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Five things to watch for the week of March 11-16. * The PIAA basketball playoffs continue with second-round games Tuesday and Wednesday, and quarterfinals Friday and Saturday. WPIAL Class 5A powers Mars and Moon don’t have to travel out of this world for their second-round games Tuesday, but they do have some long drives ahead of them. Mars (25-1) plays York William Penn (24-4) at Hollidaysburg, while Moon (24-2) takes on Archbishop Ryan (14-10) at Chambersburg. Other WPIAL boys teams in action Tuesday are Class 4A Quaker Valley and New Castle, and Class 1A Nazareth Prep, Monessen, Vincentian and Cornell. Nazareth Prep (20-3), fresh off its first PIAA playoff win, will play District 5 champion Shade (22-4) at Hempfield. * The second round continues Wednesday and is highlighted by a pair of outstanding matchups in Class 6A. WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon (23-3) meets City League champion Allderdice (22-5) at Canon-McMillan, and Pine-Richland (22-3) takes on District 10 champion Kennedy Catholic (23-3) at Slippery Rock University. Kennedy Catholic is ranked No. 2 in the state and is led by McDonald’s All-American Oscar Tshiebwe. In Class 3A, section rivals Lincoln Park (23-4) and Aliquippa (17-8) will square off at Moon. The two split a pair of regular-season meetings. Also playing Wednesday are Class 6A Butler, Class 3A Seton LaSalle, Deer Lakes and Beaver Falls, and Class 2A Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Serra Catholic. * Also on Tuesday, the Peters Township girls (26-0) will try to keep their perfect season going when they play section rival Bethel Park (22-3) at Canon-McMillan. It’s the fourth meeting of the season between the two. Peters Township has handed Bethel Park each of its three losses, the latest coming in the WPIAL semifinals. North Allegheny and Norwin are also still in contention in Class 6A. Another all-WPIAL matchup will take place in Class 3A when Neshannock (24-2) meets Avonworth (18-7) at Hampton. Class 3A Beaver and Shady Side Academy also play second-round games Tuesday, as do Class 2A Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Bishop Canevin and Brentwood. * Chartiers Valley is the other WPIAL girls team hoping to win a PIAA title with a perfect record. The Colts (26-0) will try to move one step closer to that feat Wednesday when they face District 10 runner-up Slippery Rock (20-5) at Moon. WPIAL teams Penn Hills (17-7) and Oakland Catholic (21-4) will square off at Fox Chapel. Thomas Jefferson is also still alive in Class 5A. In Class 4A, WPIAL champion North Catholic (23-3) meets Blackhawk (20-5) at Fox Chapel. Central Valley (23-2) plays District 3 champ Lancaster Catholic (29-0) at Hollidaysburg. Lancaster Catholic has won 61 games in a row, which is tied for the longest streak in PIAA history. Also in action are Class 1A Rochester, Vincentian and Sewickley Academy. * The state’s best swimmers and divers will flock to Bucknell University this week for the PIAA championships. The event runs Wednesday through Saturday at Kinney Natatorium. The Class 2A portion of the meet will take place Wednesday and Thursday, while the Class 3A portion will be held Friday and Saturday. Among the WPIAL boys swimmers to keep an eye on are North Allegheny’s Jack Wright and Richard Mihm, Penn Hills’ Kimani Gregory, and Upper St. Clair’s Josh Matheny. On the girls side, some of the top WPIAL girls swimmers competing are Gateway’s Olivia Livingston, Mt. Lebanon’s Trinity Ward, North Allegheny’s Torie Buerger, and Fox Chapel’s Zoe Skirboll. |