Chartiers Valley’s Matty “Ice” McConnell scored 34 points, and 10 rebounds in Saturday night’s 78-67 victory over North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class AAAA final at Peterson Events Center. Eddie Flohr scored 24 points.
Cole Constantino led North Allegheny (23-3) with 24 points, Will Sandherr had 19 and Mike Fischer rounded out the double digit scoring with 10.
McConnell, a Robert Morris recruit, is the WPIAL’s leading scorer at 30 points per game.
The WPIAL title was the sixth for Chartiers Valley (23-3) and coach Tim McConnell, but their first since 2010 when Matty’s brother T.J. McConnell won a WPIAL Class AAA title as a senior. The McConnells also became the WPIAL’s first pair of brothers to each score 2,000 career points.
“My brother T.J. told me to come out like the great white shark in the water and do whatever you can to win the championship,” said McConnell. “I bet that anyone would like to get their 2,000th point on a buzzer-beater from half-court.”
Ali KO’s defending champion
When looking at the scoreboard the acronym for Aliquippa is “Ali” and it is a fitting title for an undefeated, No. 1 ranked team who just TKO’d the defending champ.
Aliquippa became only the 14th team in the past 52 years to win a WPIAL title with a perfect record.
Stephon McGinnis scored a team-high 22 points Saturday in a 68-57 win over Seton-La Salle (23-3) in the WPIAL Class AA final at the Petersen Events Center. McGinnis transferred from Ambridge in late September, helped the Aliquippa (25-0) become the first WPIAL Class AA team to go undefeated since Washington in 1985.
The Quips had five players score at least nine points. Jassir Jordan had 14, Darrien Fields 12, and Chucky Humphries 9. Kaezon Pugh, a 6-foot-2 forward, is considered one of the top junior football players in the state, scored 11 points and led the team with 12 rebounds.
“It was my first time in the Petersen Event Center and I was hype after I got a tip slam dunk,” said Chucky Humphries. “Stephon is amazing. I never seen a player like him before. I’m a ball player and I am always ready to play, so the arena or gym doesn’t matter to me. I am only a junior and I want to play basketball in college.”
The Quips’ quest for perfection remains intact, as Aliquippa enters the PIAA state tournament against Central Cambria.
Seton-La Salle was led by Ryan Norkus’ 25 points and 14 rebounds and super sophomore Paris “P. Diddy” Ford had 14 points and Cletus Helton 8. The Rebels will play the District 9 runner-up in the first rounds of the PIAA state playoffs.
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