Final Fours are in the air
Callit the Great Flood of 2018.
That’swhat The Dribbler experiencedthis week when mediaoutlets from across the countryflooded his inbox and voicemailwith requests for his FinalFour picks.
TheDribbler was humbled bythe attention. Something likethat doesn’t usually happento a prognosticator who strictlypicks high school winners.But The Dribbler’s successspeaks for itself, and word ofhis wealth of basketball knowledgehas spread nationally.
“Inever ask my readers to judgeme on my winners. I ask themto judge me on my losers becauseI have so few,” The Dribblerremembers saying once.
However,The Dribbler faceda conundrum. Seeing his nameand NCAA picks publishedon national websites wouldbe pretty cool, but he admitsthat he has not watched muchcollege basketball this season.Going to high school gamesjust about every night leaveshim with little time to catchmany college frays. Becauseof that, his picks are the productof a last-minute cram system.
Inthe end, The Dribbler decidedto turn down all inquiries,citing that college hoops prognosticationisn’t one of his strengths.
Buthe will have his Final Fourpicks published after all …in this column.
Arizona,North Carolina, WestVirginia and Duke.
Dukeover North Carolina inthe final. MarchMadness, baby! Don’ttake those to the bank, butif you use them and win youroffice pool, you’re encouragedto send The Dribbler a few bucksfor his assistance.
Moreimportantly, trips to thePIAA Final Four are on the linethis weekend.
Hereare his thoughts on this weekend’stop PIAA quarterfinalsgames:
Boys
Mars vs. Highlands, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gateway — Sure,Robby Carmody is a baller.And yeah, Highlands’ LukeCochran was terrific Tuesdayagainst Carrick. However,the matchup The Dribbleris looking forward to seeingthe most is Mars’ Mike Carmodygoing up against Highlands’Johnny Crise. Carmodyis a 6-foot-6, 265-pound senior.Crise is a 6-7 sophomore.Mars has dropped only onegame to a WPIAL opponentthis season. Winner: Mars.
New Castle vs. Sharon, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Slippery Rock University —Marcus Hookeris often a man among boys,and although he may be thetoughest player pound-forpoundin this game, he’ll be far frombeing the tallest. Sharon’sEthan Porterfield is atalented, 6-8 junior who shouldgive a much shorter NewCastle squad lots of troubledown low. Still, Hooker, evenat 5-11, sometimes plays likehe’s 6-8. That ‘Canes defensewill be buzzing, too. Winner: New Castle.
Pine-Richland vs. Allderdice, 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Canon-McMillan — This isthe game of the year locally, withthe WPIAL Class 6A championssquaring off againstthe City League champswith a berth in the statesemifinals on the line. Thereis a lot of familiarity, as theteams are playing each otherin the PIAA playoffs for thethird year in a row. So far, theseries is tied, 1-1. History suggeststhe winner will make itto the title game. Winner: Pine-Richland.
Sewickley Academy vs. Jeannette, 1 p.m. Saturday at North Hills —Sewickley Academyshot 50 percent from thefield in its second-round winand placed two players in doublefigures, but The Dribblerwas disappointed with onestatistic — Nate Ridgeway,the player, was held to fivepoints against Ridgway, theschool. No worries, though.Sewickley got the ‘W’ andwill get another here. Winner: Sewickley.
Girls
North Allegheny vs. Bethel Park, 6 p.m. Friday at Baldwin — It’s quite possiblethat this game features the WPIAL’stop two freshmen: NorthAllegheny’s Lizzy Groetschand Bethel Park’s Olivia Westphal.Groetsch has been phenomenalas of late. She scored18 points in the WPIAL finaland was 6 of 6 from the linein the final minute of a narrowPIAA second-round winagainst Altoona. North Alleghenyis three wins away froma perfect season. Winner: North Allegheny.
Chartiers-Houston vs. Bellwood-Antis, 6 p.m. Friday at Johnstown — Alexa Williamsonhas scored 80 pointsin two PIAA playoff games.Yeah, that’s pretty absurd.She dropped 35 when Chartiers-Houstonplayed Bellwood-Antisis last year’s secondround, but the Bucs lostthat game, 80-66. Bellwood-Antisis led by Alli Campbell,who is ranked as oneof the top sophomores in thecountry. Will the Bucs get somerevenge? Winner: Chartiers-Houston.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic vs. Villa Maria, 2:30 p.m. Saturday at North Hills — The Dribbler always hasa very difficult time pickingagainst Villa Maria or SewickleyAcademy. Not only areboth teams always good, butVilla Maria is the Victors andSewickley Academy is coachedby Win Palmer. He pickedSewickley Academy to winthis weekend and he’ll do thesame with Villa Maria, whichhas had the WPIAL’s numberin the playoffs in recentyears. Winner: Villa Maria.
Gatewayvs. Mars, 1 p.m. Saturdayat Canon-McMillan —WhatgotintoGateway onWednesday?TheWPIAL champseruptedfor57points againstHarborCreek.That mightnotsoundlikeabignumber, scored57pointstotalitsprevious lookslikethemoretalented team.LaurenWasylsonand TaiJohnsonarebothfuture DivisionIplayers.It’shardto pickagainstGatewayright now. Winner: Gateway.