Live blog from Friday night's WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal playoff game between Beaver and Kittanning boys. We will also have reports from other games around the WPIAL. If you have a score or game report, tweet with #wpial. Or tweet to @mwhiteburgh.

 FINAL SCORE: Beaver 71, Kittanning 66

What a game for Austin Logan. Has to be a career high. 36 points. 19 in fourth quarter. 

Chartiers Valley has gone ahead of South Fayette, 63-58, one minute left. According to Swannie, CV went on a 14-0 run.

9:38 p.m. - 45 seconds left and Beaver leads, 65-58.

Upset????? South Fayette boys leading Char Valley, 58-56, midway through fourth. Char Valley No. 1 seed.

Gateway girls beat North Allegheny, 50-43

9:31 p.m. Austin Logan now with 31. Beaver leads, 62-52, with 2:03 left. 

Mars beat Uniontown, 77-59

9:25 p.m. Austin Logan making every big play for Beaver. Now has 27 points. Timeout with 3:50 left and Beaver has grabbed 58-50 lead.

9:21 p.m. Sterling Henry just picked up his fourth foul on an offensive foul. Beaver leads, 50-48. Henry now with 13 points.

9:20 p.m. Beaver's Aaron Barlow very quiet this half. 

9:18 p.m. Lead already has changed hands three times this quarter. Kittanning leads, 45-44. But Austin Logan hits 3 to give Beaver two-point lead.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Beaver 42, Kittanning 40

This one is getting good. Corey Nesmith of Beaver hit with technical with 18 seconds left in quarter. It's loud in here. Intense. Kittanning just won't get away. Henry starting to get the ball a little more. 

9:11 p.m. Gotta give Kittanning credit. Wildcats keep hanging in. Just cut it to 40-35

9:10 p.m. Sterling Henry yet to take a shot this quarter. Beaver leads, 40-33

Lincoln Park leading Wilkinsburg, 38-22

Gateway girls leading North Allegheny, 26-14 

8:59 p.m. First-half shooting: Kittanning only 9 of 29. Beaver 11 of 24.

Clairton leading Uniont, 42-35, after three.
8:55 p.m. - And the wonderful Todd Thomas, Pitt football player, stops by press row. He's here to see his cousin, Beaver's Corey Nesmith. Todd says all healthy ready for spring practice. I remember the days of coaching him in AAU basketball with Pitt hooper Trey Zeigler. REMEMBER THE JOTS

HALFTIME: Beaver 32, Kittanning 22

Austin Logan had 12 points to lead Beaver. Aaron Barlow 10. Sterling Henry with seven for Kittanning.

8:48 p.m. Austin Logan has hurt Kittanning this quarter. Banged a couple 3's in corner against 1-3-1 and scored off drive. 12 points in first half.

Mars handling Uniontown, 42-25, at half. From Canadian Curt.

8:37 p.m. Kittanning's Sterling Henry starts to come alive. Already seven points in second quarter. Basket by Kevin Barnes and Kittanning cuts lead to 21-17 with 5:50 left in half.

Montour leads Thomas Jefferson 24-13 at the half.

8:33 p.m. Sterling Henry only one shot in first quarter for Kittanning.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Beaver 17, Kittanning 8

8:28 p.m. Beaver on a run. Bobcats take 17-8 lead. Kittanning might have trouble defending Corey Nesmith and Aaron Barlow all night. Kittanning playing zones, but Nesmith has done some damage in transition.

8:24 p.m. Kittanning leading scorer, Sterling Henry, having trouble even getting ball. Being face-guarded and chased everywhere by Anthony DiNuzzo. Only one shot so far by Henry.

8:22 p.m. Beaver quickness and athletic ability might be little too much for Kittanning. Beaver leads 9-4 in early going. Four minutes left in first quarter.

8:16 p.m. Big student section turnout for Kittanning. All in bright green shirts. Great to see.

8:14 p.m. - This really is great to see a team like Kittanning get this far. If Wildcats win, they will be in semifinals for first time since 1925. Beaver not exactly a rich tradition either. Trying to go semis for only third time in school history. Andy Podbielski has done a great job with this program, which used to be horrible.

8:10 p.m. - Five minutes from tipoff for Beaver-Kittanning.

 Seton-LaSalle girls advance to semis. Beat Greensburg C.C. 66-43.

GIRLS FINAL SCORE: Mt. Lebanon 45, Fox Chapel 42 

Erin Mathias with tip-in with five seconds left for final score, but Fox Chapel didn't call timeout. Mathias, 6-3 Duke recruit, very impressive. 19 points, 13 rebounds seven blocked shots.

