Both the Cameron County and Elk County Catholic boys teams are set to continue their PIAA Class A state playoff runs after convincing wins in the first round.
The Red Raiders are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 after pulling away from Williamsburg for a 61-38 victory, while ECC is making its fifth consecutive trip to the second round after topping Imani Christian Academy, 56-34.
Here are capsule looks at the second-round matchups facing Cameron County and ECC:
Cameron County (21-5) vs. Bishop Canevin (19-6)
Tonight, 7:30 p.m., at Brookville Area High School
BROOKVILLE — Cameron County, District 9’s runner-up, enters the game looking for just its second Sweet 16 win in program history.
In the Red Raiders’ 23-point win over Williamsburg, Caden Beldin led the charge with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while CCHS picked up scoring from six other players tonight.
Of note, Dylan Guisto scored nine points, while Gavin Morton and Jon Good each chipped in eight and Hayden Brown added seven.
Beldin has been no stranger to heroics for the Red Raiders, having nailed a game-winning 3-pointer against Clarion-Limestone in the District 9 semifinals to send his team to the D9 championship.
Cameron County’s usual leading scorer, Dino Brown (17.8 ppg) was held to just two points against Williamsburg, but will almost certainly find his way back to the top of the score sheet against BC.
The Red Raiders also fared well on defense and on the glass against Williamsburg. The Blue Pirates finished just 1-for-16 from 3-point range, and Cameron County won the rebounding battle, 41-24.
Cameron County has won seven of its last eight games, with the lone defeat coming against Elk County Catholic in the District 9 Class A championship.
Meanwhile, Bishop Canevin enters as the fourth-place team out of District 7 — the WPIAL.
The Crusaders thrashed District 10 champion Commodore Perry 87-35 in the first round, though it should be noted that CP entered at 3-20 overall and played just one district playoff game.
In that win, three different BC players scored in double figures. Sophomore point guard KeVaughn Price led the Crusaders with 29 points, while Dom Elliott added 11 and Nevan Crossey scored 10.
BC led that game 45-16 at halftime and also held CP to just two fourth-quarter points.
The Crusaders are back in the postseason after making the Class AA semifinals back in 2017, where they fell to Sewickley Academy, 50-48. This year marks the fifth time in Bishop Canevin program history that the team has made the second round.
The winner of this game faces the winner of WPIAL champion Vincentian Academy (22-4) and District 5 champion Berlin-Brothers Valley (27-1) on Friday, March 13.
Elk County Catholic (27-1) vs. Cornell (19-7)
Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Tippin Gymnasium at Clarion University
CLARION — Both Elk Catholic and its WPIAL counterpart enter after first-round blowout wins.
ECC followed its usual formula — fundamental defense coupled with steady offense — to grind out a 56-34 win over Imani Christian Academy, the WPIAL’s sixth-place team, at Clarion University.
The Crusaders were actually tied with ICA after the first quarter, 13-13, before taking a 26-15 halftime lead and then an insurmountable 43-24 advantage into the fourth.
That gap was built through Regis Wortman’s impressive night. The 6-foot senior poured in all 25 of his points in the game’s first three quarters before ECC was able to coast to the victory.
Six other Crusaders contributed points on the night, with Carter Lindemuth putting up all nine of his points at the charity stripe while Will Uberti, Mark Kraus and Leo Gregory each tallied five.
ECC’s lone loss this season came to Class AAAAA’s DuBois on Jan. 29. Since then, the Crusaders have won 10 straight. Each of ECC’s last four wins have come by at least 22 points, and no opponent has scored more than 36 points in that span.
Elk Catholic’s last second-round win came in 2017, when the Crusaders defeated Williamsburg 76-48 before falling to Kennedy Catholic in the quarterfinals, 61-40.
Cornell, the runner-up in the WPIAL, cruised by Saltsburg, 74-29, in its first-round game at Fox Chapel High School.
In that victory, four Raiders scored in double figures, as Kaden DiVito and Zaier Harrison eclipsed the 20-point mark with 22 and 21 points, respectively, while Jeavontae King-Walden added 14 and Isaiah Langston tallied 10.
The Raiders led 25-12 after the first quarter before taking a 45-13 advantage over Saltsburg into halftime. Cornell did not allow a single Saltsburg field goal during the second period.
Cornell has won four of its last five games, with the lone loss a 63-51 defeat against Vincentian Academy in the WPIAL championship.
The Raiders are in their second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, having made the quarterfinals a year ago before falling to Vincentian, 59-49. Prior to that season, it had been since 2000 that the Raiders advanced past the PIAA’s opening weekend.
Tonight’s winner will face the winner of District 6 champion Bishop Carroll (16-9) and District 5 runner-up Shade (25-3).
