PIAA basketball second-round games continue in Wednesday’s 3 things to watch

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | 11:12 AM

It's champion vs. champion from area districts on the hardwood as the second round of the PIAA boys basketball playoffs continues Wednesday.

WPIAL Class 6A champion Penn Hills will face City League winner Allderdice at 8 p.m. at Baldwin. Both teams have had dominant campaigns, with the Indians bringing a 24-3 record into the showdown, and the Dragons have a 25-2 mark.

One of those two losses for Allderdice happened back in December right before the holidays when they lost at Penn Hills, 54-40. Daivon Stephens led the Indians with 21 points while Cory Fulton added 16 points for Penn Hills, which outscored Allderdice, 16-8, in the second quarter and 17-9 in the final quarter. Jackson Blaufeld led the Dragons with 13 points.

Penn Hills needed a buzzer-beating layup by Keyshawn Adams to avoid an opening-round state playoff loss in a 54-52 victory over Fox Chapel. Allderdice's Blaufeld had 22 points in a 63-54 first-round victory over Mt. Lebanon.

Other boys second-round contests

WPIAL champion Lincoln Park and runner-up Seton LaSalle were the lone WPIAL survivors from the Class 3A first round. Now they will battle the top two seeds from District 10. The Leopards take on Greenville at Butler while the Rebels face D-10 champion Fairview at Sharon.

Let's not forget about Westinghouse. The Bulldogs eliminated Burgettstown in the opening round of the 3A state playoffs and now head east to Altoona to face Lancaster Mennonite.

Three WPIAL teams are in action Wednesday in the second round of the Class 2A postseason. District runner-up Our Lady of the Sacred Heart squares off against District 9 champion Coudersport at Clarion High School, while D-9 runner-up Ridgway goes up against WPIAL champ Sewickley Academy at Armstrong.

Jeannette will be back to full strength when it takes on District 10 runner-up Cambridge Springs. The Jayhawks rolled past Purchase Line in the first round without star junior Anthony Johnson, who had to sit out the game after begin ejected in Jeannette's WPIAL semifinals loss to OLSH. Tre' Cunningham had 20 points to lead the Jayhawks.

Class 5A, 4A and A girls Road to Hershey second shots

They say one is the loneliest number, unless you are the only team left standing when the tournament dust settles. The first round was not kind to WPIAL girls Class A teams on Saturday as district champion Winchester Thurston was the only one of five District 7 teams to win and advance. The Bears now face District 6 power Bishop Carroll, who despite losing to Juniata Valley in the District 6 finals, brings an impressive record of 23-2 into Plum High School.

In Class 4A, it's a rematch of the WPIAL quarterfinals Wednesday when champion Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic faces Ambridge. The Trojans beat the Bridgers 49-42 en-route to their second straight district crown. The team CWNC edged in the title game, Beaver, hopes to advance and get another crack at the Trojans, however the Bobcats first must beat Villa Maria Academy at Sharon. The Victors crushed Blackhawk, 46-27, in Round 1. Both of these 4A second-round games can be heard on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

There are four WPIAL teams left in girls Class 5A. The two district finalists head north and east respectively looking for a win and a spot in the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Gateway faces Harbor Creek at Farrell, while Oakland Catholic takes on Palmyra at Altoona. The other two district teams remaining square off at Plum when Mars battles Thomas Jefferson. Both teams are section champs who did not face each other during the regular season or in the district playoffs. The Fightin' Planets are 20-6 while the Jaguars' record is 21-4.

Don Rebel is a TribLIVE High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: Allderdice, Ambridge, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Gateway, Jeannette, Lincoln Park, Mars, North Catholic, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Seton-LaSalle, Sewickley Academy, Thomas Jefferson, Westinghouse, Winchester Thurston