Alex Ventrone scores 14 to lead Mt. Lebanon. Christine Ehland 13 and Margie McCaffrey 11.

Free-throw shooting a big key. Mt. Lebanon 21 of 26 and 12 of 14 in fourth. Fox Chapel 11 of 17.

Jeannette girls beat Deer Lakes, 64-56. Ciara Gregory scores 35.

North Catholic boys beat Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 54-46.

7:46 p.m. Erin Mathias not getting many touches in second half. Mt. Lebanon defense in full court and out front too good. Mathias only three shots second half. Now has 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Mt. Lebanon 29, Fox Chapel 25 Mt. Lebanon girls outscores Fox Chapel, 19-13, in third quarter. Got inside of Fox Chapel's defense. Fox Chapel will have trouble coming back.

Ciara Gregory has 29 after three quarters and has helped Jeannette take 48-42 lead on Deer Lakes.

7:27 p.m. - Erin Mathias victim of some very questionable foul calls on blocks. Seen it so many times over the years. I swear big girls get foul calls sometimes just because they're big.

7:25 p.m. 2:23 left in third quarter and Fox Chapel leading Mt. Lebanon, 24-21.

More girls scores: Chartiers Valley and Upper St. Clair tied, 24-24. .... Penn-Trafford and Bethel Park girls tied, 25-25.

From Big Brad Everett: Jeannette leads Deer Lakes, 35-33, at half. Ciara Gregory doing her thing again. Has 21 first-half points with five 3's.

Bishop Canevin girls lead Mohawk, 29-27, from coach Jacoby. Celina DiPietro had five 3-pointers in first quarter.
7:04 p.m. - Could we have an upset in the making in girls? Mt. Lebanon trails Fox Chapel at halftime, 12-10.

This is my first chance to really see Fox Chapel's 6-foot-3 junior center Erin Mathias. She committed to Duke as a freshman. I really like her and her best attribute? Well, besides her size, it's her hands. You don't see many big girls like her with such good hands. Catches passes that aren't thrown right to her. Can grab rebounds that aren't right to her. If you have size, and you have hands - boy or girl - then you've got something.

This game isn't terribly exciting. Lot of turnovers and lot of bad shooting. But Mathias has eight of Fox Chapel's 12 points. And get this. She stepped outside and hit a 3-pointer. So she's versatile. Only 1 of 5 from free-throw line, though. Brings ball down too far on her free throws.

Mt. Lebanon's defensive pressure could start causing problems in second half. But against a press where Mt. Lebanon face guards a lot, it is nice to have someone like Mathias to throw the ball inbounds. You have a problem, just throw it up high to her.

 

The WPIAL basketball quarterfinals are tonight and tomorrow. I will have live blog from tonight's Kittanning-Beaver game and will be at New Castle-Gateway tomorrow. I'll also be at the City League championship tomorrow morning.

Here is analysis of the Class AAAA quarterfinals and also predictions on all of the games:

CLASS AAAA QUARTERFINALS

Seneca Valley vs. Upper St. Clair - Can you say playing to your strengths?  None of the remaining teams do it better than Seneca Valley and USC. Upper St. Clair will play a guard-oriented style with a ton of gap/kick and 3-point shooting. Seneca Valley comes at you with size, surprising athleticism, and patience. These two teams couldn’t be more different in terms of playing style and personnel. The deciding factor in this one will be USC’s outside shooting vs. Seneca Valley’s variety of zone defenses. Seneca Valley's outside shooting, suspect at times, also could be a key. In the first round, Central Catholic struggled with the Seneca Valley zone, but Central only had three days to prepare. Expect the matinee idol, Danny Holzer, to have the Panthers prepared for the Raiders mixture of zone defenses. I expect this to be a tight one, but watch for the NYC legend Victor Giannotta to run a ton of isolations for Easton Bazzoli (pictured) and R.J. McCauley, then put it in the freezer late with the triangle delay. Winner: Seneca Valley. 

McKeesport vs. Hampton - I’ve liked McKeesport since November. Problem is Hampton is extremely talented, and they defend in the half-court better than most realize. They can beat you 85-80 or 50-45. That’s a tough matchup for most teams, but especially a McKeesport team that might not be great on defense. Key here is McKeesport’s athleticism. Can the Tigers extend and pressure Hampton’s guards without trapping them? If not, Ryan Luther will have a field day. I picked McKeesport on Varsity Xtra video. But I'd like to change. Winner: McKeesport.

