The Quakers are the only school in Pennsylvania with boys hockey and basketball teams competing in the final four of state championship tournaments, and 2002 Quaker Valley graduate Kate Michael has reached the "Frozen Four" of NCAA women's hockey.

Michael, who played with the Quaker Valley boys when they won their first playoff hockey game in 2000, is the senior captain at St. Lawrence University. The Saints will play Wisconsin in an NCAA semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday in Minneapolis.

The Quaker Valley boys basketball team meets Beaver Falls in a PIAA semifinal game Wednesday at the Palumbo Center. The winner advances to the state championship game Saturday in Hershey.

The Quakers' hockey team meets Serra Saturday in the Penguins Cup Class A championship game at 1:30 at the Mellon Arena. The winner advances to the state championship game April 8 at the RMU Island Sports Center.

In the fall, the Quaker Valley soccer team reached the state championship game. There is almost no overlap of players between the soccer team and the basketball and hockey teams. Although it is a small school, there are three separate groups of athletes competing at an elite level during the same school year. That's a stunning achievement.

- You never want to suggest that anything is unlikely for Beaver Falls senior Lance Jeter, but as he enters the final week of his scholastic basketball career, the Beaver County scoring record seems out of reach.

Jeter now ranks third on the list with 2,188 points. He needs 64 points to catch Blackhawk's Dante Calabria (2,252) and 93 points to catch Blackhawk's Brandon Fuss-Cheatham.

- Todd Thomas' first tour of the state has been unimaginable. A 6-foot-3 freshman at Beaver Falls, he is averaging 17.3 points per game in PIAA playoff games, and 15.5 in playoff games overall.

In Saturday's game, he was never intimidated, and never inconsequential, although he was competing with bigger and more experienced athletes like Aliquippa's Herb Pope and Jonathan Baldwin. He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

- While the NCAA men's basketball tournament creates many opportunities for fairy tale teams, the PIAA tournament does not welcome Cinderella stories with the same energy. The PIAA rewards experience.

Moon Area seniors Rachel Richardson, Jen Ross and Ashley Harmon have been part of teams with a 23-5 record in playoff games over their four varsity seasons. They reached the WPIAL championship game four times, and have won at least one PIAA game in each season.

The Hopewell girls have an 11-4 record in playoff games over the past three seasons. Two years ago, they reached the PIAA playoffs for the first time A year ago, they won a PIAA game for the first time. This year, they've reached the final four.

Amir Johnson and Ryann Bradford of Quaker Valley, who played at Sewickley Academy as sophomores, have been involved in 20 playoff games over the past three years. They have a 16-4 record in postseason games.

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