T.J. McConnell is most concerned about making this a golden night ... but just an "average" night would put him in the WPIAL record books.

McConnell a senior guard, has led Chartiers Valley to a spot in the WPIAL Class AAA championship game tonight against Hampton at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center.

After losing in the title game as a freshman and in the semifinals the past two years, all McConnell has talked about all year is getting his hands on one of the gold medals that championship teams receive.

His stance on the title drive has not changed, but the sidelight to the story is the scoring record he is chasing. McConnell has scored 110 points in three WPIAL playoff games. The record for most points in a tournament is 147, set by Penn Hills' Drew Schifino in 2000.

McConnell needs 37 to reach Schifino's mark. Considering McConnell averages 34.4 points a game, it is not inconceivable for him to pass Schifino. After all, McConnell has scored 40 or more a handful of times this season.

If McConnell simply scores his average, he would easily be second on the list of most points in a tournament. T.J. Heatherington of Serra is No. 2 with 135 in the Class A playoffs last year. Yough's Ben McCauley is third with 133 in the 2005 Class AAA tournament.

While a WPIAL record is right in front of McConnell's face, it is the furthest thing from his mind.

"As long as we get that gold medal, that's all that matters to me. It's team first," McConnell said.

But does he have a 37-point game in him?

"That's really at the bottom of my list," McConnell said. "If my team needs me to score that much, I will. But I have a great supporting cast, and they do a great job no matter who we play. Seriously, that record doesn't matter to me. I just want that WPIAL [title]."

Tim McConnell, Chartiers Valley's coach and T.J.'s father, does not want the record mentioned to his son or his team.

"We won't even talk about it," Tim McConnell said. "I don't care if he scores zero points. If we win the WPIAL championship, that's the most important thing."

Chartiers Valley (24-1) and Hampton (21-2) played earlier this season, and Chartiers Valley, which is undefeated against WPIAL competition, breezed to an 87-68 victory. The Colts controlled the game throughout, but Hampton did not have 6-foot-8 senior center T.J. Brown (injured ankle). Brown will play this time.

Hampton also has 6-7 Bill Luther and 6-5 Tim Donegan. Luther leads the team in scoring.

"Will Brown make a difference? Well, he's 6-8. Put a 6-8 kid on our team and see if he'll make a difference," T.J. McConnell said. "I think he'll make a difference, but we just have to defend like we did last time."

Hampton likely would prefer to not let the game become fast-paced. Chartiers Valley averages 84 points a game.

"We're going to have to try and use our speed to our advantage," Tim McConnell said. "It's a bigger floor at Palumbo, so we'll want to get up and down it. I think they're going to want to play at a slower pace. We'll have to see if our speed can outdo their size."

Here is a look at the other WPIAL championship games:

Mt. Lebanon is quite familiar with championship games. Gateway is a complete stranger. They will meet tomorrow night for the title. This is Mt. Lebanon's fourth championship appearance in six years under coach Joe David while Gateway has never played in the title game.

This game shapes up as one of the most interesting Class AAAA finals in a while because of the talent and size on both teams. Gateway (18-4) starts 6-foot-7 Devon Cottrell, 6-7 Mike Kromka and 6-5 Tyler Scott. Barnett Harris, a 6-9 sophomore, comes off the bench. Mt. Lebanon has 6-8 Deion Turman and 6-5 Paul Lang, while 6-8 Grant Latus comes off the bench.

Mt. Lebanon has been the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked team since the preseason. Coaches around the WPIAL had said all year Gateway had the potential to challenge for a title, but they wondered if the Gators would reach that potential.

"This team is peaking at the right time," said Gateway coach Mitch Adams. "They're so resilient. Nothing bothers them. They're as loose as ever."

Guard Evan Pierce averages 15.2 points for Mt. Lebanon, and Lang 14.0. Scott averages 15.7 and Cottrell 13.1, but point guard Craig Banks has played well lately, scoring 20 or more in two of three playoff games.

The Long story becomes "Long-er."

Defending champion North Catholic (22-2) takes on Rochester (23-2) tomorrow afternoon in the title game. North Catholic's coach is Dave Long, and he has two nephews on the team -- Jesse and Martin. Now get this: Rochester's coach is Paul Long (no relation).

Rochester guard E.J. Blackwell averages 18.4 points a game while Giovanni Ellis averages 13.8. Ellis is a transfer from Avonworth.

Jesse Long averages 19.5 points and Martin Long is averaging 16 points in the playoffs.

The championship game tonight matches No. 1 seed Sewickley Academy (21-2) against No. 2 Lincoln Park (18-6).

The game features two of the top scorers in the WPIAL in Lincoln Park guard Chaquille Pratt and Sewickley Academy guard Tom Droney. Pratt was the fourth-leading scorer in the regular season and averages 26.9 points. Droney was 14th and averages 22.6.

Droney, a Davidson recruit, tied a WPIAL championship record when he scored 40 points in the title-game victory against Serra last season. Pratt played at Aliquippa last season.

"Droney is going to be a tough matchup," Lincoln Park coach Mark Javens said. "They've got [6-7] Pete Schramm in the middle, too, and other guys who play around them. We just have to come out and match their intensity."

Schramm averages 13.7 points. But Lincoln Park also has 6-9 sophomore Devontae Watson, who averages double figures in points and rebounds.

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