WPIAL tourney time arrives

February 13, 2019 Last Updated: February 13, 2019 07:49 AM High School

Mars boys, North Catholic girls top seeds; Butler draws Connellsville in 1st round

Two No. 1 seeds and a whole lot of hopefuls.

Brackets for the upcoming WPIAL boys and girls basketball tournaments were released Tuesday night during a meeting in Green Tree. Butler County has 12 teams in the tournament field.

Mars (21-1) is the top seed in Class 5A boys and does not play until Feb. 22, when it will face the Shaler-McKeesport survivor.

“The regular season is over, so nothing means much right now,” Planets' coach Rob Carmody said. “Class 5A is very evenly dispersed. I think any one of 10 teams could win it.

“We had a great regular season and we've earned this seed, but in a tournament where you face elimination in every game, so many little things can happen. Somebody could have the sniffles, who knows?”

Carmody said Mars will find a scrimmage against somebody between now and its first playoff game.

“Our guys will get a little rest and that will help us. We'll be ready to go,” he said.

North Catholic (19-3) is the No. 1 seed in Class 4A girls. The Trojanettes face the Keystone Oaks-Belle Vernon winner on Feb. 21.

“Pretty much what we had expected ... fell in line with the predictions we had seen,” North Catholic coach Molly Rottmann said. “It should be a good field ahead of us.

“We'll have a good matchup with Keystone Oaks, a tough team ... should be a good quarterfinal matchup.”

Butler's boys drew the fifth seed in Class 6A, just missing a bye. The Golden Tornado (17-4) will play Connellsville (8-14) at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Canon-McMillan.

“It landed pretty much how we thought,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “I figured we'd be 5 or 6 and would get Connellsville because they wouldn't put us against Seneca Valley in the first round.

“This is the highest seed we've gotten in my years as coach at Butler. It's a nice tribute to a young team that's put together a pretty solid season.”

The Raiders (11-10) drew Fox Chapel (15-7). They play at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at North Allegheny.

“Connellsville just lost to Latrobe by a point the other night and (Latrobe) is the No. 2 seed,” Clement pointed out. “Connellsville is playing its best basketball right now.

“There are no easy games in this thing. Seeds 5 through 12 have to win four games to win it and that's everybody's goal.”

Seneca Valley's girls have a particularly tough road. Because 6A girls has only two sections in the WPIAL, SV is one of only eight teams in the playoff field in that classification.

The Raiders (15-7) face Bethel Park (20-2) Feb. 22 at a site and time to be determined.

“These are all basically second-round games,” SV coach Todd Schoeffel said of the Class 6A girls field. “Everybody has a tough game.

“Bethel Park is very skilled. I know their coach (Jonna Burke) from her years at Butler when I coached against her. Her teams are always very good on defense, they have a senior point guard who is very good and one of the best sophomores in the WPIAL.

“This is a big challenge for us. We have to play better than we have been,” Schoeffel added.

The coach said Seneca Valley will scrimmage Slippery Rock prior to the WPIAL tourney.

“They play good defense and those girls always play hard,” Schoeffel said of the Rockets.

In Class 5A girls, defending state champion Mars (17-5) will open against Woodland Hills (12-10) at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Hampton. If the Planets win, they get No. 2 seed Oakland Catholic (19-3).

“Woodland played at 6A last year,” Petruska said. “They are bigger and stronger than us, more athletic. I think it will be a good game.”

As far as the prospect of facing Oakland Catholic goes, Petruska said with a laugh: “It's been three or four years in a row ... Oakland is very good. Their starting core is very talented.”

Knoch (17-5) drew South Park (10-12) at 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at Fox Chapel in Class 4A boys. The Knights are co-section champs this season after winning one section game in Class 5A last year.

Knoch coach Ron McNabb said “my assistant coach predicted this right on. We're in the spot we thought we'd be.

“I know South Park played Freeport this year, so we'll look at some film there,” McNabb added. “Our team is thrilled to be in this tournament.

“We knew we'd have a good year. I don't know we'd be section co-champs, but I've texted a few players about our matchup. They are excited and ready to go.”

WPIAL Playoffs

(Butler County teams)

6A Boys

Butler (17-4) vs. Connellsville (8-14), 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Canon-McMillan

Fox Chapel (15-7) vs. Seneca Valley (11-10), 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at North Allegheny

6A Girls

Bethel Park (20-2) vs. Seneca Valley (15-7), Feb. 22, site and time TBA

5A Boys

Mars (21-1), No. 1 seed, plays winner of Shaler (15-7)-McKeesport (11-9), Feb. 22, site and time TBA

5A Girls

Mars (17-5) vs. Woodland Hills (12-10), 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Hampton

4A Boys