It’s been quite a battle this winter among area boys basketball rivals in Section 1-4A.
The Alle-Kiski Valley-centered section has been a slugfest the past month and a half as teams contend for playoff berths and positioning.
Knoch (14-2, 8-0), the No. 1 team in the TribLive HSSN Class 4A rankings, has pulled ahead of the pack and produced convincing victories en route to averaging 56.6 points and allowing just 40.4.
North Catholic (12-4, 6-1) stayed close to the Knights in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 9 — a 65-56 Knoch win. The teams will rematch Feb. 3 at Knoch.
Then there are the teams vying for third and fourth place — and the coveted playoff berths that accompany that standing.
Burrell (8-9, 4-4), Deer Lakes (8-8, 3-4), Freeport (5-9, 3-5) and Highlands (8-9, 2-5) are all in contention.
Valley (2-14, 0-7) is looking for its first section victory.
Friday night’s matchups will help settle the scales, notably when Burrell visits Deer Lakes.
The Bucs had a five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday after a 56-32 loss to Knoch and then lost 71-45 to North Catholic on Wednesday.
Burrell beat Deer Lakes, 52-42, in the first meeting Dec. 19.
The Lancers have won two of their past three, following a loss to North Catholic with a 61-45 win last Friday over Freeport.
Also Friday, Highlands visits Knoch and Valley plays at North Catholic.
Tuesday’s slate includes Deer Lakes at Highlands, Freeport at Valley and North Catholic at Burrell.
Out for revenge
Springdale welcomes Bentworth for a Section 1-2A game Friday night. The Dynamos will try to avenge a 45-42 overtime loss in December.
Robby Simmen had 15 points and Trevor Clark added 12, but the Dynamos were unable to score in overtime and suffered a three-point loss. Ben Hays led Bentworth with 22 points.
Springdale (8-8, 5-4) trails Bentworth (11-4, 6-3) by a game in the Section 1-2A standings. Jeannette (14-1, 9-0) and Clairton (11-1, 8-1) lead the section.
Riverview (5-11, 3-6) also remains in the hunt for a playoff berth, along with Greensburg Central Catholic (3-13, 3-6) and Frazier (6-10, 2-7). California (0-16, 0-9) is seeking its first win.
The top five teams earn postseason spots in the eight-team section.
Scoring standouts
Deer Lakes’ Evan Moore (19.6) and Collin Rodgers (19.0) and Springdale’s Simmen (19.1) are among the WPIAL’s top scorers this season.
Some of the A-K Valley’s other leading scorers in boys basketball this season include Apollo-Ridge’s Zane Beatty (18.3), Springdale’s Liam Dexter (18.3), Highlands’ Troy Bielak (18.2 ppg), Freeport’s Carson Kane (16.9), Riverview’s Rex Roberts (16.7), Plum’s Bryce Nabozny (16.5), Knoch’s Teegan Finucan (16.4), Highlands’ Carmine Lacava (16.4), St. Joseph’s Ryan McCarthy (16.4) and Plum’s Xavier Barto (15.6).
Record setter
Cheswick Christian Academy’s Joseph Rosio has poured in 21.9 points per game this season to lead the Chargers, but he has proven his worth on defense as well.
Rosio had eight steals in Tuesday’s 67-34 win over Harvest Baptist to become CCA’s all-time leader in steals with 404 in his career, surpassing Steve Holeczy (403 in 2007).
Cheswick Christian is 6-0 in the Greater Pittsburgh division of the Southwestern Christian Athletic Conference.