CLARION, Pa. – A pair of District 9 basketball playoff games are on tap for Tuesday, Feb. 21, including the Class 3A boys’ title game.
The 3A boys’ game features top-seeded Brookville (19-2) vs. second-seeded Moniteau (12-10). Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at PennWest Clarion’s Tippin Gym. The game will be video broadcast.
The Raiders come in riding a 16-game win streak having not lost since a 50-47 setback at Elk County Catholic Dec. 16.
Moniteau enters the game having lost three in a row after winning 7 of 8. The Warriors season took a turn when leading scorer Chason Delarosa-Rugg went down with a season-ending injury Jan. 27 at Keystone. While they won three in a row after that, the lack of Delarosa-Rugg (10.9 ppg) has brought them back to earth since.
Without Delarossa-Rugg, Moniteau is led by David Descinno and Ayden Jackson lead the way averaging 9.1 ppg while freshman Andrew Zeppeda adds 8.1 ppg, David Martino 7.7 ppg, and Colton Thomas 6.5 ppg.
Thomas has been the guy to raise his game the most without Delarosa-Rugg averaging 10.0 ppg in the six games Delarosa-Rugg has missed.
Brookville is led by Clayton Cook, one of the top players in District 9, who averages 14.2 ppg and 9.2 RPG while shooting 57% from the floor.
Jack Pete adds 10.7 ppg for the Raiders, who only allow 35.4 ppg, while Noah Peterson checks in at 8.0 ppg.
Also for Brookville, Conner Marshall contributes 7.6 ppg and Kellen Haines chips in 6.8 ppg.
The winner travels to play District 8’s Perry in a subregional game at 7 p.m. Friday at Brashear High school in Pittsburgh. That is part of a District 5-8-9 subregional that also features Chestnut Ridge playing Bedford with two of those four teams advancing to the PIAA playoffs.
D9 1A GIRLS FIRST ROUND: (9) Oswayo Valley at (8) Northern Potter
The lone opening-round game in Class 1A girls features a pair of teams who have already squared off twice this year when ninth-seeded Oswayo Valley travels to eighth-seeded Northern Potter for a 7 p.m. game. The winner will travel to top-seeded Otto-Eldred at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Northern Potter (13-9) owns a pair of victories over Oswayo Valley (11-11) knocking off the Green Wave 40-25 at NoPo Jan. 10 and 36-29 at Oswayo Valley Feb. 8.
Northern Potter, which has played just two games in the month of February, is led by senior Rebecca Martin, who averages 12.0 ppg and 9.9 rpg
Also for the Lady Lady Panthers Reagan Slawson adds 5.9 ppg, Haylee Chapman contributes 5.2 ppg,, Kayden Brown adds 5.0 ppg, and Molly Cady chips in 4.4 ppg.
Oswayo Valley, which is in the postseason for the first time since 2011, win primarily with defense allowing just 26.9 ppg.
That is needed considering the Green Wave only score 28.2 ppg.
Makenna Manning leads a balanced OV attack with 6.5 ppg while Layken Enty adds 6.0 ppg.
Eva West (4.9 ppg), Charlotte Austin-Keech (4.5 ppg), and Brooke George (4.4 ppg) round out the main scorers for the Green Wave.
