WPIAL playoff preview capsules
Monday's games
(Postponed from Saturday)
Boys
Class AAAA
Quarterfinals
No. 12 Fox Chapel (15-8) vs. No. 4 Hempfield (20-2)
8 p.m. at Norwin
Winner plays: No. 1 North Allegheny (21-2)/No. 9 Bethel Park (16-7) winner on Wednesday
Coaches: Zach Skrinjar, Fox Chapel; Bill Swan, Hempfield
Players to watch: Michael Zappala, Fox Chapel (Jr., F, 10 ppg); Kason Harrell, Hempfield (Sr., G, 26 ppg)
Layup lines: Finally healthy and showing the productive lineup it did not start the season with, Fox Chapel is back in the quarterfinals following a 49-35 upset win over No. 5 Pine-Richland. Fox Chapel led 22-10 in the third quarter and held the Rams scoreless for more than eight minutes. Pine-Richland mounted a comeback, but the Foxes kept their poise on defense. Standout senior guard Billy Urso scored a game-high 18 points. At 6-foot-4, Zappala gives the Foxes size inside, along with 6-5 sophomore Jake Livingston and 6-2 senior David Brown. Two years ago, Fox Chapel beat Hempfield, 51-43, in the first round. ... Hempfield is led by Harrell, an IPFW recruit and 6-7 senior center Tony Pilato, a Pitt football recruit. Harrell, the WPIAL's fourth-leading scorer, poured in 32 points in the Spartans' 65-56 first-round win over No. 13 Gateway. Pilato (13 ppg) scored 15. The Spartans have a win over City League favorite Allderdice, 67-43. ... The winner makes the state playoffs. The loser of this game moves into the new “play-in” brackets for the PIAA playoffs. The first game, against the North Allegheny-Bethel Park loser, will be Tuesday.
Girls
Class A
Quarterfinals
No. 6 Riverview (16-7) vs. No. 3 California (22-1)
6:30 p.m. at Norwin
Winner plays: No. 2 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (18-5)/No. 7 Jefferson Morgan (20-2) winner on Wednesday
Coaches: Keith Stitt, Riverview; Chris Minerd, California
Players to watch: Ariel Rafferty, Riverview (Fr., G/F, 12 ppg); Bailey Vig (Fr., G/F, 11.9 ppg)
Layup lines:Riverview is in familiar territory. Flashback to 2012, the Raiders' last stop in Class A, when they were seeded 12th and pulled a shocking upset over No. 4 Monessen, 56-47, at Cal (Pa.). The win vaulted the Raiders into the semifinals for the first time since 1980. This year's team is young but talented. Junior guard Sadie Buchser scored 19 points in a 47-28 first-round win over Fort Cherry. Buchser has scored 951 career points. Rafferty is a rising talent and is gaining valuable playoff experience. Role players also have been key this season, such as senior forward Bree Patsey, senior guard/forward Leah Sero and senior guard Hannah Larkin. ... California, which won back-to-back section titles, is a young team with its top scorers being Vig and sophomore 6-2 center Kylie Huffman (10.6 ppg). The Trojans have not lost since opening day, falling 71-49 to Class-AAA No. 2 seed Mars. Defense is the name of the game as California allows a WPIAL-low 24.4 points per game. Section 3, however, is not considered one of the WPIAL's better sections from top to bottom. Lindsey Huhn, a 6-foot senior, scored 17 of her game-high 19 points in the first half of a 63-37 first-round win over Sewickley Academy. ... The winner qualifies for the PIAA tournament. The loser moves into the “play-in” bracket for a chance to play for a PIAA playoff spot against the loser of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and Jefferson-Morgan. The play-in games begin Tuesday.
—Bill Beckner Jr.
