Conference Championship Games

[say_oww]

Say it with me...  All refs suck! 

I don't really think so, some do a nice job. I've been to some well-officiated games this season. I think part of the problem is some coaching staffs and fans get too caught up in the refs and beg for a lot of calls for their team, and it appears that they are doing a bad job.  Sometimes, you just need to let the game happen. Worrying about the refs as much as some people do give off the idea they are doing a bad job, but in reality, you have people begging for every single call and that's just dumb.  I probably do that too when I'm watching Pitt basketball, it's a natural reaction watching a sporting event to complain about the refs. 

I really liked how the Bellwood coach handled himself last night. Every time there was a foul or a call and one of his players started to complain or look over to the bench, he just said, "Hey get to the spot faster."  "Don't reach" "Stay straight up"  Things like that.  He never once complained about the refs.  He coached his team, and I really liked that and respected that a lot.

That is why I say it.  All refs suck so you do have to get the spot faster, and play better D, and take better shots.  Whining about it just makes you look bad!

[Colonel Mustard]

Lady Rangers drop BMCHS Thomases by a dozen or so.  Outplayed and out coached.  Can't wait for Mastovich's summary.

They looked to have more talent as well.  Outside of Thomas McCort had trouble finding shots.  Lady Rangers are pretty loaded. They did what a 4A team should do to a AA team. Forest Hills should make some noise in the state tournament. They have a really nice team. 

Are you serious with this?  Poor little AA McCort.  With a roster full of non-parochial school kids, and better numbers than most quad A schools, they are hardly at any disadvantage.  Do you feel good about them pressing Portage in the 2nd half up 25?

[Crimson's Ghost]

I don't really care what a team does to be honest, that's up to a coach. But McCort didn't even try to score in the fourth quarter, they were hardly pouring it on. The fourth quarter was 8-2 in scoring from what I recall.  Anyways, it's playoff basketball not AYSO, you can't take your starters and take off the pressure until the team losing does the same.  Portage had their starters still playing and they were trying up until 2 minutes in the game. The losing team dictates everything in my opinion. 


Anyway, McCort's press wasn't really there to get steals and layups, it was more about tempo. It just slowed Portage down and made the game shorter. I think we were out of there by 10 after 8.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Lady Rangers drop BMCHS Thomases by a dozen or so.  Outplayed and out coached.  Can't wait for Mastovich's summary.

They looked to have more talent as well.  Outside of Thomas McCort had trouble finding shots.  Lady Rangers are pretty loaded. They did what a 4A team should do to a AA team. Forest Hills should make some noise in the state tournament. They have a really nice team. 

Are you serious with this?  Poor little AA McCort.  With a roster full of non-parochial school kids, and better numbers than most quad A schools, they are hardly at any disadvantage.  Do you feel good about them pressing Portage in the 2nd half up 25?

I mean outside of our area a school that's AAAA should beat a school that's AA. That's fairly normal.  It's not always normal here for whatever reason.  I haven't watched many girls games this season, but it's fairly obvious Forest Hills had more talent and depth than McCort, as they should. 

[ChrisKentRam]

Crimson I have been called a homer on here before, and as someone with no dog in this fight I'm sorry. You are dead wrong. You are simply being a homer. McCort for example takes one of Homer Center's best five players and she comes off the bench for McCort. I am sure there are other examples as well. McCort has girls from any number of schools. Therefore, they do get to choose from even more girls than AAAA forest hills. They should be better and deeper. Forest Hills won the game bc they are better coached and their star outplayed the McCort Division one star that was frustrated and flustered the entire night.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I'm not really being a homer.  A bigger school should beat smaller schools.  I readily admit that Johnstown should never ever lose to McCort in football and boys basketball, yet it happens with frequency.  A well coached bigger school should always beat a smaller school, whether it's a Catholic school or not. 

McCort boys killed Altoona this year. I mean it wasn't even that close at times.  That shouldn't happen. 

In areas outside of District Six, that kind of happens.  It doesn't always happen here. 

[BigSkyCountry]

Will disagree. As examples, football - BG is loaded. Should win their conference and would beat altoona and holidays burg if they were in the conference. Lincoln park and Math, Civics and Science in boys basketball do beat bigger schools and should beat bigger schools. Geographical draw has a lot to do with it. They may have been smaller classifications, but drew from a larger area than the bigger schools that they had beaten. Not the same imo, but it is how our system works so it is what it is until it changes. Probably will never change.

[theprophet]

The bigger school with the caliber of athletes as Johnstown and Forest Hills should win a heavy magority of their games against smaller schools. I don't think BG is a good example because that team is just special for any class.

[Ivanputski]

The bigger school with the caliber of athletes as Johnstown and Forest Hills should win a heavy magority of their games against smaller schools.  I don't think BG is a good example because that team is just special for any class.

BG is IMO not nearly as special as say Aliquippa, Beaver Falls, Farrell, Steelton-Highspire and New Castle have been in the past  years. Those schools were not content to dominate the class that their enrollment dictated. They insisted on accepting the challenge of playing up in class and competing for a PIAA title in that upper class. 
However, a school like Kennedy Christian/Kennedy Catholic would be a good example of a school like BG. They welcome the opportunity to play a challenging regular season schedule and regularly draw players from a very wide geographical region, but when the playoffs come they change their strategy and compete against only the smallest schools in the state.
All teams mentioned deserve a LOT of credit for winning, but accepting the challenge of playing up in class and competing against better competition for a PIAA title certainly is more impressive and more special IMO. 

[GoldenRamsFAN]

Aliquippa is regretting playing up 2 classes this year, and I don't believe new castle ever played up? They always played in the class the were supposed to. I don't remember Farrell ever playing up either. For beaver falls this was the first time they won anything in a LONG time but always play in the class they're supposed to.