"Mr. High School Sports" - WPIAL Shootaround

By Matt Popchock

Welcome to another edition of the WPIAL Shootaround, in which Mr. High School Sports gets you ready for the some of the most important games of the ongoing week in the world of high school hoops.  This week there are a lot of teams out there with something to prove, not just within their own sections, but to the rest of western Pennsylvania.  Our preview is punctuated by a couple of matchups featuring top five teams that could turn into statement games for those involved.  So without further ado, here's what's coming to a court near you:

TUESDAY:

BOYS' CLASS AAAA, SECTION 3:

Pgh. Central Catholic (3-1, 6-5) @ North Allegheny (2-1, 9-2) (7:30)

A win by the Vikings at home over Pine-Richland Friday put them ahead of NA for the No. 2 spot in their section, but only because the Tigers have a game in hand.  The latter has been the much more consistent bunch, and the Post-Gazette's No. 2 team puts its seven-game winning streak on the line tonight and puts pressure on top-ranked Shaler to keep winning when they host Central.  North Allegheny has one of the most prolific offenses in the classification at 69 points per game, a unit that gets contributions from just about everywhere, especially its guards.  The Tigers are coming off a blowout of Butler in which Anthony Dallier, one of the top five point-getters in Quad-A, scored 20, and his outside shot could present a problem for Central's defense.  After a solid performance against P-R in which he led the way with 19, Lincoln Davis will likely be the go-to guy for the Vikings.

BOYS' CLASS AAA, SECTION 5:

Ringgold (3-0, 8-1) @ South Fayette (3-0, 8-0) (7:30)

Local media disagree on South Fayette's place in the District 7 pecking order, but one thing we can all agree on is the Lions have owned their competition throughout the first half of the regular season.  The Post-Gazette's No. 2 Class AAA boys' team can serve notice as to who's really number one if they can put on another impressive show against the feisty Rams.  Mr. High School Sports is a bit worried his score-keeping hand might be sore from writing by the final buzzer, as the Lions lead the classification with 76.4 points per game, and Ringgold, whose only loss came to Class AAAA Canon-McMillan, knows how to put the ball in the hoop too, with a 65.1-per-game average.  Mike Lamberti, who averages 22, is coming off a 21-point effort against Washington, while Andrew Stine scored 28 in a recent Rams victory over South Park out of section.  A key factor could be the status of Ringgold's Cody Kennedy, a dangerous scorer who has missed two games with the flu. Check back with "Mr. High School Sports" on 937thefan.com Wednesday for a complete recap of this game.

THURSDAY:

GIRLS' CLASS AAA, SECTION 3

Greensburg-Salem (2-2, 8-3) @ Indiana (4-0, 12-0) (7:30)

This could very well be a defensive struggle, considering both teams enter Tuesday yielding less than 40 points per game, and after a rough day at the office against Uniontown Monday night, it'll be a chance for Salem to bounce back and really shake up the Section 3 standings, moving within a single game of the Little Indians.  Leslie Stapleton, a WPIAL top-10 scorer who averages over 20 a game, will keep that Lions' defense busy, but in the meantime, the visitors must take their offense to another level to match the second-highest scoring team in Class AAA.  Angela Bayla led Salem with seven points Monday, but the Lions need to find a way to get Jayne Oberdorf, who averages over 14, more involved.

FRIDAY:

BOYS' CLASS AA, SECTION 3:

Bishop Canevin (2-2, 6-6) @ Monessen (4-0, 9-2) (7:30)

In Class AA, where the balance of power has been scattered in various directions, maybe it's time we started watching the Greyhounds as a potential long-term favorite, because right now they're not going anywhere but up.  They've averaged over 70 points a game during their ongoing four-game win streak, and their only two losses of the season came much earlier, and at the hands of Class AAAA competition.  Monessen did just beat a Quad-A team, however--Canon-McMillan in the Chuckie Mahoney Classic--and Jeff Francia netted four three-pointers and 16 points to spark that victory.  It'll be a tall task for the Crusaders, who are a tall team--10 of 13 players over 6'0"--and have just completed the last in a series of invitational tournaments, with mixed results.  In order to gain better footing in the section they'll need contributions from everyone, including Gino Palmosina, who scored 18 in a Friday blowout of Brentwood that might be Canevin's most impressive win to date.

BOYS' CLASS A, SECTION 1:

Cornell (1-0, 9-2) @ Lincoln Park (1-0, 8-2) (7:30)

There will be a rapt audience at one of the more "legendary" facilities in Beaver County, the old Midland High School gym, for what is not only a battle for bragging rights in the section but also bragging rights in the classification between two of the Post-Gazette's top five.  It's hard to imagine a more dominant player in the WPIAL right now than Devontae Watson, who has scored 20 points and registered at least 20 rebounds in each of his last three games, including a triple-double at Western Beaver Friday.  Hard to imagine, that is, until someone mentions the name Chaquille Pratt.  He contributed 27 for the top-ranked Leopards that night, and he is among the top five scorers in Class A.  Meanwhile, No. 4 Cornell has won four of its last five, and opened section play with a hard-fought triumph over Union up in Lawrence County that night, a game in which Rodney Payne led all with 15 points.  The Raiders enter this week with the number one defense in Class A, giving up just 42.3 points per game, but only time will tell if they can handle the unique size and athleticism of the Leopards.

For continuing coverage of WPIAL basketball, be sure to check back with Mr. High School Sports throughout the 2010-11 season!