Been quite an opening two weeks for high school basketball
The high school basketball season is upon us and what a two-week period it has been in Greene County.
From losing streaks getting snapped to tremendous, individual performances on the hardwood, this columnist has seen it all in the early stages of winter.
The West Greene boys basketball team ended a 29-game losing streak with a season-opening win against Geibel Catholic on Dec. 7.
The Pioneers also added a non-section victory versus Hundred (W.Va.) last week and have been led by the freshmen duo of Craig Weaver (11.2 ppg) and Kolton Rush (12.6 ppg).
The Mapletown girls basketball squad also halted a losing skid of its own, snapping a 34-game streak with a 56-53 triumph over Western Beaver on Tuesday. Abby Shipley tallied 15 points and Hannah Dingle added 13 for the Lady Maples in the long-awaited victory.
As of Tuesday, there are only two unbeaten squads in Greene County: Carmichaels boys basketball and West Greene girls basketball squads.
The Mikes are 4-0 and have been led by the strong play of senior forward Brandon Lawless. Through four games, the 6-foot-4 senior has scored 120 points (30 ppg), headlined by a 48-point performance against Bentworth on Monday.
The Lady Pioneers have won their first three contests of the season and have been anchored by the consistent play of the Raber sisters, Madison (20 ppg) and Alyssa (12.3 ppg).
Both twin sisters are also in double figures in rebounding and are the catalysts for the West Greene defense.
Remember the date of Jan. 2, as it is the section opener for Section 3-A. Last year, five of the six teams qualified for the playoffs and I expect it to be a very competitive section in ’13-14.
There’s really not a clear cut favorite in this section, and I’m going to predict that the section will be tight until the final week of the regular season. I’m also expecting that’s there a good chance of five teams once again advancing to the postseason when it’s all said and done.
The slate of games for Jan. 2 is West Greene at Carmichaels, California at Jefferson-Morgan and Avella at Mapletown.
Christmas time is not only about giving and receiving, but it’s also about basketball tournaments. Greene County squads are involved in several holiday tournaments:
— Mapletown, Jefferson-Morgan and Carmichaels will compete in the Carmichaels Lions Club Boys Basketball Tournament on Dec. 26-27.
— West Greene and Mapletown girls basketball teams will be in action at the Bentworth Tournament on Dec. 26-27.
— Carmichaels girls basketball squad will participate in the Laurel Highlands Tournament on Dec. 26-27, while Waynesburg Central boys basketball squad will be involved in the Laurel Highlands Tournament on Dec. 27-28.
— Jefferson-Morgan and Waynesburg Central girls basketball will play in the Geibel Catholic Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27-28.
Now switching to football, the WPIAL won’t announce its realignment for all sports for the 2014-15 seasons until next month, but there have been plenty of rumors on which teams will move up or drop down classifications.
The Interstate Conference might be shaken up for the next two seasons, as Yough is rumored to jump up to Class AAA and both Jeannette and Greensburg Central Catholic might drop down.
So that’s three teams that the Raiders faced this year that are tentatively scheduled not to be in the conference this year. Who will take their place? Who knows? I guess we all have to wait next month for the WPIAL to make their formal announcement.
As it relates to the Tri-County South Conference, it is also rumor that Geibel Catholic will not field a team and has not sent out their 2014-15 schedule. Over the last two seasons, the Gators have had low numbers and have been forced to forfeit five games.