 

 

Fox Chapel vs. North Allegheny - This is an intriguing matchup. There is no team in the WPIAL that is more difficult to prepare for than North Allegheny because of the volume of 3-pointers and pressure defense. Fortunately for NA, the Foxes played Wednesday night, so coach Zach Skrinjar only has two days to get the Foxes ready.  Tough turnaround, especially when you never have faced NA. If it was another Section 3 foe, the short preparation wouldn’t be a problem. Everyone knows the keys to beating NA are handling the pressure and defending the 3. The two keys in this one will be the Foxes ability to run offense in the half court and whether or not they can post Matt D’Amico/Brian Papich out of their 5 around motion offense. This could be a dandy. I love the job Skrinjar has done with FC, but NA will win in front of a packed house by, maybe, 7. Winner: North Allegheny.

 

 

New Castle vs. Gateway - I've heard the comment that New Castle beat Latrobe by "only" 21. I think the week off affected the Red Hurricanes. Coach Ralph Blundo (pictured) and his team aren’t about to make excuses, but the nine-day break couldn’t have helped matters. The big question is if teams are starting to catch up to New Castle? If you look at three of the 'Canes past four wins, they are by 16, 5, and 20 points. Impressive for the rest of us, but below the high standards set at Ne-Ca High. I believe a few things about New Castle. I think they’ll be challenged in the WPIAL playoffs at some point, but will the challenge come Saturday? Well, New Castle should win by double figures again. The play of Gateway point guard D.J. Boyce will be a key - offensively and defensively, but Gateway’s attempt at a three-peat and four consecutive final appearances comes to an end. The only consolation prize is the Gators will qualify for the state playoffs when New Castlehoists the title trophy at Palumbo a week from Saturday. New Castle will wake up from its brief winter hibernation. Winner: New Castle.

 

 

 

OTHER BOYS GAMES

WPIAL Class AAA - Chartiers Valley over South Fayette; Beaver over Kittanning; Mars over Uniontown; Montour over Thomas Jefferson.

WPIAL Class AA - Beaver Falls over Brentwood; Jeannette over Apollo-Ridge; Greensburg Central Catholic over Burrell; Seton-LaSalle over Quaker Valley.

WPIAL Class A - Lincoln Park over Wilkinsburg; Union over Clairton; North Catholic over OLSH; Vincentian over Monessen.

City League - Perry over Westinghouse.

GIRLS GAMES

WPIAL Class AAAA - Mt. Lebanon over Fox Chapel; Chartiers Valley over Upper St. Clair; Gateway over North Allegheny; Bethel Park over Penn-Trafford.

WPIAL Class AAA - Blackhawk over Belle Vernon; Elizabeth Forward over Central Valley; Hopewell over Ambridge; South Park over Hampton.

WPIAL Class AA - Seton-LaSalle over Greensburg Central Catholic; Bishop Canevin over Mohawk; Deer Lakes over Jeannette; McGuffey over Burrell.

WPIAL Class A - Vincentian over Winchester Thurston; Quigley over St. Joseph; Serra over Rochester; North Catholic over Cornell.

City League - Westinghouse over Allderdice.

Western Pennsylvania isn't known for producing many Division I college basketball players. But some players from the WPIAL and City League - men and women - are doing some pretty good things on the D-1 level.

McKeesport's Zeke Marshall is among the leaders in the country in blocks. Highlands' Micah Mason is among the leaders in 3-point percentage and the same with Schenley's DeAndre Kane in assists.

On the womens side, Westinghouse's Shalonda Winton is among the leading scorers in the country and Washington's Jocelyn Floyd among the leaders in steals. Mt. Lebanon's Madison Cable is seeing considerable time for one of the top teams in the country.

Post-Gazette colleague Brad Everett put together a list of every player from the WPIAL and City League and how they are doing on the Division I level. Thanks to him for the below info. Great stuff. Hope we didn't miss anyone. (Stats and records are from the start of this week):

MEN

Zeke Marshall, Akron (McKeesport)

Marshall is pictured during his days at McKeesport

-- 25 games (26.7 minutes), averages 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 blocks

-- Akron is 21-4 overall (12-0 in the MAC)

Brian Walsh, Akron (Moon)

-- 25 games (24 minutes), averages 8 points, 3.6 rebounds; 3-pointers (40 percent)

Jesse Reed, American (Greensburg Central Catholic)

-- 23 games (13.1 minutes), averages 3.5 points

-- American is 10-15 overall (5-5 in the Patriot League)

Nolan Cressler, Cornell (Plum)

-- 25 games (21 minutes), averages 7.9 points; 3-pointers (41 percent); FT (80 percent)

