Chartiers Valley boys' coach Tim McConnell didn't attend the WPIAL Class AAA championship game Friday at the Palumbo Center. No one can blame him for that.

McConnell figured his Colts would be playing inthe game. Going and watching ... he didn't want to do that.

He did check out the City League final between Perry and Allderdice the previous night at the Palumbo Center. McConnell already had watched Perry play, but wanted to see the Commodores again in case Chartiers Valley would be matched up against Perry in the first round of the PIAA tournament. The tournament got underway Tuesday with play-in round games and continues tomorrow and Saturday with first-round contests.

It was good thinking on McConnell's part. Chartiers Valley (24-1) and Perry (21-4) will meet at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Allderdice High School in an interesting first-round matchup. The Colts are the No. 4 team from the WPIAL in the PIAA tournament.

"I was impressed. They're very good," McConnell said. "We have a tough opponent. We could have made things easier on ourselves by taking care of business, but we didn't do that."

Chartiers Valley was upset by Highlands in the WPIAL semifinals. Highlands lost to Hampton in the title game, which is why the Colts are the WPIAL's fourth team in the PIAA playoffs.

Perry will be a tough matchup for the Colts because it is athletic and has 6-foot-5 Vaughn Morgan and 6-3 Greg McGhee. Chartiers Valley's tallest starter is 6-2.

"We took some time off and started back up this week," McConnell said. "We'll have a scrimmage and try to get ready."

Tuesday's PIAA play-in games were played at the home courts of one of the teams. That's new this season. In the past, the play-in games were played at neutral sites. The thinking is the atmosphere and attendance at the play-in games will be better at one of the team's gym, which is probably true. But how about the team that has to travel?

Wonder how thrilled the coaches and players at Hollidaysburg, the District 6 runner-up, were about having to play at Central Catholic, the No. 5 team from the WPIAL, in the play-in game?

The WPIAL does not select MVPs for its championship games, something we have advocated the league doing for years. So, once again, it's up to us -- OK, me -- to name the eight most valuable players from the finals.

Sorry, guys and gals the only thing that comes with this award is a pat on the back for a championship effort. So here they are, our title game MVPs:

• Boys Class AAAA -- Craig Wolcott, Peters Township.

• Boys Class AAA -- Bill Luther, Hampton.

• Boys Class AA -- Henry Pwono, North Catholic.

• Boys Class A -- Tom Droney, Sewickley Academy.

• Girls Class AAAA -- Madison Cable, Mt. Lebanon.

• Girls Class AAA -- LaShaunia Brothers, New Castle.

• Girls Class AA -- Kerry Connolly, Sto-Rox.

• Girls Class A -- Lauren Savulchak, North Catholic.

There has been a rumor going around that Farrell, the former WPIAL power which now plays in PIAA District 10, decided to compete in Class AAA in boys' basketball because it wanted to avoid possible matchups against Beaver Falls and/or Jeannette in the PIAA Class AA tournament.

Not so.

Farrell, which has 104 boys in the top three grades and could be playing Class A, decided to compete in Class AAA this season and next because school officials and coaches were after better competition.

"This is no knock against anybody, but we were winning league games by 20 points last year and I don't think we were really ready for the playoffs," Farrell athletic director Lou Paris said. "And with the PIAA cutting the regular-season schedule, we couldn't get enough exhibition games to offset that."

So, the Steelers are playing two classifications above where they should be and doing quite well. Farrell won the District 10 Class AAA title and will take on Oliver (17-8), a 67-58 winner against Valley, at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Sharon High School.

"We beat Beaver Falls [in the PIAA Class AA playoffs] last year and we're going to play them in a Coaches vs. Cancer game next season. So it's not like we're avoiding them," Paris said.

He added that he would like to have a holiday tournament at Farrell with old Section 3 opponents New Castle, Aliquippa and Beaver Falls. Paris added that putting it together is hard because of the schools' prior commitments.

"We had New Castle last year along with Strong Vincent from Erie and Pine-Richland and the competition was great," he said.

"New Castle is coming back but we're looking for two more teams, so spread the word."