Class A Boys Basketball "Western" Preview

[Crimson's Ghost]

The Favorite - Kennedy Catholic 21-2
Kennedy Catholic is the defending state champion in class A. They seem to be the favorites to do it again this season. The Golden Eagles played a daring schedule that featured teams from Washington DC, Philadelphia, West Virginia, and Ohio and they came out with a near-perfect 21-2 mark.  Kennedy features sophomore Maceo Austin, a 6'5" wing that already holds offers from West Virginia and Penn State. They also have senior guard Drew Magestro, a 1,000 point scorer that is committed to play for UPJ next season. They have the firepower to hang with just about anyone in the state, let alone class A. 

The Challenger - Monessen 19-7
Monessen and long-time head coach Joe Salvino are ready to try their hands at a run in the state tournament. He just won his sixth WPIAL title for Monessen, which ties him for the most of any coach in District Seven. The Greyhounds won the WPIAL this season with relative ease, and used a fast-paced, pressing style to overwhelm opponents. The Greyhounds averaged 80 points per game in their three district playoff victories. Senior point guard Justice Rice is the featured player for Salvino's team. 

The Local Favorite - Saltsburg 24-1 
Saltsburg rolled to titles in the Heritage Conference and District Six this season in convincing fashion. Next up: showing the rest of the state what they can do.  They will throw their 24-1 record on the line with a tough first-round battle against Vincentian.  The Trojans feature an experienced and talented backcourt headed by 6'0" senior Nick Porter, who is averaging 21.6 points per game this season.  

The Undefeated - Elk County Catholic 24-0
ECC is one of the few undefeated teams in the entire state.  They will put their unblemished record on the line with Eden Christian in the first round Friday night. The Crusaders are a veteran group that is unselfish and they play well together as a team. Look for seniors Gabe Kraus and Nate Dacanal to lead the way for Aaron Straub's team. 

The Sleeper - Shanksville 24-1
District Five doesn't always make a lot of noise in state playoff games, but Shanksville isn't a team you should sleep on going into the the state tournament.  The Vikings' lone loss this season came to AAAAAA Bethel Park on a neutral floor by 4 points.  Otherwise, they have been perfect. This group of seniors have combined to put together a 73-5 record over the course of the past three seasons. To put it simply, they know how to win. 

The Second Sleeper - Imani Christian Academy  15-7
Imani is not a team to be taken lightly. After a slow 0-3 start, the Saints have been playing pretty good basketball for the past couple of months.  They played a challenging schedule with mostly bigger schools in the non-conference, and that's something that could help now.  Imani is led by future West Virginia football player, Kenny Robinson, a strong 6'3" athlete. 

The Offense - Vincentian Academy 18-5
Vincentian plays fast-paced style that scores a lot of points.  It should be noted they do play on an abnormally small court, but this team still averages 75 points per game.  They will look to push tempo, and create turnovers into easy baskets.  They have played this way for years, it hasn't always translated in the state playoffs. 

The Defense - Southern Fulton 18-5
Southern Fulton likes to control pace, and wear teams out in a 32 minutes game.  They are pretty good at it. They are limiting teams to just 40 point per game. Scoring can be an issue sometimes, but their defense will keep them in most games. 6'4" senior forward Dylan Gordan is the key to this team, he averages 19 points and 9 rebounds a game. 

The Balance - Johnsonburg 12-13
Nobody on Johnsonburg averages more than 10 points per game. They have a team-oriented attack through and through.  The Rams' tallest starter is 6'1" senior Ryan Killhoffer, who leads them in scoring with 9.8 points per game.  Otherwise, it's a very guard-dominated unit.  Do they have the size to compete with some bigger teams in states?  We will see on Friday. 

The Long Ball - Williamsburg 15-10
This is a team that is not shy about shooting. As a team, the Blue Pirates have attempted 563 three-point attempts on the season.  Junior guards Rashadd Knorr and Nick Michelone are the top threats from the outside. They also get strong play from seniors Austin Fay, Aden McMonagle, and Silas Dishong. The lack of a true post player seems to be their biggest downfall going into the state tournament. 

