Chucky Humphries, who will play at West Liberty next year, is the straw that stirs the drink and the one constant from the beginning of the season.
Humphries, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, finished the game with 22 points and 18 rebounds and a handful of dunks.
Jassir Jordan, senior point guard and leader, had 16 points.
“We have some unfinished business. Playing at Aliquippa is one of the best things ever and coming into the season you always want to be better than the team before you. We made it to Heinz Field in football and won the WPIAL and our goal is always to win the WPIAL and states,” said Jordan, football and basketball star. “This year we went down Florida to play in a 7-on-7 tournament and Darrelle Revis and Jonathan Baldwin came down and give us a pep talk and we promised them we would win states.”
The Quips led 30-14 at intermission but Lincoln Park’s junior guard Nelly Cummings heated up in the second half. Cummings, who started as a freshman in 2014 when Lincoln Park won the WPIAL and PIAA Class A titles, scored a game high 23 points.
Cummings, who was an all-state selection in 2015, averages 24 points a game and fouled out with 39 seconds left. Also fouling out for the Leopards was, Aliquippa resident, Dermotti Welling a 6-foot-8 center.
The WPIAL has been crowning football and basketball champions for 103 years. This is only the 16th time that a school has won football and basketball titles in the same school year.
Lincoln Park is a performing arts charter school in Midland which is allowed to enroll students from other school districts. The school is only 6 miles away from Aliquippa and sets up a rivalry and bad blood between the fans.
The Aliquippa Quips fans’ end of the game chants to the Leopards fans ‘Get your hat and coat and go”. Bad blood is beginning to boil.
“In football we always wanted to play Clairton, but we never got the chance because they were in a smaller class. In basketball we wanted to play Lincoln Park but they were in a lower class. This season Lincoln Park moved up and we were about to silence all the people who said they could beat us,” said Jordan. “I believe in keeping God first and to play high school football and basketball is one of the best things ever and I’m looking forward to playing at the next level. But first I want this state title. We want to win states as an undefeated team and be the first at our school to do it.”
Pine-Richland best in a weak WPIAL AAAA year
Last year the Rams knocked on the WPIAL championship door and this year they kicked it in. Pine-Richland (20-6) and North Hills (16-9) are Section 3 rivals and split their two-game regular-season series with each winning on the other’s home court.
The Rams defeated the Indians 73-50 Saturday night at the Petersen Event Center in the rubber match.
Head coach Jeff Ackermann is turning into a basketball guru. Before Pine-Richland, Ackermann was the head coached of Moon for 13 seasons. His teams won three straight WPIAL Class AAA titles (2004-06) and won a PIAA title in 2004.
New Castle is the only other WPIAL school in the past 17 years to win three consecutive WPIAL titles.
The Rams made it to the WPIAL finals two years in a row and with the growth of the Pine-Richland school district could be a potential dynasty.
Andrew Petcash led the team with 23 points and scored the 1,000th point of his career. Alex Goitz scored 14 points, Adam Alexander scored 12 and Phil Jurkovec scored 10 points.
North Hills leading scorers were Nick Smith, 19 points, and Ishmael Waldron added 17 points.
Pine-Richland will open the PIAA tournament Saturday against Bethel Park. North Hills will face Latrobe.
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