What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Jan. 15, 2021: Never too early for section showdowns

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, January 14, 2021 | 8:34 PM

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It is still early in WPIAL boys basketball, but already a logjam is forming in Section 3-5A.

After a week of section action, only one game separates the top six teams in the seven-team section.

All six of those teams go head-to-head on Friday, games that will either force some separation in the standings or muddy the waters even further.

Currently, three teams are tied for first in the section with 1-0 records and two of them meet when Kiski Area hosts Penn Hills.

The other 1-0 team in section is Franklin Regional. The Panthers are on the road to visit McKeesport in a game you can watch on HSSN at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers are 2-1 overall, including a victory over defending champion Laurel Highlands, but they are 0-1 in the section.

At least one section tie will be broken when Latrobe visits Gateway. Both the Wildcats and Gators are 1-1 in section play.

Unbeaten rivals

Geography is the key to a good rivalry. However, a big-game atmosphere when the schools meet certainly doesn’t hurt.

The intensity always seems to rise when Neshannock (4-0) and Laurel (1-0) square off in boys basketball.

The schools are section rivals again in Section 1-3A after playing in different classifications the last two years.

Both teams are undefeated going into their first section clash since 2018 when they meet Friday at Neshannock.

In fact, both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 race between the Spartans and the Lancers came down to the final game of the regular season with both teams tied for the final playoff spot in Section 3-2A.

Neshannock won both games for a double celebration. The Lancers had clinched a playoff berth, and they kept the Spartans from clinching a spot in the postseason.

One for the tie

The Chartiers Valley girls basketball team is off and running again with a 4-0 record with a 61-game winning streak.

A victory on Friday at Moon HS would tie the PIAA record for longest girls basketball winning streak.

That mark was set two years ago when Lancaster Catholic won 62 consecutive games, breaking the record of 61 straight held by Allentown from 1944-1947 and York Catholic from 2006-2008.