The Mascot - Jamestown 8-16
Jamestown is the second place representative from District 10, and they enter the state playoffs with just an 8-16 record. The Muskies is a fantastic nickname, and they deserve to be commended for it. Jamestown features four players 6'5" or taller, and perhaps they can steal a win in the first round because of it. The matchup with Johnsonburg is intriguing, given their lack of size, 

The Underdog - Otto-Eldred 15-10
Nobody has a tougher first-round draw than the Terrors. They must take on one of the best teams in the state, in any class, in their own backyard at Sharon High School. It'll be a true "Hoosiers" type moment if they can beat Kennedy Catholic. 

The Youth - Juniata Valley 12-13
The Green Hornets' two best players are underclassmen, and should use this experience to build into next year. Three of their top four scorers will be back next season.  Sophomore guard Cam Collins leads the team with 15.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. Quinn Zinobile chips in 11.7, and Jaxson Rand contributes 7.3 

The Deep Sleepers - Union 18-7
Union played to a surprising outcome in their last game out.  The Scotties lost, but they were right in the game with Monessen in the WPIAL semifinals.  Senior Tre Charles is a good scorer, and he can carry the Scotties to a win if he's hot. 

The Deja Vu - Eden Christian Academy 12-10
Eden Christian is in virtually the exact same position as last season. They are the fifth place team from the WPIAL. They must travel to Clarion to face the District 9 champ, Elk County Catholic. Nothing has changed. Eden hung tough last season with the Crusaders and only lost 52-44, but their best player transferred and ECC seems to be better.  Can they reverse their fortune this season? The Warriors' Drew Aiken is the team's go-to-guy, he will need to have a big game. 

 The Road Wariors   - North Clarion 14-11
It's the playoffs, a lot of people are traveling. North Clarion has to make an over two hour trek to Peters Township to take on the WPIAL champ, Monessen. Not an easy draw for the Wolves, as they will be decided underdogs on Friday night. 


The Picks
Monessen over North Clarion
Shanksville over Union
Johnsonburg over Jamestown
Saltsburg over Vincentian
ECC over Eden Christian
Southern Fulton over Williamsburg
Imani Christian over Juniata Valley
Kennedy Catholic over Otto-Eldred

Monessen over Shanksville
Saltsburg over Johnsonburg
ECC over Southern Fulton
Kennedy over Imani

Monessen over Saltsburg
Kennedy over ECC

Kennedy over Monessen

[Crimson's Ghost]

I gave this a shot, it's pretty hard to compile. I'll see if I can add a AA, AAA, and MAYBE a AAAA.

[Ivanputski]

Commendable job Crimson! One footnote, Imani's stud and best player by far, Kenny Robinson got 2 technicals against Monessen in the WPIAL final and is suspended for the Juniata Valley game. 

[Crimson's Ghost]

Thanks, the article I read failed to mention that.  I'm still thinking Juniata Valley will have some trouble either way, but that opens the door at least. 

[Manfred]

Great capsules, CG. It must be a real coup for UPJ's Coach Rukavina and assistant Coach Grubbs to land Kennedy's Magestro. Now if they can only find some height and a space eater like Grubbs was.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Thanks. And I agree, I watched UPJ this year.  Leahey and Vescovi are good tall basketball players. But neither is a true center.  Seems that's what they are missing. 

[costanza]

well-done, as always Crimson....it should be a good weekend for basketball.

[Ivanputski]

Great capsules, CG.  It must be a real coup for UPJ's Coach Rukavina and assistant Coach Grubbs to land Kennedy's Magestro.  Now if they can only find some height and a space eater like Grubbs was.

No news about any big man offers, but I know upj has also offered 2 other excellent guards, Nick Smith from North Hills and Andrew Petcash from Pine Richland. They are crafty, disciplined, basketball-savvy guards with a knack for getting to the basket, hitting clutch shots  and creating opportunities for teammates. In other words, they"re NOT me-first gunners who get by only because of volume shooting and athleticism. Would be a major coup for Coach Ruk if he got all 3.

[Manfred]

He's got Clancy and Wise back for next year, but some depth would be good. Losing Laravie hurts.