Key Section 2-5A boys hoops matchups among 3 things to watch for Wednesday in WPIAL athletics

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, January 2, 2018 | 9:27 PM

One of the WPIAL's deepest boys basketball sections will start to take shape Wednesday night when Chartiers Valley visits Moon and West Allegheny visits Mars.

Tipoff for each is 7:30 p.m.

All four teams from Section 2 are ranked in Class 5A with Mars (5-2 overall, 1-0 section) ranked first and Moon (7-0, 1-0) second. Chartiers Valley (4-3, 1-0) is fourth and West Allegheny (4-4, 2-0) is fifth.

Led by Notre Dame recruit Robby Carmody, preseason favorite Mars is averaging 79.1 points, best in WPIAL Class 5A. The Planets return home after a pair of two-point losses (78-76 to Corbin, Ky.; 85-83 to Kaukauna, Wisc.) at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

Defending WPIAL champion Moon owns the second-best scoring offense in Class 5A at 71.4. Moon and Mars meet Jan. 9, but first Chartiers Valley and West A will try to make it more than a two-team race for the section title.

Another big night for the Big Macs

The Powerade wrestling tournament just finished at Canon-McMillan, but there's another major matchup in the Big Macs' gym. Two of the top three teams in WPIAL Class 3A will meet there Wednesday.

No. 1 Canon-McMillan hosts No. 3 Waynesburg in a section dual meet at 7:30 p.m.

Among the possible matchups, each team has a 138-pounder considered to be among the best in the WPIAL. Waynesburg's Jackson Henson finished third at Powerade while Canon-McMillan's Tim Hritsko took sixth. Henson earned a 3-0 decision over Hritsko in a consolation match last weekend.

The two teams last met in the section championship a season ago and the Big Macs won 46-24.

The holidays are no time to rest

Did any boys basketball team have a busier holiday week than Aliquippa?

The Quips played four days in a row between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and now quickly return to action Wednesday with a tough nonsection game at Sewickley Academy.

Aliquippa (9-2) is ranked second in WPIAL Class 3A. Sewickley Academy (6-1) is first in Class 2A after winning the state title last year. There are 25 nonsection boys basketball games scheduled for Wednesday around the WPIAL.

The Quips defeated Vincentian Academy, 69-57, on Dec. 27, the first of their four games in four days. They then lost to New Castle, 64-40, and Central Valley 51-50, before a 76-65 victory over Beaver Falls on Dec. 30.

Aliquippa also played Dec. 23, a 65-43 victory over Sto-Rox.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Aliquippa, Canon-McMillan, Chartiers Valley, Mars, Moon, Waynesburg, Waynesburg Central, West Allegheny