Highlight
Events of the week
PIAA tournament
Boys basketball
Chartiers Valley vs. Perry at Allderdice, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Class AAA first round
• Chartiers Valley (24-1) suffered its only loss of the season in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals against Highlands and will play its first game since against City League champion Perry (21-4), which also lost to Highlands, on Jan. 2.
Jeannette vs. Reynolds at North Allegheny, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Class AA first round
• Jeannette was the top seed in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, but was upset at Palumbo Center by North Catholic and its stifling defense. The Jayhawks are the defending state champions, however, and have won a first round state playoffs game each of the past five years.
Girls Basketball
Jeannette vs. Bishop McCort at Richland High School in Johnstown, 6 p.m. Friday, Class AA first round
• After nearly capturing a share of its first section title since 1986, Jeannette won a WPIAL Class AA playoff game and qualified for the state tournament. District 6 champions have not been kind to the WPIAL in recent years (6-0 against the WPIAL over the past three seasons).
Wrestling
PIAA Class AAA and AA individual championships Thursday through Saturday at the Giant Center, Hershey
• The last two winners in the 189-pound bracket of Class AA, Shady Side Academy's Roman San Doval and Westmont-Hilltop's Zac Bennett are in opposite sides of the bracket. San Doval beat Bennett in a major decision, 13-4, in the Southwest Regionals. San Doval is one of four returning state champions from the WPIAL to participate, but only he and Hempfield's Jake Kemmerer (Class AAA, 160 pounds) are in the same weight classes they won in last year.
Hockey
PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs, various dates and sites.
• Shaler is the top seed in Class AAA, but despite five previous WPIHL championships, it has never won the Penguins Cup. Latrobe (22-0) is the only undefeated team in the PIHL and is the defending state champion in Class AA, while Mars wrapped up the top seed in Class A. Latrobe led the PIHL with 185 goals scored this season. Games tonight are: in Class AAA, Fox Chapel at Erie McDowell at Erie Civic Center, 7 p.m.; and, in Class AA, Kittanning at Franklin Regional at 7 p.m. at Center Ice in Delmont.
Who's who
Bethel Park senior swimmer Becca Zimmer
Notable: Zimmer became a four-time WPIAL Class AAA champion in the 500 freestyle at Trees Pool last week.
You've won the WPIAL title in the 500 free all four years, but which one was most special for you?
I think senior year because it's my last time swimming, though my freshman year one is really sweet, too.
Your freshman year nobody expected you to win, but is it nicer to take people by surprise than to be the target every year?
Definitely. But the pressure of being the WPIAL champ definitely gives me a push to do better every year.
Could you have imagined yourself being a four-time champion when you started?
Whenever I started, no. But as I progressed in swimming, definitely.
You're 6-foot-1, do you think when you step onto the blocks you're somewhat imposing to the other competitors?
Definitely, but I have a friend that goes to OU (Ohio University) and she's probably 5-foot-1 and she just broke the MAC record in the 50 free, so I don't think height has anything to do with it.
What do you like to do when you're not in the pool?
I like going to Deep Creek Lake, I love shopping, wakeboarking and hanging out with my friends.
If they were to make a movie of your life, who would play you?
Reese Witherspoon, because she has the bubbly personality and always seems to be looking for fun.
