Both teams are coming off disheartening losses in their respective district championship games.

But that is where the similarities begin and end for the Yough and Grove City High boys basketball teams.

When the two clash at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Plum High School in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs, they will display the very different methods that got them there.

Yough is a one-man show led by 6-foot-8 North Carolina State recruit Ben McCauley. Grove City is an ensemble - a cast of 12 who are interchangeable.

"There's no one player they can really look to key on too much," said Grove City coach Don Fee. "We need our role players to step up. I think it's a good matchup for us."

Yough coach Brian Znavor also sees the Eagles' balance as difficult to prepare for. Grove City has three players averaging 10.8 points or more per game.

"In that, they kind of remind you a lot of Moon," said Znavor, whose team lost to Moon 69-42 in the WPIAL finals Friday night.

But then there's the X-factor: How well can Grove City contend with McCauley?

Not many who have tangled with Yough have fared well against the senior, who was averaging 36 points per game during the playoffs until Moon held him to 21.

But McCauley was playing during an emotionally painful period: his grandfather had recently died.

"It was a difficult time for him," Znavor said. "I think he put too much pressure on himself."

Grove City has shown a penchant for shutting down dangerous individual players. It held General McLane's Bob Stauffer 15 points under his average in a quarterfinal win and has similarly hounded other teams' top players.

Fee isn't necessarily thinking his team can hold McCauley 15 points under his average, but he is certainly going to try.

"We want to really try to contain him," Fee said. "If we can hold him to even 25 or less, I think we'll be OK. There doesn't seem to be other guys who look to score. The other guys don't look to shoot the ball, but they look for (McCauley) inside and he's looking to put it up."

Grove City may have an intriguing counter to McCauley in 6-foot-6, 300-plus pound Tony Aloisio.

The senior has been the Eagles' stopper inside this season in spot minutes off the bench.

"Tony is a big body. I think he can help us a little bit," Fee said.

And so can pressure, which is Grove City's first plan of attack.

Znavor said he won't be surprised by anything Grove City throws at his team. He's seen it all.

"We've played every kind of defense out there," Znavor said. "We've even seen a triangle-and-two."

One thing Znavor sees a lot is pressure, which Moon applied in the WPIAL final. He expects the same from the Eagles.

Grove City can't afford another game like it had against Franklin in the District 10 championship game, though.

The Eagles are coming off arguably their worst performance of the season in a 59-42 loss to Franklin. In that game, Grove City shot 4-of-21 in the first only nine points in the first two quarters.

Yough is also coming off one of its worst games.

"Anytime you lose in your district final, it hopefully re-focuses and re-energizes you for your next goal, which is the state playoffs," Znavor said.

However, Fee said losing a District 10 championship game is tough. Losing a WPIAL championship game is more monumental to the team involved.

"I think the WPIAL championship is so big to the people in that district that the state playoffs are almost second fiddle," Fee said. "I think it is kind of anticlimactic. We hope it is."

<I>Grove City (19-7) vs. Yough (19-8)First round at Plum High, 7:30 p.m., Friday</I><B>Grove City</B>Pos. Name Ht. Yr. PpgPG Jordan Fee 6-0 So. 11.1G John Fee 6-2 Sr. 3.1G Ben Husband 6-2 Sr. 10.8G Dustin Van Hook 6-1 Jr. 4.5F Ryan King 6-3 Jr. 15.7<B>Coach: Don Fee</B><B>Yough</B>Pos. Name Ht. Yr. PpgPG Craig Sedunov 5-10 So. 11.0G Adam Jones 5-10 Sr. 2.0F Andrew McCauley 6-3 So. 7.0F Chaz Bazzo 6-0 Sr. 2.0C Ben McCauley 6-8 Sr. 29.0<B>Coach: Brian Znavor</B>