WPIAL Finals Thursday Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the Road To The Pete complete, the WPIAL finals tip off tonight. Who are the key players to watch in the games being played this evening? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Imani Christian vs Union Area at 5PM</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without a question, the top player to watch this evening is Imani's 6'11" big man<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1188606' first='Alier' last='Maluk']</strong>. One of the most coveted players in the entire country in his class, Maluk is a man among boys in the post and in addition to battling down low, he's got the ability to put the ball on the floor and extend towards the perimeter. He's not alone though, as 6'9" junior <strong>Virgil Hall</strong> is a scholarship level prospect as well. Hall is the bruising muscle to Maluk's silky smooth playing style. Their frontcourt is the star power but he the backcourt is equally talented with young prospects <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1621402' first='RJ' last='SLEDGE']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188604' first='Dame' last='Givner']</strong> being among the top guards in the WPIAL already and may be the best backcourt duo in Class A in the entire state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Scotties are a tough crop and are led by senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991361' first='Matt' last='Stanley']</strong>, one of the top scorers at the small school level in the WPIAL. What they lack in size they make up for in hustle and guard play. Union will need their role players, <strong>Payton Lombardo</strong> and <strong>Cam Taylor</strong> to have good games in the backcourt while 6'4" <strong>Kaden Fisher</strong> is going to have to simply slow down the bigs. It's a tall order, but David vs Goliath has its place for a reason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Penn Hills vs Peters Twp at 9PM</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top teams in 5A tangle in the final and the marquee matchup will feature Penn Hills 6'5" senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991332' first='Daemar' last='Kelly']</strong> and 6'2" Peters Twp junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188071' first='Jack' last='Dunbar']</strong>. Kelly has had a stellar career and is a well built guard who can get at the rim and use his strong frame to overpower players at the HS level. He's bound for Quinnipiac next season. Dunbar is the top junior in the South Hills and is a very impressive prospect. Another big bodied guard who can get to the rim, handle the rock and elevate on his jumper. He's a scholarship level prospect. 6'3" <strong>Julian Duggar</strong> is another athlete who Penn Hills will turn to in this contest and as a junior, he and Dunbar could be setting up for a great matchup next year. The X-Factor could be Peters 5'11" senior PG <strong>Brendan McCollough</strong>. He's a pesky defender and a confident facilitator who may make the difference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->