Time to warm up with hot picks
Shoveling snow. Scraping ice off the windshield.
Putting on 1,072,362 layers of clothing.
The Dribbler has already had enough of winter, and it’s only the first week of January.
One of these years he will move south, somewhere far away from the ridiculousness that is Pittsburgh winter weather. But until then he’s stuck, forced to drive on slick roads and walk down slippery sidewalks just to get to his favorite high school basketball games.
It really is frustrating. Case in point: One day last week The Dribbler got all bundled up to go watch two strong WPIAL teams go head to head. He thought he was in the clear once he arrived at the school, ordered a hot chocolate and walked into the toasty gym. And then guess what happened when the game started? Both teams were ice cold. Absolutely frigid. Go figure.
The forecast is calling for below-zero temperatures the next few nights. With The Dribbler’s luck, it will probably snow, too.
The winter blues are for real.
But hey, at least this isn’t Erie.
Here are his thoughts on this week’s top games:
Boys
Carrick at Westinghouse, 7 p.m. Friday — Some are probably envious of Westinghouse center James Ellis. Being 6 feet 11 would be pretty cool. Then again, maybe it would be annoying. A light bulb needs to be changed or something needs to be grabbed from the top shelf? Ask the super tall kid. Walking in basements with low ceilings wouldn’t be ideal, and most beds are too small. On the court, though, Ellis has been terrific. Another big outing awaits. Winner: Westinghouse.
Pine-Richland at Seneca Valley, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — A good rule of thumb: Never pick against a team that includes Phil Jurkovec. However, a thumb injury to one of his Rams’ teammates, 6-6 center Andrew Kristofic, voids that rule. Kristofic will not play this season, and that’s a big blow for a team that reached the PIAA championship last season. He’ll be greatly missed in this game against Seneca Valley, which features 6-6 Marcus Might. Winner: Seneca Valley.
Moon at Mars, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — As legendary sports statistician Deuce Skurcenski would say when Mars and Moon played, “This game is going to be out of this world.” Moon, last year’s WPIAL Class 5A champion, has picked up right where it left off despite the graduation of star Jarrod Simmons. The Tigers were unbeaten heading into the week. An ‘L’ is on its way. Mars will put a blemish on Moon’s record, with Robby Carmody stealing the show. Winner: Mars.
New Castle at Ambridge, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — Every once in a while, The Dribbler likes to fill you in on the origin of the name of a school or city. This week’s entry is Ambridge, which, if you didn’t know, is named after the American Bridge Company. Ambridge is in good company this season. Heading into the week, the Bridgers were tied with Quaker Valley for the Class 4A Section 2 lead and New Castle was one game behind. A big one, for sure. Winner: New Castle.
Lincoln Park at Aliquippa, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — How good are these programs? Check out this stat: One of them has reached the PIAA title game six of the past seven seasons. Lincoln Park has done it four times and Aliquippa twice. Don’t let Lincoln Park’s 4-4 record fool you. The Class 3A Leopards have played a very tough non-section schedule. Just last week they upset then-Class 6A No. 1 Pine-Richland. Next comes a huge Section 1 win. Winner: Lincoln Park.
Girls
Bishop Canevin vs. Vincentian, 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Mt. Lebanon (Hoops for a Cure) — The Dribbler expects both of these teams to be playing for WPIAL titles in March — Canevin in Class 3A and Vincentian in Class 2A. Props to Canevin, which last week picked up a win against Montverde Academy, one of the top teams in Florida. Vincentian has been outstanding defensively, holding five of its past six opponents to 32 points or less. Winner: Bishop Canevin.
Oakland Catholic at Thomas Jefferson, 7:30 p.m. Monday — Shout out to the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars, who are off to an 8-1 start. They haven’t played a cupcake schedule, either. Their list of wins includes Gateway, Keystone Oaks and Upper St. Clair. Beating Oakland Catholic, a WPIAL runner-up a year ago, in this Class 5A Section 2 tilt would be their biggest win so far. Can they do it? For sure. Will they? The Dribbler doesn’t think so. Winner: Oakland Catholic.
Charleroi at East Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Monday — Dear Charleroi … Here’s your litmus test. The Cougars have lost only once this season, but that’s still not as good as East Allegheny, which came into the week one of only six WPIAL teams without a loss. East Allegheny was the only team to beat Charleroi in Class 3A Section 2 last season, and the Wildcats did it twice. Charleroi has some good players, but it doesn’t have Amani Johnson. Winner: East Allegheny