What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 24, 2023: Last undefeated team to face challenge

By: Don Rebel
Monday, January 23, 2023 | 7:26 PM

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Then there was one.

Over the course of the last two weeks, undefeated boys and girls basketball teams started to drop from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Blackhawk girls, Bishop Canevin boys, New Castle boys, Lincoln Park boys and then on Saturday, South Allegheny boys team tasted defeat for the first time this season.

That leaves the Union boys basketball team as the only district school with a perfect record heading into the final week of January.

A finalist a year ago in Class A, coach Mark Stanley’s Scotties are 4-0 and in first place in Section 1-A and 14-0 overall.

Union faces a tough challenge Tuesday when it visits Carlynton (4-1, 11-4) in a battle for the top spot.

The Cougars have won five games in a row since losing at Union on Jan. 3, 62-60.

In that game, Carlynton senior Austin Millner hit a 3-pointer with a half-minute left to give the Cougars the lead, 60-59. Union senior Matt Stanley then hit a layup and was fouled with only 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Scotties the dramatic victory.

You can watch the rematch at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on Trib HSSN.

Section 3-2A logjams

There are plenty of great section races up and down WPIAL boys basketball; however, Section 3-2A offers a unique perspective that may either add clarity or become even tighter after Tuesday night’s slate of games.

The top two teams are set to collide for a second time as Greensburg Central Catholic (6-1, 10-5) visits Serra Catholic (5-2, 8-7).

GCC won the first meeting in December in a thriller at home, 72-70.

As far as the other five teams in the section, only two games separate the rest of the pack in the fight for at least two playoff spots.

On Tuesday, third-place Jeannette (4-3, 9-5) travels to Leechburg (2-4, 6-9) while fourth-place Clairton (3-4, 6-9) visits Riverview (2-5, 9-7).

Springdale (2-5, 7-9) hosts Westinghouse in a nonsection contest.

More boys section hoops

In all, nine boys basketball sections are in action Tuesday with seven of them (Section 2-4A, all four sections in 3A and Sections 3 and 4 in 2A) having full slates of games.

Some of the other games to watch include:

• Ellwood City (4-3, 12-5) at Neshannock (6-1, 10-4) as the 2021 WPIAL champion Wolverines visit the first-place Lancers in Section 1-3A.

• Keystone Oaks (5-2, 8-7) at Steel Valley (5-2, 7-9) as the Golden Eagles battle the host Ironmen for second place in Section 2-3A behind Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (6-1, 12-3)

• Bentworth (4-3, 10-5) at Fort Cherry (8-0, 15-2) has the third-place Bearcats visiting the first-place Rangers and features two of the top scorers in the district with Bentworth senior Landon Urcho (25.2 ppg) and Fort Cherry senior Owen Norman (24.4 ppg)

Tags: Union