Times' Top 10 basketball teams in the Beaver Valley: Week of Jan. 17
Each week, the Beaver County Times' sports staff will rank the top 10 boys and girls basketball teams in our coverage area. These rankings do not indicate the best team in the area. (Programs in higher classifications will almost always have the upper hand against ones from lower classifications.) Instead, they rank which teams we believe, pound-for-pound, have the best shot at winning a WPIAL and PIAA championship. The Times' Top 10 will be updated every Monday.
Boys Basketball Top 10: Week of Jan. 17
Rank, Team, Classification, Record, Last Week Ranking
1. OLSH (2A), 9-0, 1
2. Quaker Valley (4A), 9-0, 2
3. Ellwood City (3A), 11-2, 3
4. Lincoln Park (4A), 7-2, 4
5. Aliquippa (3A), 5-4, 5
T6. Blackhawk (4A), 8-4, 6
T6. Beaver Falls (3A), 6-5, 7
8. West Allegheny (5A), 6-6, 9
9. Rochester (1A), 3-6, N/A
10. Central Valley (4A), 3-4, N/A
The Scoop: Once again, there is a significant drop-off after the first four teams on this list. OLSH remains head-and-shoulders above anyone else in WPIAL Class 2A, blowing out all opponents in sight. Quaker Valley and Ellwood City are also the top dogs in their respective classifications but, unlike OLSH, they have a few threats standing in their way of a District 7 crown. After a five-day pause due to COVID-19, Lincoln Park had a strong return, going 3-0 last week, a stretch which included a nice win at home over Montour on Friday night. OLSH, Quaker Valley, Ellwood City and Lincoln Park went a combined 9-0 last week, while teams 5 through 10 from last week went a combined 3-9. Aliquippa stays at No. 5 after falling to Seton LaSalle in a heartbreaker on the road in overtime. Beaver Falls moves up a spot to tie Blackhawk at No. 6. While neither team had a great week, Beaver Falls gave its highly-ranked opponent (Ellwood City) a game, while Blackhawk lost to Quaker Valley in a blowout. Beaver and Cornell drop off the list while Rochester and Central Valley — who are both trending upward — find their spots at No. 9 and No. 10.
Girls Basketball Top 10: Week of Jan. 17
Rank, Team, Classification, Record, Last Week Ranking
1. Rochester (1A), 8-2, 1
2. Blackhawk (4A), 11-0, T2
3. Moon (5A), 12-1, T2
4. OLSH (2A), 7-4, 5
5. Freedom (3A), 7-3, 7
6. Beaver Area (4A), 6-3, 4
7. South Side (2A), 7-4, 6
8. Sewickley Academy (2A), 3-2, N/A
9. Lincoln Park (5A), 6-4, 8
10. Cornell (1A), 6-5, 9
The Scoop: Rochester remains in the top spot, but perhaps not for long. Week by week, Blackhawk continues to show that it is the real deal, racking up three more wins last week, including a dominant victory over North Catholic on Saturday in non-conference play. Moon moves down to No. 3 after losing a close one to powerhouse and section foe Chartiers Valley — but make no mistake, the this Tigers team can play. On Saturday, Moon earned an impressive win over Upper St. Clair, which is one of the best teams in WPIAL Class 6A. OLSH and Freedom Area are a pair of teams that look to be turning it on, moving up to No. 4 and No. 5. Beaver Area and South Side — both teams that will surely be dangerous in the playoffs — go down a few spots due to tough section losses. Sewickley Academy cracks the top 10, coming in at No. 8, while Lincoln Park and Cornell both move down a spot as well.
Contact Noah Hiles at nhiles@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @_NoahHiles.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Times' Top 10 basketball teams in the Beaver Valley: Week of Jan. 17
