Picking the boys basketball section winners
The WPIAL basketball season is upon us. It seems like just yesterday that we were prepping for the football season and I was picking winners in each conference. Though the results of those predictions were probably horrendous, I’ll take a shot at picking who will win each boys basketball section that includes local teams.
This is another season without many clear-cut favorites. Good luck picking against Monessen in Class A, but the rest of the sections are pretty intriguing.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each section and who I think will win. I’ll even include my WPIAL title prediction, for laughs.
Matty McConnell is gone, but the balance of power is still leaning toward Chartiers Valley. Eddie Flohr is back after averaging 15 points per game for the defending WPIAL champions. The Colts are great on defense and are balanced on offense.
Bethel Park is intriguing because of 6-6 forward Jake Dixon, but the Black Hawks have a new coach. That will mean something early in the season and a section title can often be determined by games in December.
Upper St. Clair will be strong again but will face strong competition from Canon-McMillan, Peters Township and Mt. Lebanon. After speaking to coaches in this section, the consensus is it’s wide open, particularly when you get past Chartiers Valley.
The Big Macs will be the most improved team in the section. They’ve got strong guard play, but their biggest test will be rebounding and defense. Don’t count out Peters Township. The Indians are deep and Nick Valentic has developed into one of the best players in the area. The Indians beat Pine-Richland, which is big, physical and the popular pick to win the WPIAL.
Section champion: Chartiers Valley
Class AAAA champion: Pine-Richland. Love the Rams’ talent.
Ringgold must find a point guard to replace Nico Law. He was rusty last season after not playing basketball for a couple years, but the assists were there and his quickness opened up things on offense. George Martin is the X-factor for the Rams.
Making the playoffs in this section is not easy. West Mifflin is loaded and could compete for the WPIAL title. Uniontown is young but always reloads. Steel Valley is very talented. Those are my top three, so look for Ringgold, Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands and Thomas Jefferson to compete for the final playoff spot.
Section champion: West Mifflin
South Fayette is without Nick McKee, Jack Relihan, Brett Brumbaugh and Matt O’Rourke. The Lions will be young but athletic.
West Allegheny and Montour should be ready to compete for a section title. Montour returns four starters and has plenty of size.
It might be a hunch, but I expect Trinity to take a big step forward and South Fayette will certainly compete for the section title.
Section champion:
Montour
Class AAA champion:
Beaver Falls
The popular picks are Washington and Seton-La Salle, but I disagree. Bishop Canevin returns all but two players and has size in the frontcourt. Mitchell King and John Weldon (6-5) are among the top players in the section and the Crusaders are deep.
I also don’t understand the hype behind the Rebels. The program is one of the best in Class AA, but losing Ryan Norkus is going to hurt. Norkus and Chartiers-Houston’s Alec Ferrari were the two best players in the section last season.
Seton-La Salle’s Paris Ford will beat opposing guards on athleticism alone and Cletus Helton is a good guard, but the depth isn’t there and I’m not sure the Rebels will shoot well enough to win the section.
So, what about the Prexies? I believe they’ll battle with Bishop Canevin for the title. They have speed and Nate Swart gives them a strong presence inside, plus the defense will be better in the second year under coach Ron Faust. But does Wash High have the depth? That’s been the issue so far.
Wash High’s Markel Pulliam is going to surprise a lot of people. He’s going to be a tremendous guard and will really help defensively.
Section champion:
Bishop Canevin.
Waynesburg is intriguing because of its defense. Junior forward Mitch Warman and Darton McIntire has been incredible so far. The same goes for Charleroi, which has 6-8 senior forward John Arnold.
Brownsville is very talented with Noah Brown (6-4) and Andre Smith. Frazier is intriguing, but losing L.A. Ross to transfer hurts.
Section champion:
Brownsville wins and will surprise in the WPIAL playoffs. With that talent, the Falcons can press and force opponents into mistakes. Their guard play will make the difference.
Class AA champion:
Aliquippa. The Quips will start slowly because they’re likely going to win the PIAA football title, but they’re loaded. Don’t count out Lincoln Park. It’s the charter school’s second season in Class AA and it has Nelly Cummings.
Spoiler alert: Monessen is going to roll through section play. LaValle Rush, Justice Rice, Jaden Altomore, Dwight Moore and Demond Jordan are back. The Greyhounds will press, force turnovers and score easily in transition. They’re the best team in Class A and it’s not close, especially with Vincentian losing Jamison Nee. Monessen already has beaten two Quad-A opponents and came close to beating all four it faced.
California returns Kass Taylor, who could be a dominat player, but the loss of Tray Matthews cannot be understated. He was incredible at times for Cal last season.
Jefferson-Morgan will be rebuilding, but will make the playoffs with Geibel. West Greene losing Kolton Rush to injury hurts, but the Pioneers have more depth than people think.
Section champion:
Monessen
Class A champion:
Monessen, though Jeannette, Clairton, North Catholic, Vincentian and Sewickley are intriguing, but this is the Greyhounds’ year to compete for a state title.
Lance Lysowski can be reached at llysowski@obsever-reporter.com.