Chris Harlan stories, Page 80
Ellwood City earns validation, upsets Avonworth in WPIAL Class 3A playoffs
There was nothing invalid about Monday’s playoff win, a 52-point preliminary-round victory that officially ended Ellwood City’s decade-long postseason drought. But this one sure felt different. Suddenly, Ellwood City is a team on the rise. Brothers Alexander and Joseph Roth combined for 29 points and Steve Antuono Jr. added 12...
PIAA says spring athletes can shed masks outdoors, if physical distancing possible
Spring sports athletes and coaches can shed their masks when outdoors, as long as they maintain 6 feet of physical distance, according to new PIAA guidelines for covid-19. The PIAA board met online Wednesday and approved Return to Competition Guidelines for baseball, softball, track and all other spring sports, the...
Seneca Valley tops Mt. Lebanon without its coach, earns 1st playoff win since ’13
With about 30 seconds until half, Mt. Lebanon decided to hold for the final shot, but Seneca Valley wasn’t in a wait-and-see mood. Connor Lyczek converted a steal near midcourt into a breakaway layup and teammate Caiden Oros followed with a steal and layup seconds later as Seneca Valley played...
WPIAL basketball playoffs to see increase in fans, possibly larger venue for finals
There will be more fans in the stands at WPIAL basketball playoff games this week after Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration Monday raised gathering limits on indoor events. The move won’t impact plans for this weekend’s WPIAL swimming championships, scheduled to be held without spectators, but could bring a larger venue...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings: Feb. 28, 2021
Final regular-season rankings Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 16-1, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 18-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 11-5, 4 4. Hempfield, 11-5, 3 5. Penn-Trafford, 12-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 19-3, 1 2. New Castle, 17-2, 2...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings: Feb. 28, 2021
Final regular-season rankings Class 6A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 20-1, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 13-2, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 15-3, 3 4. Bethel Park, 14-3, 4 5. Norwin, 11-4, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. Trinity, 18-1, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 19-3,...
Opponents try, and fail, to knock North Allegheny top scorer off his game
North Allegheny’s Connor Chi occasionally gets cross-checked behind the play or hit a little late by an opponent trying to intimidate him on the ice. At maybe 5-foot-8, Chi understands why. “It’s all good,” he said. “It’s part of the game.” Yet, so far this season, that strategy certainly hasn’t...
Upper St. Clair tops Chartiers Valley in battle of No. 1 overall seeds
This would’ve been a scrimmage most years, tucked between the WPIAL pairings meeting and the playoff openers, but Upper St. Clair and Chartiers Valley played Friday night with purpose. Rarely do two No. 1 seeds share a court. “It definitely felt like a playoff environment,” said USC’s Luke Gensler, who...
WPIAL cancels 2 preliminary-round playoff basketball games
The WPIAL on Thursday cancelled two playoff basketball games after the Ambridge girls and Propel Braddock Hills boys withdrew from the postseason. No. 17 seed Ambridge (1-16) was scheduled to visit No. 16 Burrell (8-8) in a preliminary round game Saturday in Class 4A girls. Instead, Burrell advances to face...
WPIAL takes no action against Mt. Lebanon basketball coach for objecting to official
Mt. Lebanon boys basketball coach Joe David testified in a WPIAL hearing Thursday that he was uncomfortable with one of the officials assigned to his game last week, but insisted he never threatened to take his team and leave. The WPIAL questioned coaches, administrators and officials involved in Saturday’s nonsection...
Breaking down the 2021 WPIAL boys basketball playoffs
Here is a breakdown of the 2020-21 WPIAL boys basketball playoffs: Class 6A Favorite: Upper St. Clair has talent and depth but also experience, having reached the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA second round a year ago with much of the same lineup, led by Luke Gensler (13.7 ppg), David Pantelis...
In seeding basketball brackets, WPIAL asks: What have you done lately?
When it came time to seed the basketball playoff brackets, the WPIAL asked: What have you done lately? Teams that finished hot were rewarded. That made North Allegheny coach Dan DeRose wonder why his section played 12 games this winter if only the last four actually mattered. His Tigers clinched...
