The WPIAL released the boys and girls basketball playoff brackets Tuesday night with three local teams making their respective classification playoffs.
The Ellwood City and Riverside boys basketball teams both will play Friday night, while the Riverside girls basketball team was seeded with a first round game scheduled for February 21.
The Wolverines (5-5 Section 1, 14-8 Overall) will play Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (7-3 Section 2, 11-11 overall) in their first round game Friday night at 6:30pm at Ambridge. The Section 2 runner-up Trojans, the defending WPIAL Class-3A champion, comes in with a .500 record but owns the classification’s stingiest defense at 43.2 ppg.
For the Wolverines, a victory would advance them to face the winner of Washington/Brentwood matchup on February 22nd at a time and place yet to be determined. The Wolverines could seek revenge in the quarterfinals against Washington, the team that defeated Ellwood in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs.
The Panthers (4-6 Section 1, 12-9 Overall) will play Burrell (7-3 Section 3, 10-12 Overall) in their first round game scheduled for Friday at 8:00pm at North Catholic High School. If the Panthers advance, they will take on the winner of Aliquippa/South Side Beaver matchup on February 22nd at a time and place yet to be determined.
For Panthers fans, a quarterfinals match-up with the ‘Quips could give Riverside the opportunity to knock of section foe Aliquippa who defeated Riverside both times during regular season play – otherwise, a quarterfinals match-up with sub-.500 South Side Beaver team would await.
Barring Cinderella runs by both boys teams, a third and final rivalry matchup could only take place in the championship game.
The #WPIAL 3A Boys Basketball bracket.
Watch the Pairings Show right NOW: https://t.co/AP0XRBwFsx #TribHSSN pic.twitter.com/BIhoHDAZlw
— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) February 14, 2018
For the Lady Panthers (7-5 Section 1, 14-8 Overall), they will open their Class 3A playoffs against Seton-LaSalle (6-6 Section 3, 9-13 Overall) next Wednesday, February 21st at North Hills High School. If the Lady Panthers win, they will take on East Allegheny on February 24th in the quarterfinals. East Allegheny, billed by some as a favorite, is led by Kennesaw State-bound guard Amani Johnson (26.4 ppg), and cruised to a 22-0 record and outscored opponents by an average of 64.9-29.7.
The #WPIAL 3A Girls Basketball bracket.
Watch the Pairings Show right NOW: https://t.co/AP0XRBwFsx#TribHSSN pic.twitter.com/MvLRtKhk1r
— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) February 14, 2018
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