Feb 15, 2007 By Dave Stofcheck 6 min read

Brian Pritts’ Valentine’s Day gift couldn’t have been sweeter, even if it was hand-dipped in chocolate. After a 21-3 regular season that included the team’s first-ever section title, Pritts’ Southmoreland squad was seeded No. 4 in Class AAA by the WPIAL Steering Committee at its annual basketball playoffs pairings meeting Wednesday night.

Sweet stuff indeed, especially for Pritts, who has guided Southmoreland to the postseason four years running.

Along with finding out the Lady Scots’ first-round opponent, which, by the way is Chartiers Valley, Pritts was presented with the Section 3-AAA champions plaque Wednesday.

“It was a very, very good feeling,” Pritts said. “I think I had a smile from ear to ear.”

Also, Section 2-A champion Geibel Catholic drew a No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Vincentian in the opening round.

The Gators are no strangers to the WPIAL playoffs, having won seven District 7 championships along with 20 section titles.

Current coach Pat Klocek has won back-to-back Section 2-A championships.

“Whatever happens now happens,” Klocek said. “We have to go out and do our best and prove ourselves.”

Three other Section 2-A teams – Mapletown, Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan – also qualified for the playoffs and were seeded as follows: the No. 12 Lady Maples will face No. 5 Mount Alvernia, the No. 13 Lady Mikes will take on defending Class A champion Monessen, which is seeded No. 4, and the No. 14 Lady Rockets will face No. 3 Avonworth.

In a crowded Class AA, Beth-Center squares off against South Park in a play-in game for the right to play No. 4 seed Ford City.

Defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Hopewell received Class AAA’s top seed, with West Mifflin second and Mars third.

“I think it’s fair,” Pritts said. “They seeded all four section champions in the top four. I’m pleased with the seed. I think it was a reward for a good regular season.”

After years of being on the outside looking in, Southmoreland has made four straight trips to the postseason thanks in large part to the play of Abel. The West Virginia University-bound guard leads the WPIAL in scoring at 28.5 points per game, after averaging 29.2 as a junior and being named third-team all-state.

A year ago, Southmoreland entered the postseason with a 21-3 mark and was seeded No. 7, but was blasted by North Catholic in the opening round, 81-49.

“I think the taste of that game is still in my mouth,” Pritts said. “It took a long time to get over it, for me anyway. It’s been in the back of my mind all year. We’ve accomplished more this year than we have in the past, but any time you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.

“Being a fourth seed hopefully will bring a little more confidence to the team. The kids need to take some confidence into this game and build on what we’ve done the past four years. My word to them lately has been ‘Attack’. It’s time for us to go out and do that.”

Southmoreland and Chartiers Valley will tip-off Saturday at noon at North Hills High School.

Geibel (16-6) comes into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, winning by an average margin of 37 points during the stretch.

Vincentian (11-12) is one of four Class A teams to enter the postseason with a losing record. The Lady Royals finished fourth in Section 4-A, behind North Catholic, Avonworth and Mount Alvernia.

Since mid-January, Vincentian has been up and down, never winning or losing more than one game in a row.

“I figured we’d be in the middle of the pack,” Klocek said. “We’re playing pretty well right now. We had a couple injuries the second half of the season, with Sabrina Szabo missing several games and Mia White and Marion Laurion getting banged up as well.

“I don’t know much about Vincentian, but I know the section they play in is very tough. We watch some games involving Vincentian. It’s all about match-ups and see if you can impose your will on the other team or if they can impose their will on you.”

Geibel and Monessen will tip-off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. as part of a tripleheader at Southmoreland High School.

A year ago, the Lady Gators brought a 14-8 mark in the tournament, then dropped a 60-53 first-round decision to Rochester.

Mapletown (15-7) finished second to Geibel in Section 2-A, and is returning to the postseason after a one-year absence.

Two years ago, the Lady Maples fell to Mount Alvernia, 56-37, in a first-round match-up.

Southmoreland High School will also be the site for this year’s game between the two teams. Tip-off is slated for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Carmichaels is making its third consecutive playoff appearance, and will face Monessen, a familiar foe, Saturday as part of a Mikes boy-girl doubleheader at Thomas Jefferson High School.

The Lady Mikes and Lady Greyhounds will tip-off at 1 p.m.

Carmichaels (13-11) is led by senior center Megan Stuvek, who is averaging 22.5 points, 15 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. The Lady Mikes have already faced Monessen twice this year, losing 72-41 and 62-19.

“It does help that we’re familiar with them,” said Carmichaels coach Jim Lane. “We know what we have to do to win. We have to do a lot better job of taking care of the basketball. Monessen will press you as soon as you step off the bus. Once we beat the press, we have to do a better job of finishing on offense.

“We have to rebound and we have to play tough defense. Monessen has a pair of junior guards who are two of the best in the WPIAL. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

Jefferson-Morgan (12-11) tied Carmichaels for third place in Section 2-A, and is making its second straight playoff appearance.

Avonworth (20-3) finished in second place in Section 4-A and has won 9 of 10 games, losing only to section champion North Catholic during the stretch.

The Lady Rockets and Lady Antelopes will tip-off Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Woodland Hills High School.

The top four seeds in Class A are North Catholic, Serra Catholic, Avonworth and Monessen.

In Class AA, 26 teams garnered playoff berths, with 10 games being played either Friday or Saturday to determine the round of 16.

Beth-Center (13-11) finished in fourth place in Section 5-AA, while South Park (15-9) was the third team out of Section 3-AA.

The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will tip-off Friday at Belle Vernon High School at 6:30 p.m. Beth-Center is making its second consecutive postseason appearance.

The top four seeds in Class AA are Seton-LaSalle, defending champion Greensburg Central Catholic, Beaver and Ford City.

In Quad-A, New Castle is top-seeded, followed by defending champion Oakland Catholic, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair.

Six WPIAL teams will advance to the PIAA playoffs in Quad-A and Class AAA, with eight moving on in Class AA and five in Class A.