After the eastern side of the state dominated last year, winning all four classifications in 2009, many thought the same thing would happen in 2010, especially with powerhouse teams from the Philadelphia area.
But the western teams responded winning two titles while being more than competitive in the other game they were involved in, missing a 3-pointer near the buzzer that would have made it 3-for-3.
The biggest surprise of the tournament may have come Friday night in the Class AAA title game where Chartiers Valley was expected to be no match for Sts. Neumann & Goretti of the Philadelphia Catholic League, which came into the game ranked fifth in the country by MaxPreps.com.
But while the Saints ended up winning the title, Chartiers Valley came oh-so-close to pulling the mammoth upset while showing that the Pittsburgh-area teams could play some basketball as well. The Colts lost 65-63 when T.J. McConnell’s potential game-winning 3-pointer was short just before the horn and the potential game-tying put back was also off.
But Chartiers Valley didn’t just have a chance to win the game against a team that, even according to Colts head coach Tim McConnell, T.J.’s dad, was like a college team with four NCAA Division I recruits, they led in the fourth quarter and put a scare into the Saints, who were considered a season-long favorite to take the crown.
"I think Western Pennsylvania basketball is being underrated," Tim McConnell said. "I think (Western Pennsylvania basketball) is awesome. I think we have some very good teams in Western Pennsylvania. We have some very good players. I’m just proud to represent the western side of the state, and the effort we did tonight just shows that we can play with anyone."
Even Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale, who knew Chartiers Valley had a good team coming into the game, was surprised a little by how good the Colts were.
"I give them a world of credit," Arrigale said. "They are even a little better than I thought. You can’t really gauge a team on film or through a phone conversation. But they played extremely hard. We jumped on them early, and they responded right away. Then I knew we were in for a game."
Sewickley Academy and South Fayette proved McConnell right in his theory of Western Pennsylvania ball being underrated, beating teams they were supposed to lose to.
South Fayette (McDonald) toppled Strawberry Mansion (Philadelphia) 49-47 Saturday afternoon, while Sewickley Academy beat Central Catholic (Reading), which featured the likes of Division I prospect junior Marcus Dawkins as well as sophomore Marquis Marshall, the son of former Big East Player of the Year Donyell Marshall (Connecticut), a longtime NBA player.
"The players thought they had a chance if nobody else did," South Fayette head coach Rich Bonnaure said. "You don’t come out of the WPIAL, at least in AA, without having played a lot of good teams, maybe not as good as (Strawberry Mansion) but pretty darn close. I’m not taking anything away from them, but we’ve played very quick teams, we’ve played good executing teams."
Palmer steps up with Droney sick
Making Sewickley Academy’s victory maybe even more improbable was the fact that the Panthers star player Tom Droney, a Davidson recruit, was playing at nothing close to 100 percent because of an illness.
But enter Tyler Palmer, the son of head coach Win Palmer. The senior guard hit five 3-pointers while tying for game-high honors with 15 points. But Palmer’s performance shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who followed the Panthers' run to the state title.
He was the key reason Sewickley Academy beat Elk County Catholic in the second round, nailing five second-half triples after ECC had slowed the game down in the first half to the point where the halftime score was Sewickley Academy 11, ECC 6. Then, in the next round against Tussey Mountain, Palmer once again used the 3 ball to help the Panthers overcome a halftime deficit and get the victory.
"Tyler just steps up so big," Win Palmer said. "This is his third big game (in the PIAA playoffs). It’s fantastic. I couldn’t be prouder, and I’m so happy for him. He earned everything he got."
McConnell outshines more hyped eastern counterparts
Chartiers Valley’s T.J. McConnell is also a Division I recruit – Duquesne – like the seniors on Neumann-Goretti, but he wasn’t getting as much attention going into the title game despite leading the state in scoring.
But McConnell may very well have been the best player on the court, scoring 32 points to go with 12 rebounds.
"They couldn’t guard him," Tim McConnell said. "On a stage like this, I thought T.J. proved he’s a player and he can play with them and do his thing. We are excited about him going to Duquesne next year. He couldn’t be playing four a better guy."
Neumann-Goretti star Tony Chennault, who is going to Wake Forest and had 18 points in the title game, didn’t have a good feeling when McConnell took the final shot that could have won the game.
"I thought he was going to make it, because he was making every shot," Chennault said.
South Fayette title first of any kind for Lions
What a way to win the first championship in school history. South Fayette (McDonald)’s title in Class AA was the first PIAA OR WPIAL title for the Lions. South Fayette has been competitive in the WPIAL for a while now but haven’t been able to get over the top, finishing third this year. The Lions, though, made their first PIAA final and made it worth their while.
"They just didn’t want their season to end. I think that pulled us through," Bonnaure said. "The only way it was going to be the sendoff they wanted was for them to win their last game, which they did."
Penn Wood in great position to make title game three straight years
Penn Wood is in a great position to make the title game three straight years. The Patriots featured just three seniors on their roster this season, and top scorer Aaron Brown is only a junior.
The Patriots, who won the title in 2009 before falling to Plymouth-Whitemarsh this year, will have to get through what will once again be a loaded District 1 including Plymouth-Whitemarsh. But they have shown the ability the last two years to do that.
