News

by: Don Rebel

Something has to give in the boys 5A semifinals cat fight between No. 1 Moon and No. 4 Thomas Jefferson in a battle of 21-3 teams at Peters Township. The game can be heard on Trib HSSN.

The Tigers sport Class 5A’s second-best defense, allowing 49.8 points per game.

The Jaguars enter the final four with the classification’s top-scoring offense, averaging 72.7 points per game.

Eleven times this season Moon has held an opponent to 50 or less points.

Thomas Jefferson has scored 70 or more points in a game nine times.

The Tigers have won two playoff games by an average margin of 23.5 points while the Jaguars’ margin of postseason wins is 17.5.

Finally, Moon has won nine in a row and 20 of its last 21 games, while TJ has also won nine straight and 17 of its last 18 games.

In the other 5A semifinal, No. 2 Franklin Regional (21-2) will take on No. 3 Shaler (22-2) at Mt. Lebanon at 8 p.m. Listen on Trib HSSN.

These two met in mid-January in a nonsection contest as the host Panthers knocked off the Titans in overtime, 72-62.

Franklin Regional outscored Shaler, 17-7, in overtime.

Senior Cam Rowell led the Panthers with 28 points, while senior Brandon London scored 18 points to lead the Titans.

CHAMPS vs. FORMER CHAMPS

In the seven years of Class 6A girls basketball, North Allegheny has worn the crown five times.

The Tigers could have won five straight district titles from 2017-21 had it not been for them running into a perfect opponent in the finals five years ago.

The 2019 Class 6A championship featured two-time defending champion North Allegheny against undefeated Peters Township.

Makenna Marisa scored 17 points and Mackenzie Lehman scored on a layup at the end of regulation to force overtime as the Indians edged the Tigers, 43-40.

Peters Township went on to win a PIAA championship with a perfect 30-0 record.

The two teams meet again in a semifinal game at Mt. Lebanon at 6 p.m. Monday that can be heard on Trib HSSN.

Peters Township has the highest scoring offense in 6A with an average of 57 points per game while North Allegheny has the second stingiest defense in the classification, allowing 41.6 points per game.

Combined, the two have won 43 of their 46 games with the No. 2 Indians record at 22-1 and the No. 3 Tigers with a 21-2 overall mark.

In the other 6A girls final four matchup, top-seeded Norwin (19-3) battles No. 5 Chartiers Valley(16-6) at Peters Township at 6 p.m. with audio on Trib HSSN.

In a seven-year period between 2015-21, these two teams won gold every year except for 2018. The Knights won 4A titles in 2015 and 2016 while the Colts captured 5A gold in 2017, ‘19, ‘20 and ‘21.

Norwin has won 10 straight, including a 38-point win over Seneca Valley in the quarterfinals.

Chartiers Valley has a modest two-game winning streak, highlighted by an eight-point win over No. 4 Mt. Lebanon in the quarterfinals.