The WPIAL basketball playoff meeting doesn't take place until Tuesday night.

For Butler and New Castle, the boys basketball playoffs have arrived now.

Both teams are 14-9 overall, 7-6 in Section 3-AAAA, and both will try to polish off a three-game section winning streak Friday night at New Castle to vault into postseason play.

Problem is, only one of them will succeed.

"I wish both teams could move on, but it's not going to work out that way," Butler coach Joe Lewandowski said.

"This is, in effect, a first-round playoff game," New Castle coach John Sarandrea said. "I know that's how we're treating it."

The two teams are tied for fourth place in Section 3-AAAA. Friday's winner moves on. The loser, in Sarandrea's words, "packs everything away."

He has never done that this early.

Sarandrea is in his 14th year at New Castle and the Red Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs in each of his first 13 seasons, the longest such active streak in WPIAL Quad-A.

Butler is trying to reach the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Sarandrea is 23-5 against Butler. The Golden Tornado defeated New Castle 63-53 in overtime Jan. 13 in Butler.

Butler has never swept a Sarandrea-coached New Castle team. The Tornado last swept the 'Canes in the 1990-91 season — the year before Sarandrea arrived — by scores of 76-57 and 48-42.

"It would be a nice achievement for these kids, but we're not looking at this game that way," Lewandowski said. "Our goal has been to make the playoffs. That's where the focus is.

"Our guys love to compete. They're excited about this and they should be. We're gonna go out and give it the best we've got. If we're supposed to go to the playoffs, we'll win. If not, we'll lose.

"Their gym will be packed and it will be an awesome basketball game. These are the types of games you want to play, the games that matter," Lewandowski added.

Jade Burka had 23 points and 15 rebounds while Blake Anderson had 21 points in the Tornado's earlier win over New Castle. Anderson averages 13.6 points per game and has 44 3-pointers.

Nick Martini has 32 treys for Butler and Burka is averaging nearly 10 rebounds per game.

Butler held a 37-16 rebounding advantage over New Castle in their initial meeting.

"When we played Butler the first time, they just got Noah Hartung back and he does a lot of good things for them," Sarandrea said. "But they've matured as a basketball team.

"Anderson has developed and Burka is an excellent big man. They have a nice team."

Anthony Harvey leads the 'Canes with 19 points per game. Spencer Lane adds 16 per contest.

"In that first game, we learned our kids never quit and theirs don't either, because they battled back from behind," Lewandowski said. "But we also learned we can beat them."

Butler's girls (15-7, 8-5) could learn their playoff fate tonight. If Fox Chapel defeats Shaler, the Tornado are in the playoffs.

If Shaler wins tonight, Butler must win at New Castle (20-2, 13-0) Friday to qualify for postseason play.

Butler coach Dorothea Epps said the Fox Chapel-Shaler game will not affect her team's approach Friday night.

"We feel this is a game we need to win either way," Epps said. "We need the momentum it would give us and the confidence boost as well."

The 'Canes defeated Butler 50-41, outscoring the Tornado 15-5 in the fourth quarter, Jan. 13.

"Our play in the fourth quarter has been a problem and so have turnovers," Epps said. "We've missed opportunities to score. That's been our Achilles' heel and the girls have a better understanding of that now."

The girls game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, the boys game begins at 8.