Section rivals Franklin Regional, Highlands set to square off in PIAA tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 8, 2018 | 8:19 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

While coaches and players will not go as far as to admit it on the record, it's clear that Franklin Regional and Highlands have had about enough of one another.

Already caught in the cross hairs of yet another looming showdown — their fourth of the season — the boys basketball teams were brought together Thursday for the Section 3-5A awards banquet.

The section co-champions put on happy faces, smiled politely and shook hands. Co-coaches of the year, Steve Scorpion of Franklin Regional and Tyler Stoczynski of Highlands, accepted their awards with grace.

Now it's back to business.

There is one more chapter left before the book on this engaging, yet short-lived rivalry slams shut and the teams go their separate ways.

They will line up against one another Friday night in the PIAA Class 5A first round at Fox Chapel for their second postseason clash in 10 days.

WPIAL runner-up Franklin Regional (20-5) will try to make it three out of four wins against the all-too-familiar Golden Rams (18-5), the WPIAL's fourth-place team.

“Our kids are excited to get back at it,” Scorpion said. “And the fact that it's Highlands … I think our guys were more nervous to play Highlands in the semifinals than they were Mars in the WPIAL finals.”

After a pair of one-sided section games that saw each team roll at home — Franklin Regional won 70-46; Highlands responded 87-68 — the Panthers broke the series split with a 48-40 win in the WPIAL semifinals at Fox Chapel.

One should not get the wrong idea about the matchup. The teams don't denounce each other; hate is too strong a word to describe their encounters, friendly is not strong enough.

There is mutual respect rooted purely in teeth-gnashing competition. These are evenly-matched teams with evenly-matched goals. They didn't ask to be in the same section or the same pre-slotted state playoff game, but it's still go time again.

“I'd say that it's started to become a good rivalry,” Stoczynski said. “You have to understand that rivalries are built over time. These have been some intense games and if we would have remained in the same section it could have continued to grow in that rivalry sense.

“Part 4 plays out with both teams laying it all on the line. It truly is win or go home. I expect an aggressive and intense game.”

A few hard fouls and heated exchanges during section games turned up the volume on a newfound matchup that unfortunately will fade away next season because of WPIAL realignment.

Highlands will drop to Class 4A.

“It's an intense rivalry because you have two really good teams with physical kids, teams that get fiery and emotional,” Scorpion said.

Franklin Regional upset WPIAL champion Moon in the first round of the state tournament last season. The Panthers appear poised for a bounce-back, rather than a letdown, after losing to Mars in the WPIAL title game a week ago at Petersen Events Center.

The 54-44 defeat snapped a nine-game winning streak.

“We were so close,” Scorpion said. “That's what the kids were most disappointed about. We really had a shot to win. But it was great for our school and community. I had like 75 text messages from random people congratulating us. Our kids should be proud.”

The last time Franklin Regional made the WPIAL final, in 1997, it quickly regrouped and made it all the way to the PIAA title game.

The Panthers lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh to finish the season 29-4.

Highlands did not make the state playoffs last season, but reached the third round two years ago before falling to Mars.

“We were excited to get them again,” Stoczynski said of Franklin Regional. “I've got really competitive kids and how we lost left a bad taste in our mouths and this gives us an opportunity to change that.”

Coaches aren't sure what to expect Friday since the three previous games have had a little of everything: fast breaks, slow-down possessions, dunks, 3-pointers and clamp-down defense.

In the WPIAL final, Mars coach Rob Carmody said the game was “Like old Big East basketball: knock-down, dram em out.”

“Who knows?” Scorpion said. “Might be in the 40's again or it might be 75-70.”

A zone defense by Franklin Regional bothered Highlands in the semifinals. The Golden Rams hit a mid-game dry spell, going nearly six minutes without scoring, and the Panthers went on a key, 20-2 run.

Highlands trimmed a 10-point lead to one late, but the Panthers sealed it with a 15-for-21 effort from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Junior Nick Leopold had a game-high 16 points and made 12 of 12 free throws. Senior Nate Leopold scored 13.

Shawn Erceg led Highlands with 16 points and Romello Freeman had 11.

Franklin Regional has been imposing defensively in the postseason, allowing just a 40-point average over three games. But the fourth quarter has been a challenge for the Panthers offensively. In an almost unimaginable statistic for a team going this deep in the playoffs, they have scored just one field goal in the fourth quarter in the postseason.

“We have to do better there and that's on me,” Scorpion said. “A lot of good teams will lose Friday night. You have to go out and get after it.”

Section rivals meeting so early in the state playoffs could be a thing of the past. The PIAA format is expected to change next season with the WPIAL discarding district teams meeting in the first round of states.

“I'm glad they're changing it,” Scorpion said. “The issue is that you're seeing (section teams) in your first game back (from the WPIAL playoffs). The second or third round, maybe you'd expect that. But you have us and Highlands, Mars and Hampton, and Penn Hills and Fox Chapel — in the first round?”

Said Stoczynski, “It's something we have no control over so we don't think about it. We're matched against FR. That's our focus.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Highlands