Game of the Week: Playoff position on the line

By JEFF OLIVER

MVI Sports

In the wacky world of the 5A Big East Conference, there rarely is a week when teams can afford to not be at their best.

If you don’t believe it, just ask McKeesport coach Matt Miller, whose Tigers (6-2, 3-1) take on Franklin Regional (4-2, 3-1) in a battle with playoff implications tonight at Franklin Regional.

The Tigers and Panthers are currently in a three-way logjam for second place with Gateway.

Depending on the result of the game, the Tigers could find themselves anywhere from still hoping for a share of the conference title to finishing in fourth place. This game will go a long way in determining the seeding for each team when the playoffs roll around in a couple weeks.

“Of course, this game is huge,” Miller said. “It’s a great conference we play in with a lot of good teams and good coaches. We could be looking at anywhere from a home game in the playoffs to being on the road and possibly being the 12 or 14 seed.

“There is no question this is a big, big game. We’ve been stressing all week to our kids the importance of taking care of our business this week.”

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