Mar 5, 2018 5 min read

The postseason has turned into a waiting game for the Burgettstown High School boys basketball team.

Not only did the Blue Devils have to sweat out Lincoln Park’s 59-57 victory over Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals just to make the state tournament, they are still waiting to see who their first-round opponent will be.

Burgettstown (16-7) will play the winner of the tonight’s play-in game between Westinghouse and Chestnut Ridge Saturday at a site and time to be determined. If Westinghouse wins, the game will be played at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh. A Chestnut Ridge win sends the Blue Devils to Bedford.

That only leaves three days for the Blue Devils, who haven’t advanced to the state tournament since 2006, to prepare for an opponent after what will be a 15-day layoff between games.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to (the layoff),” said Blue Devils first-year coach Tim Murray. “In West Virginia it doesn’t work that way. I was learning about that process as it worked its way out. Last week, we took it pretty easy to get the legs back and the bumps and bruises healed up. We were kind of fortunate to end to end up in the 8-9 game because Lincoln Park was such a strong favorite, but it was still a stressful process.”

The Blue Devils, who won their first WPIAL playoff game since 2007 with a victory over East Allegheny, were bounced by eventual Class 3A champion Lincoln Park in the quarterfinals, 89-64. They went from putting together a game plan to beat Lincoln Park to cheering for the Leopards in the “follow the winner” format used by the WPIAL. Because Lincoln Park was the WPIAL champion, Burgettstown was the fifth-place finisher based on being the Leopards’ opponent in the quarterfinals.

Murray said he has seen film of both Westinghouse (16-6) and Chestnut Ridge (17-6) but won’t dissected it completely before he knows who the Blue Devils are playing.

“I don’t want to put the cart ahead of the horse,” Murray said. “Last week was a mental and physical regrouping for our team. We had a scrimmage and didn’t play very well in the first couple of quarters. We hopefully knocked a little bit of rust off. Once we find out who we play, our practices will be more concise and be used to develop a game plan.”

One advantage that Burgettstown will have, unlike most teams in the state tournament, will be seeing its opponent in person. The coaches and some players will make their way to Allderdice to watch the game Westinghouse-Chestnut Ridge game.

Murray said it also will help to see Westinghouse’s 6-11, 235-pound senior James Ellis, who has been getting looks from Robert Morris and Akron.

Chesnut Ridge (17-6) is led by high-scoring Noah Dillow, who averages 25.5 points per game. Dillow is California University football recruit.

“Film is very valuable because you can watch it, re-watch it,” Murray said. “But the advantage is seeing them in person, and seeing the affects size and length have on the game, that’s not as noticeable on film. A lot of players can relate to what is going to be expected.”

• The Trinity boys travel to Edinboro University to play District 10 champion Cathedral Prep at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Despite a 10-12 record entering the playoffs, Cathedral Prep only had to defeat Meadville to win District 10.

Senior Adam Upperman leads the Ramblers with 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Trinity is the third seed out of the WPIAL after Mars defeated Franklin Regional, 54-44, in the Class 5A championship.

• The Belle Vernon boys, also the No. 3 seed but in Class 4A, travel to Sharon High School to play District 10 runner-up Hickory at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Hickory (20-5) had its five-game winning streak snapped by Sharon, 71-66, in the District 10 title game.

• The gas tank will be full in the South Fayette boys basketball team’s bus as it takes a three-hour trip to St. Mary’s High School to play District 9 champion Clearfield at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Clearfield (15-9) defeated St. Mary’s in the semifinals before knocking off top-seeded Bradford in the District 9 championship game, 42-36.

The Bison aren’t a potent offensive team, and they don’t feature anyone in the top-25 in the district in scoring.

• The one threat Conemaugh Township offers Chartiers-Houston when the two teams meet at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown is guard Jordan Poznanski. The 5-8, 140-pound junior doesn’t overwhelm anyone with size but is scoring 22.5 points per game for the Indians.

Conemaugh Township (14-9) was riding a seven-game winning streak before falling, 69-55, to Berlin Brothersvalley in the District 5 final.

• The Canon-McMillan boys are the only team in the WPIAL – both boys and girls – to have at least 20 wins and not make the state tournament.