Mar 4, 2020 6 min read

The follow-the-winner format used by the WPIAL to fill out the final spots in the state basketball tournament turned out to be fortunate for a few local boys teams.

Of the four to advance to the PIAA playoffs, three needed help in doing so.

South Fayette, after losing to Mars in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals, needed the Planets to win in the semifinals to continue its season. The Fightin’ Planets did exactly that.

Peters Township and Ringgold – the No. 9 seeds in Class 6A and 4A, respectively – were left with only glimmers of hope. Each needed the top seeds, who they lost to in the quarterfinals, to run the table in their bracket and win the championship.

Check and checkmate.

Butler, which survived a pair of scares from the Indians in the quarterfinals, went on to win its first WPIAL title since 1991. Highlands, the No. 1 seed in 4A, cruised to its first championship in program history.

“We practiced a day last week, just shot around a little. We then scrimmaged Bethel Park on Saturday, neither one of us knew if we were going to get to play again,” Peters Township coach Gary Goga said. “A bunch of our kids went down to the (championship) game.”

Now, the those three that needed help and Belle Vernon, the runner-up in Class 4A, will play in the first round of the state tournament that runs Friday night and Saturday.

Long drives? You bet.

Coaches scrambling for any information on opponents? Of course.

Complete unfamiliarity with teams from across the state? You’d think, but not for Peters Township.

The Indians, in their first state tournament since 2009, will play District 10 champion Erie McDowell (21-3) in the first round Saturday at Edinboro University. Opening tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Separated by a little under 2½ hours, that distance didn’t keep these two teams from playing a regular-season game in early January. In a Saturday matinee Jan. 4, McDowell visited Peters Township and handed the Indians a hard-fought, 56-52 loss behind 21 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots from standout William Jeffress.

A four-star recruit, Jeffress reclassified earlier this season to graduate one year early. With offers from Pitt, Penn State, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Virginia and other major Division I schools, he averages 25 points per game.

“We are familiar with McDowell because we’ve seen them live, and there is no substitute for that,” Goga said. “We didn’t really prep for them at all before because we had a section game the night prior. They are very talented and well-coached. We’ve still watched a bunch of their games but playing against them earlier gives us an idea about how athletic they are and the speed in which they play.”

McDowell also has 6-6 forward Jaedan Jefferson, part of a one-two punch of size that Peters Township (14-10) will have to deal with.

“Those two attack the glass and are athletes,” Goga said. “We are going to have to shoot it well because they play good man-to-man defense and take away lanes. We have to be able to rebound. (Jeffress) can make plays that nobody else we’ve played can make. I don’t think you are ever going to shut him down. We will try to not let him do what he does well. He’s a really good basketball player.”

South Fayette vs. Muhlenberg

When: 5 p.m. Friday

Where: Milton Hershey High School

What to know: South Fayette was only 2-for-20 from behind in the arc in its Class 5A quarterfinal loss to Mars. Now, three-pointers might be what continues the Lions’ season. Not that South Fayette (16-8) won’t make its fair share of deep shots, certainly one would think the Lions’ shooting will be better than in the loss that ended their run in the district playoffs. Will it be enough to keep up with District 3 champion Muhlenberg? The Muhls (21-6) won the District 3 title for the first time and reached 20 victories for the first time since 2001 with three-point shooting. Muhlenberg averages more than 10 threes per game behind a spread out and balanced attack.

Belle Vernon vs. Clearfield

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: St. Mary’s High School

What to know: Belle Vernon was the only local boys team that controlled its own fate of entering the state tournament. The Leopards reached the WPIAL Class 4A championship game, their first title trip since 1978, but lost to top-seeded Highlands, 72-54. Now, they will try to end another drought. Belle Vernon (19-7) hasn’t won a state playoff game since 1981. It will play an experienced Clearfield team that has won six straight District 9 championships. The Bison are only 15-8 but returned six letterwinners from a season ago and have won six straight games.

Ringgold vs. Lancaster Catholic

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Warwick High School

What to know: This is the second straight year Ringgold will make a long, and I mean long, drive east. A four-hour bus ride across the Pennsylvania Turnpike will match the Rams against Lancaster Catholic, fresh off its District 3 championship. The Crusaders defeated Bishop McDevitt, which handily beat Ringgold 82-37 in last year’s opening round, for the district title. It’s the eighth state tournament appearance for Lancaster Catholic (23-3) under 15-year head coach Joe Klazas. Similar to the size Ringgold (14-10) faced against Ambridge in the first round of the WPIAL tournament, the Crusaders have 6-7 David Kamwanga. They are holding teams to fewer than 47 points per game. The Rams are in search of their first PIAA tournament victory since winning the Class 4A state title in 1995.