NBA fans have plenty to enjoy

Olajuwon and Johnson playing at East Allegheny.

Kevin McHale suiting up for Shaler.

Several Robinsons at Avonworth. A Jordan at Bentworth. Wow! If you’re an NBA fan, you’re in luck this season. Take a trip to a few local high school gyms to see some of the greatest names in league history.

OlajawonOwens — spelled alittle differently than the legendarycenter — is a starting guardfor the East Allegheny boysteam. The East Alleghenygirls team has two Johnsons,one of which has somemagic to her game. AmaniJohnson scored her 2,000thcareer point Monday. Hersister, Amaia, is another ofthe team’s top players.

A little birdie told The Dribbler there’s a Kevin McHale playing at Shaler. Apparently they go to the same parish. Is Shaler’s McHale a big Celtics fan? Maybe he has a poster of Bird, McHale and Parrish on one of his bedroom walls.

It’sthe Robinsons’ neighborhoodat Avonworth as sistersHunter, Hayden and Harrisare all key players. Hayden leadsthe Antelopes in scoring.

Levi Jordan is a starter for Bentworth. The Dribbler hopes he wears Jordan sneakers.

And let’s not forget about some other notable “greats” — James (Westinghouse’s James Ellis), Isiah (Sewickley Academy’s Isiah Warfield) and Harden (Shenango’s Madison Harden).

Here are The Dribbler’s thoughts on this week’s top games:

Boys

Butler at Pine-Richland, 7:30 p.m. Friday — When Butler coach Matt Clement played for the Chicago Cubs, one of his teammates was Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Clement now has a son named Mattix who is a hot-shot freshman. The Dribbler wonders if Mattix is named after Maddux. Regardless, Mattix Clement and teammate Ethan Morton are very good, but beating a surging Pine-Richland team on their home court won’t be easy. Winner: Pine-Richland.

Laurel Highlands at Trinity, 7:30 p.m. Friday — Laurel Highlands’ Bryce Laskey is making a run at the WPIAL scoring title. Friday, he’ll face a player who is one of the best runners in the WPIAL. Trinity’s Joey Koroly rushed for more than 4,000 yards in his football career and leads the Trinity basketball team in scoring, too. These are two of the top teams in Class 5A Section 1. Laurel Highlands won the first matchup, 75-61, but Trinity will even the season series. Winner: Trinity.

Cornell at Union, 7:30 p.m. Friday — His name is Tre Charles, but some nights the spelling of the Union star’s first name should probably read Trey. Charles has been known to get hot from the perimeter, a skill he showcased last week against Holy Family Academy when he knocked down eight 3-pointers among his 42 points. Union connected on 11 treys in the first meeting, a 61-55 win for the Scotties. Look for more of the same in the rematch. Winner: Union.

Quaker Valley vs. Lincoln Park (PBC Classic at Montour), 4:30 p.m. Saturday — There are some excellent games at Montour Saturday and Sunday, and this matchup between topranked teams might be the best of the bunch. Quaker Valley is No. 1 in Class 4A and Lincoln Park is No. 1 in Class 3A. Quaker Valley entered Tuesday’s play as the lone unbeaten team in the WPIAL and the Quakers have the best player in this game — Coletrane Washington. Winner: Quaker Valley.

Mars vs. Sewickley Academy (PBC Hall of Fame Classic at Montour), 6:15 p.m. Sunday — Sewickley Academy is flying at a higher level than most other teams and why wouldn’t it? After all, it has a Jett, and other teams don’t. Jett Roesing is among the team’s top scorers and has shown a propensity for connecting regularly from long range. Still, Mars has Robby Carmody and Andrew Recchia, and that makes the Planets the favorite here. Winner: Mars.

Girls

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic vs. Bishop Canevin (Bethel Park Classic), Noon Saturday — Want to see a battle of reigning WPIAL champs and front-runners in their respective classes? OK, simply head over to Bethel Park on Saturday. North Catholic is one of three remaining undefeated WPIAL girls teams. North Catholic’s Tess Myers is one of the WPIAL’s best sophomores, while Canevin’s Brionna Allen is among the top seniors. Winner: North Catholic.

Peters Township vs. Hampton (Bethel Park Classic), 4 p.m. Saturday — Hampton has an outstanding backcourt led by Laryn Edwards and Ali Collins, both of whom average more than 20 points per game. As good as those two have been, the biggest name in this contest will be sporting a Peters Township uniform. Makenna Marisa has been phenomenal, and The Dribbler believes she’s definitely one of the WPIAL’s five best players. Winner: Peters Township.

Vincentian at Leechburg, 7:30 p.m. Monday — Speaking of the area’s top five players, Leechburg’s Mikayla Lovelace has to be in the conversation. An IUP recruit, Lovelace poured in a school-record 44 points against Brentwood last week and is averaging better than 24 points a game. Leechburg has dropped only one section game, and that came by 22 points at Vincentian on Jan. 4. The Royals have won 24 consecutive section games. Winner: Vincentian.