It’s crunch time for winter sports squads
It’s crunch time for winter sports squads as the start of the second half of the section schedule for basketball teams and wrestling is about to begin.
Basketball teams are jockeying for positions atop their respective sections, trying to finish in the top four and qualify for the postseason.
Three key section match-ups headlines tonight’s boys basketball action around the county.
Jefferson-Morgan hosts California, West Greene welcomes Geibel Catholic and Waynesburg Central battles Brownsville at home. Tip-off for all three games is at 7:30 p.m.
All three Greene County squads lost the first game against their section foes, and are looking to avenge the loss to split the season-series.
The Rockets (8-5, 3-3) are currently in fourth place in Section 3-A and look play more consistently down the stretch run.
After the game against Cal tonight, J-M hosts first-place Monessen on Tuesday and then battles non-section foes Frazier Wednesday and Brownsville next Friday.
The Pioneers (4-9, 2-3) are one game out of fourth place in Section 3-A and picked up a critical section win on Tuesday against Avella, 41-37. The Pioneers have had a knack of playing close games this year, as nine of their 13 games have been decided by nine points or less.
West Greene welcomes in Beth-Center on Tuesday for a non-section affair, before traveling to Mapletown next Friday.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Raiders (9-4, 4-2) are in the thick of things atop Section 4-AA. Waynesburg, who only had six wins a year ago in Triple-A, trails only Charleroi and Brownsville in a wild and unpredictable section.
After the contest against Brownsville tonight, Waynesburg travels to Bentworth Tuesday and hosts Charleroi in what could be a pivotal match-up in Section 4-AA next Friday.
Both the Mikes (3-9, 0-5) and the Maples (0-13, 0-5) have had their struggles in 2014-15 with young rosters, but both teams are looking for improvement in the second half of the schedule.
Carmichaels faces off with Avella on Saturday at home, followed by games at Brownsville on Tuesday and at home versus Bentworth next Friday.
Mapletown is at Geibel Catholic on Tuesday, versus Beth-Center on Wednesday in non-section action and then against West Greene at home next Friday.
On the girls side of things, the Lady Rockets are still the top team in the county with a 12-1 overall record and a 6-1 mark in Section 3-A as of Jan. 14.
J-M is eying up a rematch with first-place California on Jan. 29, but before then the Lady Rockets host Fort Cherry on Tuesday and travel to Geibel Catholic next Friday.
If the playoffs were to start today, both Mapletown and West Greene would be on the outside looking in.
The next couple of games are crucial for both squads if they have any hopes of the playoffs this season. Both squads will meet each other on Monday in Section 3-A play.
The Lady Maples (3-10, 2-5 as of Jan. 14) then host non-section foe Beth-Center on Wednesday before traveling to California on Thursday.
The Lady Pioneers (0-15, 0-7) will be at Monessen on Thursday.
Both the Lady Mikes (6-9, 1-5) and the Lady Raiders (2-9, 0-6) are on the bottom half of the Section 4-AA standings as of Jan. 14 and will look to make a second half surge next week.
Carmichaels is at Washington on Monday and then welcomes in Bentworth on Thursday, while Waynesburg travels to Bentworth on Tuesday and hosts Charleroi on Thursday.
In wrestling action, Waynesburg is getting hot at the right time with a first-place finish in last weekend’s TriCADA Tournament at Ringgold.
As a team, the Raiders finished with 227 points and were headlined by first-place finishes by A.C. Headlee (132), Shaun Wilson (138), Shane Piper (152) and Colin McCracken (182).
Headlee was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament and is the first ever four-time TriCADA champion.
The Raiders boast a 12-2 overall record and 2-1 mark in Section 4-AAA (4A) after a 46-27 victory over Trinity on Monday night.
Before the Section 4-AAA sectional championships next Wednesday, Waynesburg will finish out the regular season against Connellsville (Jan. 15) and McGuffey (Jan. 17).
Jefferson-Morgan finished with 163½ points and a third-place finish in the TriCADA tourney. The Rockets now turn their attention to section play and finishing out the regular season strong.
After section match-ups versus Bentworth and Beth-Center earlier this week, J-M hosts Washington in a non-section contest on Saturday.
The Rockets will compete in Wednesday’s Section 4-AA sectional championships.
Both Mapletown and West Greene have already been eliminated from the sectional championships next week, but both will be preparing for their individual postseasons.
The Maples will compete in the Burgettstown Tournament over the weekend.
The Pioneers will be off next week after traveling to McGuffey last Wednesday to end their Section 4-AA (4A) schedule. McGuffey, along with J-M and Beth-Center, are the top three teams in the section.