawyer someday. As for the mystery of who is the best male athlete in the WPIAL, Wilson took the case and built a mountain of evidence for himself.
2012-2013 MSA Sports Female Athlete of the Year – SHATORI WALKER-KIMBROUGH
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s favorite athlete is LeBron James. “It’s actually an obsession with him,” Walker-Kimbrough said with a laugh. “My neighbors hate when the Heat plays on TV.” But while Walker-Kimbrough looks up to James, she is sort of like her idol in one way. James is king of the NBA and Walker-Kimbrough is the queen of WPIAL female athletes – again.WPIAL Coaching Changes
June 27, 2013
Three district coaching vacancies have been filled as a new football coach was hired at a Class A school while boys basketball coaches were appointed at a Class AAAA school and a Class AA powerhouse.* The change on the coaching staff at Carmichaels was more a switch of titles than anything else. John Menhart ended his second stint as head coach of the Mighty Mikes (1989-2002 and (2009-2012) after last season and will become an assistant coach at Carmichaels. So it only seemed right to take one of his assistants and slide them into the leadership role. Offensive coordinator Ryan Krull has been named new head coach of the Mighty Mikes, keeping it all in the family. Krull is Menhart's son-in-law.Scholastic Notebook – 05/31/2013
May 31, 2013
The South Park baseball and Riverside softball teams did something unusual this week – win a WPIAL title with a perfect record.On Monday, both begin a quest to do something even more rare– win a PIAA title with a perfect record.Since the PIAA started softball and baseball championships in the 1970s, no WPIAL baseball team has won a PIAA title with an undefeated record. Elizabeth Forward came the closest, making the PIAA Semifinals in 2011.While no WPIAL baseball team has won a PIAA title with an undefeated record, three WPIAL softball teams have won PIAA titles with perfect records, but it has been 14 years since it happened.
