'Hurry Up And Wait' Is Message for Boys Basketball Team

Basketball coaches have learned to expect the unexpected at the annual Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League basketball championship pairings meeting.

The WPIAL came up with another twist this time around, requiring some teams like the Pine-Richland boys to wait more than a week before playing their opening-round games.

“I didn’t expect we’d have to wait a week,” Pine-Richland coach Brian Gaetano said minutes after the pairings were revealed Tuesday night. “I expected a Saturday or a Monday game. I didn’t expect this long to wait before getting back out there.”

Pine-Richland boys (13-6) open the Class AAAA playoffs next Wednesday, Feb. 23, against Connellsville (19-2) at a site to be determined.

Pine-Richland girls (7-10) will start the tournament five days earlier with a play-in bracket game against Norwin (10-11) Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Gateway High School.

Basketball coaches are like fast-food customers. They don’t like to wait.

Gaetano admits he doesn’t like to see his team’s momentum blocked when they’re on a run. Pine-Richland will have nine days to practice in the gym between its final regular-season game, and its playoff opener.

After some inconsistent performances earlier in the season, the Rams boys finished the regular season with a four-game winning streak that included the upset of the year so far, a 56-52 victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Shaler last Friday. Pine-Richland pulled off the upset despite Shaler’s 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

“The season could not have ended any better for us, coming off a big win against Shaler, and I’d like to play now, to tell you the truth,” Gaetano said. “Kind of like striking when the iron is hot.”

The WPIAL basketball committee nixed that possibility at the pairings meeting, and Gaetano said the team will have to adjust.

“We’ll have to do what we’ve done all season, which is work hard in practice and try to prepare for our next opponent,” he said.

Pine-Richland beat Shaler to qualify for the playoffs, so in that respect, Gaetano said his team has been in a can’t-lose playoff mode for the past two weeks.

Gaetano said he doesn’t know a lot about Connellsville at this point, only that it won its section led by top scorer Johnny Leonard (21.3 pts. per game avg.). After losing only two games all season, Connellsville could enter the tournament feeling it still has something to prove.

“They slipped to a No. 7 seed, and I’m sure they’re mad about that,” Gaetano said. “We’ll have to be ready to go.”

Pine-Richland girls gained some momentum entering the tournament by winning two of its final three games, including a 52-46 victory at Seneca Valley and a 42-39 home triumph over North Hills.

Three months ago, the Rams girls played an opening scrimmage against Norwin, so they have some idea of how the individual matchups might go.

“They are a very difficult team to beat, and they are a very good defensive team,” Pine-Richland coach Molly Copple said. “We will have our work cut out for us against Norwin, but we’re excited to be in the playoffs.”

Norwin closed the season by winning five of its last seven games.