Final night of WPIAL regular-season basketball brings intriguing Monday matchups

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, February 9, 2020 | 8:53 PM

The WPIAL basketball steering committee will meet Monday to begin the process of putting the brackets together for all 12 boys and girls basketball postseason tournaments.

But while the games won’t mean anything when it comes to playoff seeding, there are plenty of season finales set in district boys and girls hoops Monday.

One of the marque matchups on the boys side is a battle of top teams from Class 6A and 3A.

Section 1-6A runner-up Pine-Richland heads next door to Cranberry to visit the Section 2-3A champs North Catholic.

Pine-Richland is 14-7 and coming off a loss to District 10 power McDowell, while North Catholic is 19-2 and has won 13 in a row.

Battle of No. 1s

Two section champions will meet in a WPIAL girls basketball regular-season finale Monday.

The contest could be a battle of top seeds when the brackets come out Tuesday.

Prior to the Pine-Richland at North Catholic boys game, the North Catholic girls teams will battle Bethel Park.

The Trojans (19-1) are the two-time defending Class 4A WPIAL champs and expected to be the No. 1 seed in this year’s 4A playoffs.

North Catholic has won 13 straight since their only loss of the season, against Chartiers Valley.

The Black Hawks are the Section 2 champions and have a good shot at the top-seed in Class 6A after being ranked No. 1 for most of the season.

Bethel Park has won five straight since their only loss, a 52-51 defeat at the hands of section rival Mt. Lebanon.

Perfect ending?

No WPIAL boys basketball team finished the regular season with an undefeated record.

Two girls teams are done with the regular season with 22-0 records and one more can join them.

Chartiers Valley (5A) and West Greene (A) ended their regular seasons with perfect 22-0 marks. Southmoreland looks to make it three perfect teams. The Scotties (21-0) host South Park in a nonsection game Monday.

Tags: Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, North Catholic, Pine-Richland, South Park, Southmoreland, West Greene