Pennsylvania state basketball championships weekend is here

There is a potpourri of great storylines coming up this weekend in the PIAA state basketball championships at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Mount Lebanon features its boys and girls advancing to the state finals, in a battle with two Philadelphia-area powerhouses in Chester (boys Class AAAA) and Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) (girls Class AAAA).

There are two threepeat possibilities on the girls' side, with Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) (AAAA) and Dunmore (AA) going for their third-straight state crowns, while Neumann-Goretti (boys Class AAA) and Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona) (girls Class AA) try to repeat as two-time winners.

Traditional powerhouse Chester is back in the state finals after a three-year absence, and the Clippers may be playing for more than just Chester, they'll be playing for a fourth-straight boys' Class AAAA state title from District 1 team and six in the last seven years from southeastern Pennsylvania.



Boys
Class AAAA: Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) (27-3) vs. Chester (30-1) Saturday at 7 p.m.
Chester looks like a team on a mission and no team in Pennsylvania looks as if it could stop the Clippers. They're 10 deep, are beating state playoff opponents by an average of 18.2 points a game and seem untouchable.

Led by Maurice Nelson, who's looking to duplicate older brother Jameer's feat of a state title his senior year, Lamon Church, DeQuann Walker, Erikk Wright and Richard Granberry, Chester has buried opponents with pressure, pressure and more pressure.

The starting five doesn't even include who could possibly be the best player on the team, breakout, burgeoning talent Rondae Jefferson. The 6-7 sophomore point guard and younger brother of Temple forward Rahlir Jefferson, who scored 11 points in Chester's 73-50 state semifinal thumping of defending state champion Plymouth-Whitemarsh, which was playing without Pitt-bound Jaylen Bond, who was out with a back injury.

Even if Bond did play, it might not have mattered. Chester beat formidable Penn Wood twice this season, stepped on Philadelphia Catholic League power La Salle (68-50), then easily vanquished West Chester Rustin (75-56; a Rustin team that knocked Penn Wood out of the winners bracket in the district playoffs) to arrive at the state semifinals.

Mount Lebanon, on the other hand, arrives to the state finals after an overtime struggle with 2010 state finalist and 2009 state champion Penn Wood, 52-48.

The Blue Devils used a slow tempo and a huge 3-point shot from sophomore Tyler Roth with 34 seconds left that put the game into overtime.



Mount Lebanon will try and use the same slow-down tactic against Chester, relying on offensive options Luke Hagy, Paul Lang and Evan Eaton, a 6-2 guard who's committed to Michigan State for football.

The Blue Devils have gotten here on defense and a patient pace. Chester arrives here using speed, fullcourt pressure and turnovers created off that pressure. No team in Pennsylvania has been able to blunt that formula. Mount Lebanon may be able to hang with the Clippers for a half, but once Chester's defense takes hold, it could unravel fast for the Blue Demons.

Expect a Chester blowout after a competitive first half and District 1's fourth-straight PIAA Class AAAA title.

Class AAA: Sts. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia) (26-4) vs. Montour (McKees Rocks) (23-7), Friday at 8 p.m.
Neumann-Goretti is going for its second-straight state title and the Saints seem even more dominant than they were last year. Neumann-Goretti hasn't lost since a 75-55 setback to Huntington Prep (W. Va.) back on Jan. 27. The Saints got here by winning the Philadelphia Catholic League championship and then taking the District 12 (or city) title over a pretty good Philadelphia Electric team.

Led by Billy Shank, John Davis, Lamin Fulton and Ja'quan Newton, the Saints run a wide-open, pressing all-out style. A game in the high-60s or the 70s at a fast tempo heavily favors Neumann-Goretti.

This is completely new terrain for the Spartans, who are making school history this season by reaching the state championship game for the first time, after achieving another program first in winning the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) title earlier this season.



They've reached this destination using a team concept. Against South Fayette, the 2010 Class AA state champion, Montour received a nice boost from senior forward Aaron Mcgee, who dropped in a career-best 18 points in Montour's 57-44 state semifinal victory. Sophomore point guard Devin Wilson is considered the go-to player on the Spartans, who do not have the size nor speed to stay with Neumann-Goretti.

Obviously, Montour will need to slow it down against the high-octane Saints, and it might be possible for a half. But asking Montour to hold down the Saints to less than 50 points for 32 minutes may be too much.

Class AA: Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) (30-3) vs. Greensburg Central Catholic (27-3), Saturday at 2 p.m.
It's as simple as this: Can Imhotep put the clamps on Greensburg 6-7, 240-pound widebody Pj McLaughlin? Or will the Centurions be able to slow down the Panthers' high-flying, explosive offense?

This will mark the second time in school history Greensburg reached the state finals (the previous year was 1980), while it marks the second time in three years Imhotep has reached the championship game, winning the Class AA state title in 2009.

Greensburg Central guard Jesse Reed scored 22 against Monessen in the Centurions' 64-61 state semifinal victory.

Imhotep features a balanced attack. Eight different players scored in the Panthers' 49-38 semifinal victory over Communications Tech, with the hub of their offense running through 6-8 George Washington-commit Erik Copes, who snared 11 rebounds in the Panthers' victory.



The Centurions may not have the speed to stay with Imhotep.

Class A: Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland) (21-7) vs. Math Civics & Sciences (Philadelphia) (26-5), Friday at 3 p.m.
In four state playoff victories, Math, Civics & Sciences Charter is averaging 76.5 points a game. And for the season, the Mighty Elephants, the District 12 runner-up, scored 75.1 points a game. They like to run, press, and create as much havoc as possible.

