South Xtra: Bears in hunt for title
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For Clairton, a slow start to the season is nothing new ... neither is a red-hot finish.
The Bears (11-6, 8-1) opened the season 3-5, but have won eight of nine since then. They'll go into Friday's game against Serra Catholic with a chance at their first section title since 2009 -- well, at least a share of the title.
Serra is 15-5 overall but 9-0 in Section 4-A play and defeated the Bears, 65-63, in overtime in the teams' first meeting at Serra.
With just 108 boys, Clairton has several athletes who play key roles for both the school's football and basketball teams. With three consecutive PIAA titles, the football team's season has stretched up until the week before Christmas, which means a late start for Theron Pitts ' hoops squad.
This year, the Bears didn't play their first basketball game until Dec. 28.
Last year's slow start was even more pronounced, with the Bears losing six of their first seven. They bounced back, though, and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals.
Pitts said the biggest problem was just getting his team's "basketball legs" under them. Especially on a smaller team that relies on pressure defense to create fast breaks, that can have a significant impact.
"Everyone understands his role," Pitts said. "That's vital for a team with our capabilities and our athleticism. Not having much size, everything is done on the fly."
He said the most significant change over the past three weeks has been the ability to play 100 percent man-to-man defense. Over the first few games, the Bears had to play some zone as they got into basketball shape.
Now, Pitts can rotate nine players and play pressure man-to-man defense the entire game.
On the other end of the floor, Clairton's offense has been getting contributions from across the board. Terrish Webb , Tyler Boyd , Titus Howard and Bryan Clifford have all scored in double-digits in the past four games.
"We've got four guys who have been scoring every night," Pitts said. "It's not one individual who does it every night. There's four different guys, so that's good to see"
They'll all need to play their best against the Eagles Friday. In their first meeting on Jan. 20, the Bears trailed by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but came back to take a fourth-quarter lead. While he gave the Eagles credit for defending their home court, Pitts said the Bears had plenty of opportunities to steal a big road win.
"I tell the kids all the time, 'We can't win a game in the first half, but we can lose it,'" Pitts said. "And that's what happened that night."
The Eagles come into Friday's game as one of the hottest teams in Class A. Their only loss since Christmas was a 77-52 setback to Lincoln Park, the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked Class A team, on Jan. 24.
A Clairton win Friday would mean a split section title, while a Serra win would give the Eagles the crown outright.
"I don't want to say we're overconfident," Pitts said. "But my kids are looking forward to the rematch."
Mt. Lebanon appeared to be headed to a share of the Section 4-AAAA championship with Chartiers Valley, but the Blue Devils (16-5, 11-2) stumbled last Friday, falling to Baldwin, 45-43. Mt. Lebanon's loss gave the Colts sole possession of first place.
The Colts beat Baldwin, 91-53, Tuesday to move a game up in the standings, and can clinch the title with a win over last-place Moon Area Friday.
Char Valley and Mt. Lebanon split their two regular-season meetings.
Here's a list of the top games involving teams from the Post-Gazette's South Xtra coverage area Friday night.
South Park (7-13, 5-6) at Thomas Jefferson (9-12, 8-3): The Jaguars came within a buzzer-beater of taking down section champion Keystone Oaks Friday, and have already locked up their playoff spot. The Eagles have also clinched a playoff berth, but Elizabeth Forward can also qualify if it defeats Belle Vernon Friday and South Park loses.
Washington (13-8, 6-5) at Trinity (11-9, 5-6): Wash High has clinched a playoff spot, but the Hillers need a victory to keep pace with McGuffey for the section's fourth and final playoff spot. McGuffey will play at home against Ringgold. If both Trinity and McGuffey win, they will qualify or if both lose they qualify.
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. And all of the playoff games will be broadcast on the internet -- www.msasports.net -- or by one of the network's affiliated radio stations.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
