Glads, Leps seeded No. 1 in 3A, 4A
By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
The WPIAL’s open basketball tournament is set to begin this weekend and the chaos began Tuesday with the unveiling of the playoff brackets.
In the boys playoffs, 121 teams declared for the tournament and the basketball steering committee had its hands full seeding the field. It is the largest WPIAL basketball tournament ever.
This is the first time since 1984 that the organization used an open format for the basketball tournament. That was the first season using four classes.
Also new this season is higher-seeded teams hosting games, but there are criteria the schools must meet before they can host, WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said Monday.
First, the school’s gym must have a capacity of 700 or more. That way, under the state’s current COVID-19 restrictions, at least 70 people are allowed inside. That requirement will cause trouble, especially for some small schools.
Locally speaking, two local teams were deemed favorites, earning No. 1 seeds in their classifications.
In Class 4A, Belle Vernon Area was awarded the No. 1 seed and has a bye into the first round of the tournament.
The Leopards will be off until 6 p.m. March 4 when they’ll host the winner of No. 17 Freeport (5-6) and No. 16 Blackhawk (4-6), who will play Monday.
Belle Vernon (11-1) is the champion of Section 3 and owns out-of-classification wins against New Castle and Laurel Highlands, which are seeded second and third in the 5A bracket.
Elizabeth Forward (8-4), currently shut down due to COVID-19 protocols, earned the No. 7 seed and will have to travel to No. 10 Deer Lakes (8-3) March 4 due to the Warriors’ gym not meeting the capacity standards.
Yough (3-11) is seeded 18th and will play a pigtail game Monday at No. 15 Knoch (5-9). Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
The other local No. 1 seed is South Allegheny, which got the nod in Class 3A. The Gladiators are currently 13-4 overall, with all but one loss coming to teams outside of Class 3A.
South Allegheny’s losses have come to Class 5A Mars, 4A Lincoln Park and 2A Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Their lone 3A loss came in Section 3 in the final seconds at Shady Side Academy.
The Gladiators will finish the regular season Thursday at home against Apollo-Ridge. SA will host the winner of No. 16 Brownsville (3-8) and No. 17 Ligonier Valley (4-9) March 4 at 6 p.m.
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
