East Xtra: Woodland Hills senior gets back in groove
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Entering the season, Woodland Hills coach Mike Decker figured that senior guard Jeremy McMunn would be his team's second-leading scorer.
And why not? Behind ultra-athletic big man Shakim Alonzo , McMunn was certainly the Wolverines' biggest scoring threat. He averaged 11.2 points per game last season and looked set to lead a much-improved Woodland Hills squad in Decker's second season.
After averaging 14.7 points per game through the first three contests, McMunn went down with mononucleosis right before Christmas. He only missed three games, but it took him much longer to fully regain his strength. It took four more games before he was able to score double-digits in a game.
"He's starting to get back now to where he's comfortable," Decker said.
Comfortable may be an understatement. Last Friday against McKeesport, McMunn scored 36 points, just two shy of Corley White's school record. He shot 15 of 20 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
"He scored in a lot of ways," Decker said. "He made five 3s, he got to the foul line, he made some nice pull-up jumpers."
All of McMunn's points were crucial, too, as the Wolverines needed a win against the Tigers to stay in the driver's seat for their first section title since 2000. Woodland Hills had lost its previous game to Plum and rival Gateway was nipping at its heels in the section standings.
McMunn's 16-point third quarter performance helped the Wolverines turn a 36-32 halftime deficit into a 56-45 lead heading into the final quarter.
Now, Woodland Hills just needs a win over last-place Penn Hills Friday to secure the section crown.
Although McMunn's early-season illness may have hurt the Wolverines at the time, Decker said it helped the team develop more depth and diversify its scoring options. Seniors Jaimire Dutrieuille and D.J. Kyles and junior Tom Greene have established themselves as scoring threats.
McMunn's scoring average has also crept back up to 12.7 points per game.
Here are some of the top games to watch this week involving teams from the Post-Gazette's East Xtra coverage area:
McKeesport (8-10, 5-5) at Gateway (14-4, 8-2): The Gators likely lost their shot at a share of the Class AAAA Section 2 title Tuesday when they fell to Plum, 58-52. Now, they need to beat the Tigers and hope Woodland Hills falters against last-place Penn Hills just to tie for the title. Regardless, both sides in this one have already clinched playoff spots and will be looking to head into the postseason on a winning note.
Every Class AAAA Section 1 game: OK, it's not really a single game, but three. Penn-Trafford, Kiski Area and Hempfield are all alive for the section title and all three will face mid-level opponents Friday. Hempfield and Penn-Trafford's opponents -- Latrobe and Norwin, respectively -- are also fighting for the last playoff spot in the section, making every game interesting.
While it isn't yet carved in stone, Saturday's game between Oakland Catholic and Seton-LaSalle could see one team's perfect season come to an end.
The game is the only one remaining on the Eagles' schedule, but the Rebels need to take care of business against Bishop Canevin tonight.
Although Seton-LaSalle will certainly be the favorite against the Crusaders, Canevin (16-3, 10-1) is in second place, and only lost to the Rebels by eight in their first meeting. So the Crusaders could throw a wrench into the "dream matchup."
If Seton-LaSalle can keep its perfect record intact beyond tonight, Saturday's game would set up as a matchup of two perfect teams to wrap up the season. The Eagles (21-0, 12-0) and Rebels (18-0, 11-0) are two of just three unbeaten WPIAL teams, along with Vincentian Academy.
Both teams have dominated opponents so far this season. Class AAAA Oakland Catholic is winning its games by an average of 20.5 points per game, and the Class AA Rebels' average margin of victory is an astonishing 35.6 points per game.
Those who cannot attend the WPIAL basketball playoff meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Doubletree Hotel in Green Tree can get a breakdown on all of the brackets by listening to the WPIAL Basketball Playoffs Show on most of the radio stations on the MSA Sports Network.
MSA operations manager Don Rebel and his team of announcers will take an in-depth look at the brackets from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
