Jan 17, 2016 5 min read

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Entering last week, Section 4-AAAA in girls basketball looked like a two-team race between Peters Township and Bethel Park, while the Wash High girls looked destined to repeat as the champions of 4-AA.

Well, forget about everything you thought you knew.

Canon-McMillan defeated Peters Township and the two teams are now just one game back from first-place Bethel Park. The Big Macs’ offense is becoming more balanced and opponents are receiving a heavy dose of senior center Becca Turney, an Eastern Michigan recruit.

Oh, and the Prexies lost by 26 points to Frazier, scoring just 13 second-half points. Wash High, Frazier and Charleroi all have a 6-1 record in section play.

Should Peters Township or Wash High panic?

Absolutely not. The Indians have the most depth in the section and can make up for the loss against Bethel Park Monday night. They also have a rematch against C-M in less than two weeks, but with its head coach back and now receiving secondary scoring, the Big Macs are going to be tough to beat.

Wash High matches up well against Charleroi, which it defeated at home by 19 points earlier this month, and if its young guards play strong defensively, has a good chance to defeat Frazier Thurs., Feb. 4.

WPIAL basketball has been wildly unpredictable this season. If the season ended today, Waynesburg, West Greene and Avella would all make the playoffs. The Raiders hadn’t won a section game in almost three years, the Pioneers did not win a game last season and Avella has rebounded from a 4-10 record in section play last season.

I’ll make a bold prediction right now: not only will West Greene qualify for the playoffs, but it will do damage when it gets there. The Pioneers have very athletic guards and play a tough press defense for four quarters.

That combination will add up to wins early in the playoffs. Though last week was as unpredictable as can be, it’s no surprise that Peters Township, Canon-McMillan and Washington are as strong as ever.

The schedule didn’t do Peters Township any favors. After outlasting Canon-McMillan in overtime Tuesday night, the Indians again had a thrilling section game against Baldwin. Again, they came up short and would need serious help to win the section title. Regardless, PT looks strong and mixes its inside game with strong outside shooting.

Waynesburg’s boys basketball team looks like it will return to the WPIAL playoffs and much of its success has to do with sophomore guard Darton McIntire, who is averaging 26 points per game.

The Raiders defeated Carmichaels and narrowly lost to Brownsville last week, but in those two games, McIntire had 61 points. He’s eclipsed 20 points in 12 of 13 games this season.

Since a 33-point lost to Pine-Richland over the Holiday break, the Prexies are 6-0 and is averaging 72 points per game during that span. The key has been balanced scoring and the experience of knowing how to close out games.

Markel Pulliam had 32 points in the overtime win over Seton-La Salle and a chunk of that was in overtime.

2: The number of field goals Burgettstown had against Chartiers-Houston. Oh, and the Bucs did it without Alexa Williamson.

10: The Jefferson-Morgan girls made 10 three-pointers in 57-point win over Monessen, extending the Rockets’ winning streak to 10 games.

13: Pulliam had 13 of Wash High’s 15 overtime points in the win over Seton-La Salle. Pretty clutch performance.

19: The number of free throws West Greene missed in a 17-point win over Avella. Luckily for the Pioneers, they got a combined 42 points from Madison and McKenna Lampe.

22: Ringgold sophomore forward Ashley Briscoe had 22 rebounds in the Rams’ win over Belle Vernon Thursday. She added 12 points and has been a big part of Ringgold’s transition to life without 6-6 center Marlena Schimdt, who is redshirting at West Virginia.

31: McIntire and Mitch Warman both had 31 points for Waynesburg against Brownsville. Pretty potent one-two punch for the Raiders.

48: Monessen scored 48 points in the second half to defeat California, 81-40, to take sole possession of first place in Section 3-A.

Monday: In girls basketball, Bethel Park at Peters Township, Chartiers Valley at Trinity and Charleroi at Frazier

Tuesday: In boys basketball, Bethel Park at Peters Township, Laurel Highlands at Ringgold, South Park at Trinity, Charleroi at Frazier and Avella at California.

Wednesday: In boys basketball, Washington at Brownsville

Thursday: In girls basketball, Ringgold at Brownsville, Trinity at South Fayette and Chartiers-Houston at Washington

Friday: In boys basketball, Trinity at South Fayette, Washington at Bishop Canevin and Waynesburg at Charleroi.

Mary Dunn of Trinity had 40 points in two wins last week and eclipsed 1,000 career points. Also, Trinity sophomore Joey Koroly led the Hillers to two wins and you already read about McIntire’s huge week for Waynesburg.