A pair of boys teams are in action Tuesday, a win away from the state semifinals as Elk County Catholic battles Union (New Castle) in Class 1A, while Fairview takes on Quaker Valley in Class 4A.
With a win, both teams would advance to play again on Friday.
Here’s a look at each game:
CLASS 1A BOYS
(9-1) Elk County Catholic vs. (7-2) Union (New Castle) at Clarion U., 7 p.m.
The Crusaders (24-5) got a career-high 28 points from Charlie Briendel to power past District 10 champion Farrell, 65-53 in the second round. Since their AML title game loss to Ridgway, the Crusaders have been on a roll, winning the District 9 title and beating Rochester (49-47) in the first round before taking care of Farrell. The Crusaders are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2017, and looking to make the semifinals for the first time since 2009. Luke Jansen was also in double figures with 13 points against Farrell, while Adam Straub added 11 and Michael Jacobs 8.
The Scotties, the No. 2 seed from the WPIAL, are seeking to reach the state championship game for the second time in school history (2003) with two more wins. They are coming off a 49-28 win over District 6 champion Bishop Carroll in the second round after knocking off District 5 champion Southern Fulton, 57-25 in the first round. Matthew Stanley leads Union in scoring at 19 ppg., while his brother, Mark Stanley checks in at 11.3 ppg and Peyton Lombardo 10.8 ppg. The winner will face Bishop Canevin/Imani Christian winner in the semifinals.
CLASS 4A BOYS
(10-1) Fairview vs. (7-1) Quaker Valley at Sharon HS, 7 p.m
The Tigers knocked off a Lincoln Park team with a trio of Division I prospects, 54-51, and now have another tremendous challenge in front of them against unbeaten Quaker Valley (25-0), a team that also beat Lincoln Park, 74-63 in the WPIAL semifinals. Logan Frazao, Fairview’s (25-2) leading scorer, came up huge with 23 points in the win over Lincoln Park, while Zach Scott had 11 and senior 1,000-point scorer Jame Sitter 10. The Tigers are making their first appearance in the quarterfinals since 2018. Tyler Shultz also averages just a shade under 10 points per game. They knocked off Burrell in the first round, 61-36.
Quaker Valley has notched a pair of double-digit PIAA wins, 67-51 over Hickory and 86-45 over Belle Vernon. They are led by an absolutely dynamic scoring duo in guards Adou Thiero and Markus Frank. Frank averages 28.1 points per game, while Thieiro, who has interest from the likes of Indiana, Ohio State, Cincinnati and Pitt, checks in at 23.9 points per contest. That’s not to mention Jack Gardinier, who erupted for 36 points in the win over Belle Vernon. The winner will meet the winner of the Archbishop Carroll/Montour game.