-- Cornell is 13-12 overall (5-3 in the Ivy League)

Tom Droney, Davidson (Sewickley Academy)

-- 26 games (21.3 minutes), averages 4.0 points; FT (86 percent)

-- Davidson is 19-7 overall (14-1 in the Southern Conference)

Micah Mason, Drake (Highlands)

-- 24 games (15.8 minutes), averages 5.5 points; 3-pointers (50 percent)

-- Drake is 11-15 overall (5-10 in the MVC)

Justin Dobbs, Grambling State (Allderdice)

-- 4 games (9.8 minutes), averages 3.8 points; 3-pointers (42 percent)

-- Grambling State is 0-23 overall (0-14 in the SWAC)

DeAndre Kane, Marshall (Schenley)

-- 22 games (36.9 minutes), averages 14.4 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds

-- Marshall is 11-15 overall (4-7 in Conference USA)

Nate Snodgrass, Northern Kentucky (Butler)

-- 20 games (19.1 minutes), averages 3.4 points; FT (81 percent)

-- North Kentucky is 8-14 overall (6-8 in the Atlantic Sun)

Devontae Watson, Temple (Lincoln Park)

-- 4 games (2.5 minutes), averages 1.5 points.

-- Temple is 17-8 overall (6-5 in the Atlantic 10)

Sheldon Jeter, Vanderbilt (Beaver Falls)

-- 24 games (16.9 minutes), averages 5.3 points; 3-pointers (41 percent)

-- Vanderbilt is 10-14 overall (4-8 in the SEC)

 

WOMEN

Lauren Arbogast, Central Connecticut State (Mt. Lebanon)

-- 23 games (24.1 minutes), averages 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds

-- Central Connecticut State is 11-12 overall (5-7 in the NEC)

Jackie Babe, Central Connecticut State (Mt. Lebanon)

-- 23 games (34.5 minutes), averages 16.3 points, 2.7 steals; FT (82 percent)

Jess Babe, Central Connecticut State (Mt. Lebanon)

-- 23 games (33.1 minutes), averages 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals; FT (80 percent)

Shalonda Winton, Cleveland State (Westinghouse)

Winton is pictured

-- 25 games (39 minutes), averages 22.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals; FT (77 percent)

-- Cleveland State is 12-13 overall (4-8 in the Horizon League)

Kayla Cook, Coastal Carolina (Jeannette)

-- 23 games (20.6 minutes), averages 5.0 points

-- Coastal Carolina is 12-13 overall (7-8 in the Big South)

Vanessa Abel, Duquesne (Southmoreland)

-- 16 games (23.4 minutes), averages 7.6 points

-- Duquesne is 19-5 overall (8-2 in the Atlantic 10)

Jocelyn Floyd, Duquesne (Washington)

-- 22 games (27.6 minutes), averages 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 steals; 3-pointers (42 percent)

Belma Nurkic, Duquesne (Baldwin)

-- 24 games (24 minutes), averages 7.2 points; FT (83 percent)

Pepper Wilson, Miami (Westinghouse)

-- 25 games (21.9 minutes), averages 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds; FT (80 percent)

-- Miami is 17-8 overall (8-6 in the ACC)

Gabby Baldasare, Niagara (Vincentian)

-- 16 games (5.3 minutes), averages 0.8 points

-- Niagara is 12-13 overall (7-7 in the MAAC)

Val McQuade, Niagara (Shaler)

-- 24 games (16.8 minutes), averages 5.6 points; 3-pointers (44 percent)

Madison Cable, Notre Dame (Mt. Lebanon)

-- 22 games (18.4 minutes), averages 5.1 points; 3-pointers (41 percent)

-- Notre Dame is 24-1 overall (12-0 in the Big East)

Marritta Gillcrease, Rider (Perry)

-- 21 games (6.6 minutes), averages 0.8 points

-- Rider is 13-12 overall (8-6 in the MAAC)

Britta Emberg, Robert Morris (Kittanning)

-- 14 games (6.7 minutes), averages 0.9 points

-- Robert Morris is 7-17 overall (6-7 in the NEC)

Lily Grenci, Siena (Mars)

-- 25 games (34.1 minutes), averages 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds; FT (79 percent)

-- Siena is 10-15 overall (6-8 in the MAAC)

Markel Walker, UCLA (Schenley)

-- 23 games (29.7 minutes), averages 10.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.8 steals

-- UCLA is 19-6 overall (10-4 in the Pac-12)

Emily Correal, William & Mary (Peters Township)

-- 24 games (33.9 minutes), averages 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds; FT (73 percent)

-- William & Mary is 6-18 overall (4-9 in the CAA)

Anna Kestler, William & Mary (Mt. Lebanon)

-- 24 games (19.9 minutes), averages 2.0 points

 

 

Live blog from tonight's WPIAL Class AAAA first-round boys game between Fox Chapel and Hempfield (at Gateway). We will have scores and updates from other games. If you have a score, tweet me @mwhiteburgh or tweet with #wpial.

