These champions will shine on stage
With a large bucket of popcorn by his side, The Dribbler sat on his sofa Sunday night watching the Oscars.
But as much as he tried to pay attention, his mind frequently wandered to how excited he was for this weekend.
If The Dribbler has a Vice, it’s that he’s obsessed — almost disturbingly so — with the WPIAL championships. He’s thinking about writing a book about it one day. The cover wouldn’t be black or gold. It would be a Green Book.
The Favourite part of his experience is seeing how players react to playing on the big stage. There have been so many memorable moments, like when Tess Myers hit a last-second shot to give North Catholic a title last year. The Dribbler said at the time, “A Star is Born.”
Six boys teams will be crowned kings of the WPIAL and six girls teams will be queens. Will Bohemian Rhapsody be played after each game? Unlikely. It will probably be We Are the Champions.
No matter what the song is, chances are The Dribbler will sing along. When in Roma ...
After going 5-3 last week, The Dribbler is 64-20 (.761) for the season.
Here are his thoughts on the WPIAL championships (all games will be played at Petersen Events Center): Boys
6A: Butler vs. Mt. Lebanon, 9 p.m. Saturday — Butler will try to scale Mt. Lebanon, which might appear to be like climbing Mount Everest considering the Blue Devils thumped Butler, 87-60, back in December. The Blue Devils share the ball well and have lost just once this calendar year. If there’s one thing they’re missing, it’s that they don’t have Ethan Morton. Butler does. Will its all-everything star will the Golden Tornado to victory? Sure, why not. Winner: Butler.
5A: Mars vs. Moon, 9 p.m. Friday — It will be a battle for galactic supremacy when Mars meets Moon. On paper, you’ve got to like Mars. It might be the secondsmallest planet in the solar system, but it totally dwarfs the Moon. In addition, the “Red Planet” is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Knowing that, if you’re Moon, you’ve got to be pretty intimidated. The Planets will win a close one. Winner: Mars.
4A: New Castle vs. Quaker Valley, 1 p.m. Saturday — Why didn’t The Dribbler write this preview months ago. He should have known it would be New Castle-Quaker Valley, right? In what sounds like a broken record, these two heavyweights face off in the final for the third year in a row. New Castle won the first two. It says here that Quaker Valley will win the third. Winner: Quaker Valley.
2A: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart vs. Serra Catholic, 5 p.m. Friday — Fifty years ago, we put two men on the moon. Friday, OLSH might want to put three guys on Jimmy Moon. Serra’s 6foot-9 center is a handful down low and should have himself another big game. However, The Dribbler thinks OLSH has too many weapons, and Dante Spadafora and friends will lead OLSH to its first title. Winner: OLSH.
Girls
6A: Peters Township vs. North Allegheny, 7 p.m. Saturday — Yeah, this is a big one. Many have been hoping for this matchup all season. Now it’s here. Peters Township is 24-0. North Allegheny 23-1. The WPIAL’s best two players will share the court — Peters Township’s Makenna Marisa and North Allegheny’s Rachel Martindale. This one will go down to the wire. In a classic … Winner: Peters Township.
5A: Chartiers Valley vs. Thomas Jefferson, 3 p.m. Saturday — Tim McConnell has never lost a game in his girls basketball coaching career. OK, so this is his first season coaching the Chartiers Valley girls, but still, that 24-0 record is pristine for the school’s longtime boys coach. The Colts are the favorite, but they face a tall task in trying to slow down Thomas Jefferson’s Jenna Clark, who has been on a tear in the postseason. Winner: Chartiers Valley.
4A: North Catholic vs. Central Valley, 7 p.m. Friday — A pair of directional schools hook up in what should be an excellent final. Talk about a contrast in traditions. North Catholic has won a record 18 WPIAL titles, while Central Valley is in the final for the first time. Don’t overlook Central Valley. The Warriors are 22-1 and have won 13 games in a row. But the Trojanettes are just too good. Winner: North Catholic.
3A: Neshannock vs. Shady Side Academy, 11 a.m. Saturday — There will be a bunch of teams playing for a title for the first time this weekend, but this is the only game that matches two of them against each other. Quick: How many WPIAL teams are nicknamed Lancers? The answer is two. Neshannock and Deer Lakes. Saturday night, if someone asks The Dribbler if Neshannock has ever won a WPIAL title, his answer will be yes. Winner: Neshannock.
1A: West Greene vs. Rochester, 3 p.m. Friday — Its colors are blue and yellow, but West Greene was green when it played in last year’s final. The championship newbies settled for the runner-up trophy. The Pioneers are back and are full of impact seniors, while a young Rochester team is making its first trip to the final. Rochester might be a year away. West Greene’s time is now. Winner: West Greene.