District 6A Boys Playoffs

[deepcreek]

I hear what you are saying. BC is very good this year and I think they beat Hollidaysburg every single time they play. Like most small schools, if BC gets in foul trouble against a good opponent they are in trouble. The luxury teams like Altoona have is great depth. Hollidaysburg also lost to Burrell, GCC, Canevin Catholic at the AA level and Ambridge and Steel Valley at the AAA level. So, they have been having struggles with all classifications this year. Nice win yesterday though.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I wouldn't put a lot of stock into smaller teams playing 4A teams. I think BC and BM are both better than Hollidaysburg. I'd say at this point of the season, McCort beats them. BM usually starts slow in December. But I don't see how you can say Carroll is better than McCort at this point, with McCort holding two wins over them. I think Carroll is an excellent team but Trexler is bettet than Lee. Hipp and Martinazzi are right on par, and BM seems to have more depth from what I saw.

[costanza]

d-6 fan I am not sure about that logic....HC really trapped well and got hands in so many passing lanes against W'burg...they really had them flustered. didn't they play anyone who trapped and pressed full court? If HC can pressure like that, I like their chances....does BG have people who can handle the ball or move the ball well to break the press?

[d6footballfan]

Costanza - BG has some very skilled and disciplined ball handlers. They play well and are coached well as a team and they are a legit 5 deep off the bench, so foul trouble or tiring is not an issue for them. They played BC twice, which everyone knows about BC presses. The 2 times they played BC, BG had 1 lopsided loss at pleasant valley, and 1 win at BC gym. If BG comes to play, and doesn't have a night off, they will win. More times than not, BG shows up, so my logical choice is BG, nothing against a good HC team.

[kmr]

I think the way to beat BC is to get Lee into foul trouble. When BC played BM and BG Lee got into foul trouble and the team chemistry that is key to BC's success just wasn't there. What could've been for PC, how good would they be with Martinazzi.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Realistically, there is no way Carroll beats Altoona if Span and Lee aren't injured. With Span and Lee out, if the game at BC it's a toss up, if it's at Altoona, Mtn Lions win by 10.

Altoona beat McCort AT MCCORT without its leading scorer and IMO the most athletic guard in D5 or D6.

There is a huge difference between the level of play, depth, and athletes of AAAA teams vs. A/AA/AAA teams. Go and watch New Castle and tell me they couldn't beat the top A/AA teams in District 5/6 by 50.

[d6footballfan]

Not that it means much, but I saw JV play BM this past summer and played straight up with Nemo and Co. But I also saw JV play BC and get literally thumped as well.
This game will come down to JV limiting turnovers and having good O possessions to eat clock. If they can do those things, it will keep JV close, otherwise it will be lights out for JV. JV has the personnel that can do these things, but doing those against BC is a whole other level. JV physically matches up well with BC position by position. I think if this game were to go to the benches, I actually give the nod to JV's bench.

[Crimson's Ghost]

So you think a Juniata Valley-Bishop McCort would be close now on basketball season? Half of playing AAAA teams for teams around here is mindset. It gets into kids heads they are AAAA. To be honest Altoona with their starting five isn't overly talented more so than a good LHAC team. But they have more depth, and they are physically stronger all around. In the scheme of thing Altoona is a poor AAAA team statewide. They can beat smaller local teams with their name alone. They don't do anything special. It's like a bad Big East team beating a good team from the Missouri Valley. It can happen.

[deepcreek]

Nothing against BM they are very good as well. I just think BC is more consistent game to game. I think both BC and BM are tough outs at state level. Titan New Castle beat some pretty good teams by 30+ this year so your statement could be accurate in this case. I like them, I hope I get to see them play on TV in the state finals.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Altoona has been in a talent lull for at least 5 seasons, yet they still have been better than any 5/6A or AA team. Maybe not significantly better, but clearly better.

Don't kid youself: Altoona would have likely been unbeaten in the LHAC this season with a full contingent of their players, and would have blown out mostly everyone---even minus Lee and Span, they likely would have only lost a few close games to LHAC teams...and this is as it should be given Altoona's enrollment.

AAAA teams have more depth, defend better, have better athletes, and are physically stronger than teams in lower classes. Altoona has a sophomore who would be dominant if he played LHAC teams every night. Again, that's as it should be. Occasionally, a AAAA team like Hollidaysburg will have an exceptionally down year and face a A or AA team that's having a historic year like Carroll is this year and the games will be close or they will even lose. In more cases, however, the McCorts and Carrolls will lose to the ALtoonas and State Colleges by 25-30 points+.

On another note why does Altoona even bother playing games against teams like BG, BC, or BM, much less playing them on the road? I even read an article where the Altoona folks love those rivalries.

If I am a AAAA head coach I NEVER play those games, unless once-in-a-blue-moon someone drops me from the schedule and I need someone to fill an opening on short notice. Even then, I only play a lower classification team AT HOME. Games like Altoona-McCort, Hollidaysburg-Carroll, etc. are lose-lose propositions.

If Altoona beats a BG or McCort by 30, well, yawn, they're suppiosed to. If they lose, then it's a horrible loss. I'd just as soon get on a bus for 3 hours or so to Harrisburg or Pittsburgh or even suburban Philly and play a competitive AAAA team then trek to Bishop McCort HS to play. The lower classification teams love those games because they have nothing to lose.