FINAL SCORE: FOX CHAPEL 51, HEMPFIELD 43

Brian Papich finishes with 23 points. Matt D'Amico held to eight. Kasen Harrell had 17 for Hempfield, but only five in second half.

9:19 p.m. - Fox Chapel students just did the "is that not the winning team? Yes that is the winning team" chant. An old one, but always a good one. Not many schools use it. Fox Chapel leaidng, 49-42. 

9:15 p.m. Fox Chapel will have to make free throws rest of way.

9:13 p.m. Timeout with 2:03 left and Fox Chapel leading, 45-40. Fox Chapel ball.

Gateway has taken 41-35 lead on Kiski Area.

9:07 p.m. Timeout 4:15 left and Fox Chapel leads, 45-38.

9:02 p.m. And just as I say Fox Chapel guards handle it well, Hempfield switches to 1-3-1 half-court trap and Fox Chapel makes few bad passes. All of a sudden Hempfield has cut lead to 42-36. Timeout 6:35 left.

Kiski Area leading Gateway, 35-32, end of third. 

From Eric Jacoby: Seton-LaSalle ahead, 27-19, at half. Beaver Falls leading B. Canevin, 47-15, at half

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Fox Chapel 42, Hempfield 31

Hempfield in trouble. Fox Chapel's guards handle ball too well. That's why I don't see Hempfield comeback. Fox Chapel shot 6 of 7 in third quarter. Kasen Harrell only two points for Hempfield in that quarter. 

8:53 p.m. Papich three-point play it's 40-39 FC

8:52 p.m. Matt D'Amico mid-range shot is one of best around.

8:49 p.m. Brian Papich has been really good tonight for FC. He and D'Amico really good one-two punch. Papich just scored off drive to give Fox Chapel 32-25 lead. Papich with 17 points.

8:48 p.m. - Been somewhat of a struggle for Matt D'Amico tonight. FC leading scorer only has six points. I keep waiting for him to go on a run.

8:46 p.m. - People are always surprised by Brian Papich jumping ability. He has two dunks tonight for FC. 

From Rock: North Allegheny ahead by 23 at half against Canon-McMillan

Gateway has come back some, trails Kiski Area, 29-24 

Halftime: New Castle leads Latrobe, 45-32

Ohh-oh. Fox Chapel student section taping a "Harlem Shake" video at halftime.

HALFTIME: Fox Chapel 28, Hempfield 22

Brian Papich 13 points in first half. Fox Chapel has been patient on offense, not forcing things. Hempfield only took six shots in the second quarter. Kasen Harrell, sophomore, with 12 points for Hempfield.

From Horse: Midway through second quarter and Kiski Area pounding Gateway, 25-12.

8:27 p.m. Fox Chapel's Mat D'Amico being held in check so far. Only four points.

 8:25 p.m. Kasen Harrell already 10 pts for Hempfield. Nice-looking player for a sophomore.

8:23 p.m. Fox Chapel now in 1-3-1 zone. 

8:21 p.m. - Ohi-oh. Quintin Wirginis, one of the leaders of Fox Chapel student section, holding up a blown up picture of my head. 

8:20 p.m. Second quarter. 3 pt. play by Connor Duquette and Fox Chapel goes ahead, 14-13. 

8:10 p.m. - Early going and Hempfield leads, 8-6. 

From Steve Richey: Vincentian girls leading West Greene, 35-16, af halftime.

7:25 p.m. - Former Parade All-American linebacker Mike Booth in the house. Was assistant football coach here at Gateway under Terry Smith. 

7:22 p.m. - Fox Chapel student section starting to fill up here. Best in WPIAL? I wondered if they traveled. Looks like they do. Seeing some great costumes already, too. They tweeted me they have a surprise tonight. We'll see.

7:19 p.m. - If there was ever ia benches-clearing brawl, I want to be on the South Park girls bench. I'm looking at the bench now. Head coach Reggie Wells is a state policeman. One of his assistants is his son, Reggie Jr., who happens to be an NFL offensive lineman.

 

7:17 p.m. - Fox Chapel - Hempfield game time is 8 p.m. Third quarter of Class AAA girls game here and South Park leads Indians, 33-15.