George Guido: A-K Valley basketball teams open PIAA playoffs this weekend

By: George Guido
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | 7:53 PM

The PIAA basketball playoffs are set to start this weekend, and there are five Alle-Kiski Valley teams entered.

Boys teams from Leechburg, Highlands, Deer Lakes and Fox Chapel are in, likewise the Fox Chapel girls.

There was apparently so much interest in Sunday’s bracket rollout that the PIAA’s website briefly crashed.

But before we take a closer look at first-round matchups, there’s the usual teeth-gnashing over game sites, particularly in Leechburg where the Blue Devils have to travel 92 miles to St. Marys, and Elk County Catholic has a mere 3.2-mile jaunt.

The PIAA selects first-round sites by giving the district champion, or the higher seed, a shorter trip, not only as a reward for winning but the hope that the school brings a good turnout also prevails.

When Leechburg won the WPIAL in 2007 and played its state opener at Fox Chapel, there was so much interest in the doubleheader that the gym was packed. There was a line of people waiting to buy tickets and would be let in when a corresponding number of people left the gym.

As for Friday, Leechburg put out the call on social media for fan support, and that could materialize.

Opening the playoffs in your hometown is extreme, though it has happened in the past.

In 1999, Valley played Grove City at Grove City College, about a mile away. It didn’t matter because Valley won anyway.

Friday’s Leechburg-Elk County Catholic game might have been scheduled for Clarion, but Tippin Gymnasium is undergoing renovation.

Keep in mind a high school or college is not compelled to rent out its facility to the PIAA. Many high schools have musicals or other events going on, and others, because of the weather this week, will be holding baseball and softball practice in various gyms.

Let’s take a look at the first round games:

Friday

• Leechburg vs. Elk County Catholic at St. Marys High School, 7:30 p.m. The Blue Devils are in the state playoffs for the second straight season and are seeking the school’s first PIAA victory in their fourth try. The Crusaders are in the PIAAs for the sixth consecutive season and have won 22 District 9 titles since becoming a PIAA member in 1972.

The school was opened in 1962 as Elk County Christian.

• Highlands vs. Huntingdon at Hollidaysburg, 8 p.m. Let’s hope Highlands has better luck getting to Hollidaysburg this time than in 2012 when the team bus broke down on the way to a football game.

The Golden Rams are the No. 3 Class 4A team from the WPIAL, and District 6 champion Huntingdon is 24-0 and rated fourth in the state by TribHSSN. The Bearcats defeated Martinsburg Central for the district title and have beaten schools such as Class 6A Williamsport and District 9 champion Clearfield.

• Fox Chapel girls vs. Cumberland Valley at Red Land High School, 5 p.m. The Foxes easily have the longest trip of any local high school: 220 miles to Lewisberry, near Harrisburg. Cumberland Valley is located outside of Mechanicsburg, home of the PIAA. Don’t know how the basketball game will turn out, but both schools boast high academics. Fox Chapel is rated 33rd in Pennsylvania and Cumberland Valley 37th.

Saturday

• Deer Lakes vs. Brookville at Clearfield High School, 6 p.m. It will be the second appearance in the PIAA tournament for the Lancers. The only other game was a 1985 loss to Sharon. As mentioned earlier in this column, it would have been an ideal game for Clarion University, had it been available. Brookville, no surprise, gets its name from the number of brooks in that area. The Raiders had to win a play-in game over Everett last weekend to get a spot in the Class 3A bracket.

• Fox Chapel vs. Kennedy Catholic at Farrell High School, 7 p.m. This is surely the most difficult assignment for any local team. The Golden Eagles are a Class A school opting to play up in 6A and are No. 1 in the TribHSSN state rankings this week and No. 6 in the USA Today’s northeast rankings. The game was originally scheduled for 6:00, but the PIAA wanted to give the Kennedy Catholic girls team’s rooters a chance to get back from their playoff game at Canon-McMillan. Kennedy Catholic has won nine state titles, a PIAA record. The school opened in 1964. It was originally supposed to be called Shenango Valley Catholic, but with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, the Erie Diocese quickly made the name change.

Zolnierczyk honored

One of the finer young men of our area has been recognized as Springdale senior Michael Zolnierczyk is the recipient of this week’s KDKA TV Extra Effort Award.

The taped segment, hosted by Channel 2’s Bob Pompeani, is slated to run at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.

Tags: Central Valley, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Highlands, Leechburg, Springdale