Local basketball teams prepare to face top seeds
Three area basketball teams face tough challenges tonight in first-round WPIAL playoff games. The local teams match up against a top seed, a second seed and the defending Class A state champions. The Frazier boys team puts its 12-13 record on the line when it takes on Class A’s top seed, Duquesne (17-7), at 8 p.m. at South Fayette High School. Coach Larry Mikesell’s team advanced to this game by beating Avella, 62-44, last Friday, also at South Fayette.
Coach Linda Shultz’s Mapletown girls team will take on second-seeded Mount Alvernia (18-4) in a Class A game at 6:30 p.m. at West Allegheny High School.
Jim Lane and his Carmichaels girls team, who enter the playoffs with an overall record of 11-13, have the difficult task of beating defending PIAA Class A girls champion Monessen (17-7). Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at Ringgold High School.
Frazier vs. Duquesne
Mikesell spent his Sunday watching film of the Dukes and came away very impressed.
“They are pretty physical and very quick,” Mikesell said of Duquesne. “They put a lot of pressure on the point. They didn’t look extremely tall, so we can match-up with them size-wise. They play a pretty patient game. Most of their scores are in the 50s and 60s.”
It all adds up to “a great challenge” for Frazier, according to Mikesell, who was quick to add he likes that part of the equation very much.
“Our kids are up to any challenge all the time and I think we can compete with them,” he said. “I’m not predicting anything, but we’ll play them and see what happens.”
Mikesell said he would continue moving his players around during the game until an exploitable match-up presents itself. That will mean using more than one point guard to handle Duquesne’s pressure.
“We’ll probably take turns,” he said, noting that Will Bronson, Jared Russell and Ryan Keebler are among his better ball handlers. “Will may have an advantage because, at 6-5, he can see the whole floor better.”
Duquesne is “very similar to most teams in our section,” Mikesell noted.
The Commodores also have the perceived advantage of having played a game at the site of tonight’s match-up. “I thought we played pretty well down there,” he said. “It was good for the kids to get that win.”
What Frazier proved Friday night was that it likes to compete, something Mikesell has known for quite a while.
“All of my players have shown great courage and ability to compete this year,” Mikesell said. “I commend all of them for that. Our seniors have stepped up with leadership. That is what they should be doing, so I’m very proud of all of them.”
Carmichaels vs. Monessen
Carmichaels girls coach Jim Lane has had plenty of time to play this game in his head. Every time, it comes out the same.
“The most important thing is we have to make Monessen play a half-court game,” Lane said. “That is our strength. Our guards are better at that, plus we have Megan Stuvek inside.”
Lane expects the game to be won or lost underneath, where Stuvek will battle Monessen junior Perriel Pearson. Stuvek is a 6-1 sophomore and Pearson is a 6-0 junior.
“That’s what we need is for Stuvek to have her best game inside,” Lane said. “But we want all of our players to contribute, too. We’ll need good guard play to get the ball inside to Megan, plus we need good guard play all over because Monessen will pressure us all over the floor.
“This is the playoffs, so we’re counting on everyone contributing.”
Lane uses a six-player rotation that includes seniors Jami Menhart and Jamie Imhoff, juniors Courtney Gilpin and Aly Staun and sophomores Courtney Newland and Stuvek.
“We’ve had a whole week to prepare and we went over a lot of the details, like attacking the basket and beating their press,” Lane said. “But Monessen is not just Pearson inside. They have good guards, too, in Charrise Bassett (a 5-7 junior) and Alicia Stein (a 5-6 senior), who is a pretty good three-point shooter.”
Lane knows what to expect from the defending state champs.
“We’ve seen them play,” he said. “They are quick, aggressive, will pressure you all over the floor. We have to handle the ball against their pressure, get back on defense and not allow any transition baskets.”
Lane noted that even though Monessen has seven losses, the Lady Hounds played an impressive exhibition schedule that included two games against Class AAAA Canon-McMillan and Class AA powerhouse Washington.
Mapletown vs. Mt. Alvernia
Linda Shultz has been out of coaching for 25 years, but it didn’t take her long to assess Mount Alvernia, Class A’s second-seeded girls basketball team.
“They are very good,” Shultz said. “They are a very good and well-coached team. We knew that from last year, even though I was not coaching. They have a lot of height, which we do not, plus we do not have the numbers they have. We’re down to eight girls.”
After starting the season with nine girls, the Lady Maples (7-14) are down to eight because sophomore Bethany Ross is out with anterior cruciate ligament problems. “She was one of our best rebounders and helped us a lot underneath,” Shultz said.
“But we’ll give it our best shot,” she added. “As long as we do that, I’ll be proud regardless of the outcome. We’ve been plagued the last month with sickness. We’ve played some games with only six girls available.”
Shultz would name only three players who she is certain will start. Sophomore center Brittany Buckhalter, who averages 11.35 points per game; senior point guard Mary Kocerka, who averages a team-high 11.38 points per game, and senior swing player Brittani Schock, who averages 10.5 points per game.
Other possible starters include freshman Erika Chory and junior Jessica Ocker, who hasn’t played competitive basketball since eighth grade. “All of our girls got considerable playing time this year,” Shultz said.
“I’m real proud that we got into the playoffs in my first year back,” said Shultz, who serves as co-athletic director at Mapletown with football coach George Messich. “We’ll give is our best shot in this game and hope we represent our school well.”