They avenged their District 12 title game loss to Constitution when it counted - an 87-74 victory in the state semifinals, behind 26 points from Jeremiah Worthem, 21 from Warren Dogan and 19 from Tyreek Riddick. The Mighty Elephants like to come at opponents in waves, and they may need a tsunami to bring down Lincoln Park's 6-9 junior center Devontae Watson, who scored 15 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots in the Leopards' 53-47 state semifinal victory over Vincentian Academy.

The Leopards, who are in the state title game for the first time in the brief, four-year history of the school, will attempt to stifle Math, Civics & Science's offense, the way they did Vincentian, holding it to less than 25 percent shooting from the floor. But the Mighty Elephants aren't exactly a half-court team. Again, another contrast in styles, making this an intriguing matchup: Can Lincoln Park slow down MCS? Can MCS stop Watson?

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Class AAAA Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) (24-5) vs. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) (24-6), Friday at 6 p.m.
The game is actually a rematch of a game played earlier this season between the two-time defending state champion Mount Lebanon Blue Devils and Archbishop Carroll, the District 12 champion and 2009 Class AAA state champion.

Mount Lebanon won that first meeting, 54-52, in overtime on January 15, behind a game-high 17 points by Notre Dame-bound Madison Cable. It should be noted that Carroll was missing two key players, Jen Carney and Rachel Pearson, in that game, a key cogs in the Patriots schemes.

Mount Lebanon received an interesting motivational jolt when Shaler upset the Blue Devils in the WPIAL championship, 41-35, coughing up a nine-point halftime lead. Since then, the Blue Devils have been running roughshod over every state playoff opponent they've met, crushing teams by an average of 29.7 points a game.



Buoyed by Emily Fazzini (Rider), Meghan Creighton, Sarah Curran and Pearson, Carroll might not roll over that easily. The Pats received a little kick along the way to their second state championship game appearance in three years, too. Carroll lost to Archbishop Wood, the 2010 Class AAA state champion, in the Catholic League finals.

Since then, Carroll has beaten its four state playoff opponents by an average of 27.2 points a game.

Mark it down - this could be the best game of the weekend, boys or girls.

Class AAA: Archbishop Wood (Warminster) (26-4) vs. Mercyhurst Prep (Erie) (27-2), Saturday at 5 p.m.
Wood is going for a second-straight state title and mowing down everyone in its way, winning by an average of 20.7 points a game during the Lady Vikings' drive for two-straight titles.

Wood is a senior-laden, veteran group led by guards Steph Keyes and Christine Verrelle, center Tori Arnao and forward Caitlin McCartney. They win with suffocating, persistent defense, a patient offense and tenacity.

The Lakers reached this stage using a polar opposite brand, exploding on opponents and making huge runs. Mercyhurst Prep will look toward Lindsay Stamp, who led the Lakers with 26 points in their state semifinal 58-46 victory over Villa Joseph Marie.



Look for the rugged Wood defense to smother the Lakers, opening the possibility for the Lady Vikings to walk away with a second-straight state championship.

Class AA: Dunmore (26-5) vs. Villa Maria Academy (Erie) (27-2), Friday at 1 p.m.
This game kicks off a smorgasbord of eight great games and 16 super teams. The Villa Maria Academy Victors are looking for a threepeat in 2011, after winning consecutive state titles in 2009 and again in '10.

But the Victors will be doing it without coach Scott Dibble, who was asked to resign after the regular season when the school discovered an off-the-court matter that did not fit "the mission and values of Villa Maria Academy," Villa Maria's president Rev. Scott Jabo wrote in a statement at the time.

Amid all of this, the Victors, under the new direction of long-time assistant coach Doug Chuzie, serving in an interim capacity, still reached their third-straight state finals, thanks to 21 points by Villa point guard Lisa Mifsud in the Victors' 58-34 victory over Seton-La Salle in the state semifinals.

The Victors have won 14-straight state playoff games.

Dunmore comes in with a little less drama. Senior Ashley Murray, who scored 25 points in Dunmore's 51-46 state semifinal victory over Mid Valley, leads the Lady Bucks.



Expect a great tug-of-war between two teams that play stellar defense. But the edge may go to Villa, an experienced team that knows what the grand stage of a state championship game is all about.

Class A: Steelton-Highspire (25-4) vs. Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona) (29-1), Saturday at 12-noon
Bishop Guilfoyle is the defending state champion, and the Lady Marauders already got a good dose of Steelton-Highspire – and star Malia Tate-DeFreitas - in their season opener, winning 56-46.

Guilfoyle got here by beating Homer-Center in the state semis, 52-41, and starts just one senior, Kelsey Livoti. But they're led by sophomore Halee Adams, who finished with a team-high 16 against Homer-Center, including scoring 11 of Guilfoyle's first 13 points. She'll get help from Elyssa Ehredt and Devin Stessney.

Steelton-Highspire beat Delco Christian, 52-48, to reach the state finals and are also pretty young, led by Malia Tate-DeFreitas, a sophomore point guard who averages 24 points a game for the Steamrollers.

She finished with a game-high 25 points against Delco in the state semis and is a very clutch player, proven by her 8-for-8 from the foul line in icing the contest in the fourth quarter. Look for Tate-DeFreitas to get help from senior center Cinnamon Brown, sophomore backcourt mate Jazmine Blanding and senior forward Janelle Hill. Another key factor could be senior forward Jessika Williams, who was a 14-points-a-game scorer before she injured her ankle.

Joseph Santoliquito can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.