News

by: Don Rebel

CHARTIERS VALLEY, MONTOUR READY FOR ROUND 4

Welcome to the second round of the PIAA basketball playoffs with action taking place in the boys Class 5A along with girls Class 6A tournament games.

They say familiarity breeds contempt.

If that is true, it will be time to buckle up at Bethel Park at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

That is the site and time for the fourth and final matchup of the year between district boys basketball rivals Chartiers Valley (24-3) and Montour (25-2).

The Spartans won the regular season battle while the Colts were victors in the WPIAL war.

Who gets the final laugh with a berth in the state quarterfinals at stake?

Back in mid-December, Montour won at Chartiers Valley, 66-60. Spartans senior Ama Sow and Colts senior Jayden Davis each scored 25 points.

The two Section 4-5A rivals collided again on the neutral floor of Mt. Lebanon in a WPIAL semifinal with No. 4 Chartiers Valley stunning top seed Montour, 47-44. Once against it was Davis pacing the Colts with 20 points.

The fourth clash became reality Friday as both the Colts and Spartans picked up first-round wins on the Road to Hershey.

Davis scored 15 as WPIAL champion Chartiers Valley crushed Cocalico, 62-29.

Junior Kalaeb Platz scored 28 points to lead Montour to a opening-round victory over Milton Hersehy, 68-49.

The two other PIAA boys 5A second-round games involving WPIAL teams are:

District 6 champion Johnstown (25-1) is challenged by WPIAL No. 6 Latrobe (21-6) at Pitt-Johnstown at 7 p.m.

WPIAL runner-up Peters Township (19-8) goes up against District 3 No. 3 West York (21-6) at Altoona at 6 p.m.

RUBBER GAME

The rubber hit the road Tuesday – the Road to Hershey, that is – as two section rivals collide for a spot in the 6A girls basketball state quarterfinals and for bragging rights in the offseason.

It is the rubber game of what will now be a three-game series when WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair (20-6) takes on Canon-McMillan (16-9) at 7:30 p.m. at Peters Township.

In the first meeting Dec. 19, host Upper St. Clair broke open a tight game with a big second quarter in which it had a 19-6 scoring edge on its way to a convincing victory, 66-44.

Senior Rylee Kalocay had 16 poitns and junior Ryan Prunzik added 15 points for the Panthers while junior Lauren Borella scored 14 to lead the Big Macs.

Canon-Mac turned the tables on visiting USC in the rematch Jan. 24.

Trailing early, the Big Macs outscored the Panthers in the second and third quarters combined 29-11 to hold on for the big home win, 45-38.

Borella had 12 points for Canon-McMillan while Kalocay led USC with a game-high 18 points.

Upper St. Clair roared past Manheim Township in its PIAA first-round game, 65-37, with Kalocay scoring 21 points.

Canon-McMillan had to hold on to defeat host Allderdice last Friday, 48-44, for the program’s first PIAA victory.