Controversial finish sees Butler defeat North Allegheny, avenge 2 earlier lossesVideo
North Allegheny ran undefeated through its boys basketball section twice, but this winter’s quirky schedule included a third time through, much to NA’s dismay. Butler became the latest opponent to exact revenge, using a game-high 36 points from star Devin Carney and a head-scratching mistake by the game officials to...
WPIAL: Gyms must have capacity of 700 or greater to host basketball playoff games
Some top seeds in the WPIAL basketball playoffs could find themselves playing on their opponent’s home floor this winter. The WPIAL has decided to award home games to higher-seeded teams in the playoff brackets, but there are criteria the schools must meet before they can host, WPIAL executive director Amy...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings: Feb. 21, 2021
Class 6A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 17-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 12-1, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 13-3, 4 4. Bethel Park, 11-3, 3 5. Norwin, 11-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. Trinity, 14-1, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 15-3, 2 3. Thomas...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings: Feb. 21, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 12-1, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 14-2, 2 3. Hempfield, 10-3, 3 4. Pine-Richland, 9-4, NR 5. Penn-Trafford, 9-5, 5 Out: North Allegheny (12-5, 4) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 17-1, 1 2. New Castle, 14-2, 2...
North Allegheny seniors earn redemption with WPIBL championship
A couple of pins cost North Allegheny’s boys bowling team a title two seasons ago, so the Tigers made certain this year’s championship match wasn’t as close. North Allegheny took down top-seeded Butler, 167-148, in the finale of a three-game series to win the WPIBL team finals Feb. 17 at...
Rodney Gallagher’s winner lifts Laurel Highlands over Thomas JeffersonVideo
Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher already has accomplished more than most sophomores, but the Mustangs star added two more firsts to his list. With time ticking away, Gallagher pulled up in the right corner and made the first winning jumper of his high school career Friday night, sinking a contested shot...
25 basketball teams won’t participate in WPIAL’s open postseason tournament
Derry’s girls basketball team earned its way into the WPIAL playoffs last winter, but the one-win Trojans won’t go back this year. They could have. The vast majority of schools will take part in the WPIAL basketball playoffs this winter in an open-tournament format, but 25 teams decided to not...
Big 33 Football Classic goes ‘full-speed ahead,’ announces roster with 19 WPIAL players
The weather will be perfect for the Big 33 Football Classic, predicts Garry Cathell, executive director of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association. Sure, call him an optimist. But his positive thinking doesn’t end there. Cathell also envisions the all-star game surging back to action this spring with four- and...
Schools must certify mask exemptions in writing before PIAA playoffs, not WPIALs
High school athletes must wear a mask during PIAA postseason competition unless their school certifies in writing that they qualify for a medical exemption. The PIAA board decided Wednesday that all schools participating in a state tournament must complete the “PIAA Postseason Covid-19 Universal Face Covering Certification,” a form that...
Lincoln Park tops Quaker Valley in battle for section lead, will rematch ThursdayVideo
Brandin Cummings gave Lincoln Park the lead with a gutsy 3-pointer in the closing minutes, made two clutch free throws in the final seconds and led his team in scoring for the third game in a row. Oh, and he’s a freshman that comes off the bench. Cummings scored 15...
Obama Academy boys basketball halts activities after positive covid-19 test
The Obama Academy boys basketball team must shut down activities for 14 days after a player tested positive for covid-19, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Tuesday. The shutdown impacts varsity and junior varsity players and coaches. The infected player took part in a junior varsity game Feb. 12 against Perry and...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan take early look at boys basketball tournament
The WPIAL basketball playoffs will seem bigger than ever this winter since the league intends to hold an open tournament in each of the six classifications. Any team that wants to take part can. The WPIAL took this route because covid-related cancellations made the section standings unbalanced, making it nearly...
PIAA might require schools to certify mask-wearing exemptions in writing
With many high school sports teams competing maskless, the PIAA may require postseason participants to certify in writing that their athletes qualify for an exemption under the state mandate. The agenda for Wednesday’s PIAA board meeting includes a document titled “PIAA Postseason Covid-19 Universal Face Covering Certification.” The form would...
