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Photo Credit: Will McBride

BOYS BASKETBALL

PIAA 5A SECOND ROUND

7-2 Peters Township (23-4) vs. 3-7 Lampeter Strasburg (20-7) – at Altoona – 5:30 pm

How they got here: Peters Township won Section 1-5A. Was the top seed in the WPIAL tournament, went 3-1 in the WPIAL playoffs where their one loss came in the WPIAL Championship against Penn Hills. Peters Township defeated Milton Hershey in the PIAA First Round, 60-53. 

Lampeter Strasburg won the Lancaster-Lebanon 3 section title. They got the No. 2 seed in the District 3 playoffs but a 1-2 performance in the District 3 playoffs put them as the seventh place team out of District 3. Lampeter Strasburg beat Central Mountain in the PIAA First Round, 64-56.

Common Opponent: Milton Hershey is a common opponent for both of these teams. Peters Township beat Milton Hershey, 60-53, in the PIAA First Round. Lampeter Strasburg fell to Milton Hershey during the regular season on February 27, 65-40.

Players to Watch: Peters Township is led by Brendan McCullough (21 pts in 1st RD) and Jack Dunbar. They were both Big 56 First team all-section selections. Lampeter Strasburg is led by Benjamin Wert (24.1 ppg), Chase Smucker (13.3 ppg) and Luke Hines (10.5 ppg).

10-1 Cathedral Prep (22-3) vs. 7-6 Mars (17-10) – at Westminster College – 6 pm

How they got here: Cathedral Prep won the District 10 Region 7 section title. They were the top seed in the District 10 playoffs. They won the District 10 Championship along with the District 8/9/10 Sub-Regional Championship. Cathedral Prep defeated South Fayette 47-45 in the PIAA First Round.

Mars finished in third-place in the Section 4-5A. They were the No. 7 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. A 2-2 performance in the WPIAL playoffs put Mars as the sixth-place finisher out of District 7. 

Common Opponent: South Fayette is a common opponent for both teams. Cathedral Prep beat South Fayette 47-45 in the PIAA First Round. Mars lost to South Fayette in the regular season 77-72 (3OT) on January 10 and then again in the WPIAL Fifth-Place game where they fell 56-36.

Players to Watch: Cathedral Prep is led by Semontae Lofton (16 pts in 1st RD) and Jake Sambuchino (14 pts in 1st RD). Mars is led by Tasso Sfanos and Ryan Ceh (16 pts in 1st RD). Both were selected to the Big 56 First-team all-section team. 

3-3 Hershey (20-7) vs. 7-1 Penn Hills (22-3) – at Altoona – 7 pm

How they got here: Hershey finished in second-place in the Mid-Penn – Keystone section. They were the No. 7 seed in the District 3 playoffs. A 3-1 performance in the District 3 playoffs got Hershey to a third-place finish in District 3. Hershey took down Gateway, 56-55, in the PIAA First Round

Penn Hills was the Section 2-5A champion. They were the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. A 4-0 performance in the WPIAL playoffs made them district champions. Penn Hills beat DuBois, 63-20, in the PIAA First Round

Common Opponent: There are no common opponents between these two teams.

Players to Watch: Hershey is led by Matthew DeDonatis (19 pts in 1st RD) and Marcus Sweeny (14 pts in 1st RD). Penn Hills is led by Daemar Kelly and Noah Barren (15 pts in 1st RD). Both players were Big 56 first-team all-section selections.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA 6A SECOND ROUND

1-4 Pennsbury (21-8) vs. 7-2 Upper St. Clair (22-3) – at Chambersburg – 5:30 pm

How they got here: Pennsbury came in second-place in the Suburban One – National section. They were the No. 11 seed in the District 1 playoffs. A 3-2 performance in the District 1 playoffs got Pennsbury fourth-place in the district. Pennsbury defeated Nazareth, 23-18, in the PIAA First Round.

Upper St. Clair ran the table in section and won the Section 2-6A title. They were the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs. A 2-1 performance in the WPIAL playoffs got them WPIAL runner-up. Upper St. Clair tripped up McDowell, 56-34, in the PIAA First Round

Common Opponents: There are no common opponents between these two teams.

Players to Watch: Pennsbury is led by Sofia Vitucci (17 pts in 1st RD) and Lola Ibarrondo. Upper St. Clair is led by Rylee Kalocay (30 pts in 1st RD) and Kate Robbins (10 pts in 1st RD). Both players were Big 56 First-Team all-section selections.

7-3 Norwin (22-4) vs. 3-5 Lebanon (27-2) – at Bald Eagle – 5:30 pm

How they got here: Norwin was the Section 1-6A co-champions with North Allegheny. They were the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. A 2-1 performance gave them the third-place finish out of District 7. Norwin ended Central Dauphin’s season beating them 34-19 in the PIAA First Round.

Lebanon was the champion of the Lancaster-Lebanon 2 section. They were the No. 3 seed in the District 3 playoffs. A quarterfinal loss, followed by two wins in the consolation rounds gave Lebanon the fifth-place spot in the district. Lebanon beat Haverford, 48-41, in the PIAA First Round

Common Opponents: No common opponents but Lebanon and Central Dauphin are from the same district. Lebanon was the No. 3 seed in the District 3 playoffs while Central Dauphin was the No. 5 seed.

Players to Watch: Norwin is led by Kendall Berger, Ava Kobus and Lauren Palangio. All three were named to the Big 56 first-team all-section team. Lebanon is led by Aaliyah Ferrer (16 pts in 1st RD) and Kailah Correa (16 pts in 1st RD). 

7-1 North Allegheny (21-5) vs. 7-4 Mt. Lebanon (18-8) – at North Hills – 7:30 pm

How they got here: North Allegheny was Section 1-6A co-champions with Norwin. They were the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. A 3-0 performance in the postseason got them to another WPIAL Championship. North Allegheny handled Manheim Township in the PIAA First Round, 76-53.

Mt. Lebanon was the second-place finisher in Section 2-6A. A 1-2 performance in the WPIAL playoffs got them the fourth-place finish out of District 7. Mt. Lebanon beat Altoona, 58-50, on the road in the PIAA First Round.

Common Opponents: Altoona and Upper St. Clair are common opponents for these two teams. North Allegheny beat Altoona in their season opener on December 2, 78-64. Mt. Lebanon just defeated Altoona, 58-50, in the PIAA First Round. North Allegheny took down Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL Championship, 71-45. Mt. Lebanon has lost to Upper St. Clair three different times. Twice in the regular season, 57-39 and 52-44 and then in the WPIAL Semifinals, 58-33. 

Players to Watch: North Allegheny is led by Jasmine Timmerson (18 pts in 1st RD) and Lydia Betz (15 pts in 1st RD). Mt. Lebanon is led by Payton Collins. All players were named to the Big 56 first-team all-section team.