CoverThreeAthletics Athletes of the Year: Boys Basketball and Girls Basketball

These WPIAL basketball players have been named CoverThreeAthletics 2018-19 "WPIAL Basketball Players of The Year"

From Left To Right (Starting At The Top): Mackenzie Wagner, Jimmy Moon, Megan McConnell, Keandre Bowles, Jenna Clark, Makenna Marisa, Donovan Johnson, and Ethan Morton

Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and TRIB LIVE HSSN

Nick's WPIAL Basketball Players of the Year: Ethan Morton and Makenna Marisa

Ethan Morton scored an average of 27.4 points per game in the regular season which was tied for second best in the WPIAL. Morton helped lead Butler to the WPIAL 6A Boys basketball championship this past season. Unfortunately for Butler, they lost to Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL 6A championship game by a score of 62-57. Morton also helped the Butler Golden Tornadoes to the PIAA 6A Boys basketball tournament as they won in their first round to Chambersburg before losing to Coatesville in the second round. For the second straight season, Morton was named on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Boys Fab 5. Also, right after the basketball season ended, Morton made a verbal decision to attend and play NCAA Division 1 Men's college basketball at the University of Purdue.

Makenna Marisa helped Peters Township win both WPIAL and PIAA Girls basketball championships. The fact that she helped the Indians not lose a single basketball game of the 2018-19 season is simply sensational. In the regular season, she averaged 21.9 points per game which was ranked 4th in the WPIAL. Her ability to score and be a leader are attributions that she has to make herself a great player. For the second straight season, Marisa was named on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Girls Fab 5. Marisa will play NCAA Division 1 Women's basketball at Penn State University. She also has a twin sister named Morgan who also played basketball for Peters Township

Travis's WPIAL Basketball Players of the Year: Jimmy Moon and Mackenzie Wagner

Jimmy Moon scored an average of 27.4 points per game in the regular season which was tied for second in the WPIAL. Moon's height of 6'8" makes opposing players fear him. He helped Serra Catholic to get to the WPIAL 2A Boys basketball championship game. Unfortunately, Serra Catholic lost to the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart by a score of 65-46 in the WPIAL 2A championship game. Moon also helped Serra Catholic win a state playoff game this past season. He will play NCAA Division 2 Men's basketball at Seton Hill University next year. Moon takes advantage of his height as he is good shooting in the paint and he is able to rebound the ball a lot.

Mackenzie Wagner averaged 17 points per game in the regular season and helped Chartiers Valley win both WPIAL and PIAA basketball championships. She was part of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Girls Fab 5. She also helped lead the Colts to an undefeated record of 30-0 this past season. It is hard to beat a team four times and Wagner was on a team that beat Thomas Jefferson four times this past season. She will play NCAA Division 1 Women's basketball at Loyola University of Maryland next year. At the end of her high school career, she scored over 1,000 points and won 2 WPIAL basketball championships at Chartiers Valley. Wagner has a good work ethic which has made her into the good player that she is. She might not average the most points per game or average the most assists per game; but she can do it all on the court. She can play offense and defense at the same level.

Steve's WPIAL Basketball Players of the Year: Donovan Johnson and Megan McConnell

Donovan Johnson's name appeared a lot throughout local newspapers last season. Johnson helped the Moon Area Tigers start out the season with an 18-0 record. He also helped the Tigers get to the WPIAL 5A Boys basketball championship as they played Mars in that game. Andrew Recchia scored a game winning shot to help Mars beat Moon by a score of 58-56. After Johnson and the Tigers lost to Mars in the WPIAL championship game, practices got harder as the state basketball tournaments were about to begin. Johnson and the Tigers won the first three games of the PIAA 5A Boys basketball tournament, and in the fourth round they had to play Mars. Moon would beat Mars by a score of 73-55 as the Tigers would get their revenge over the Fighting Planets. Johnson would then help the Tigers win the state championship game over Archbishop Wood by a score of 74-64. It was one helluva ride for Johnson and it was a happy ending as he now as a state basketball championship ring in his room. He averaged 22.6 points per game in the regular season and was part of maybe one of the best Boys basketball teams in Moon Area history. Also, Johnson was named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Boys Fab 5. Johnson's ability to stay in shape and athleticism is what makes him a great player. Seriously, do not be surprised if you see him play on an NBA team someday.

Megan McConnell comes from a basketball family. She has basketball in her blood. Megan was another player on Chartiers Valley that helped the team win a WPIAL and PIAA basketball championship. McConnell averaged a little over 10 points per game in the regular season. Megan did not really need to ball out every single game for the Colts because the team had a bench of players that could help the team win. After the basketball season ended, McConnell made a verbal decision to play NCAA Division 1 Women's basketball at Duquesne University. Megan's brother, T.J., currently plays in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers. Now, Megan has won more WPIAL and PIAA championships than her NBA player brother. Her ability to dribble the basketball very fast down the court helps her make a lot of layups which is a way the Colts scored points.

BY's WPIAL Basketball Players of the Year: Keandre Bowles and Jenna Clark

Keandre Bowles had to be one of the most popular WPIAL basketball players during this past season. In the regular season, he led the WPIAL in points per game with 29.3. One of Keandre's best moments of last season is when he hit a game winning 3-point shot against Fox Chapel in a regular season game. It seems that Keandre can score from anywhere on the court that it is kind of scary. Keandre is also considered one of the best dunkers in the WPIAL. That dude would win a WPIAL dunk contest no doubt about it. Bowles helped the Wolverines get to the WPIAL 5A Boys basketball playoffs as they defeated West Allegheny in the first round but, lost to Chartiers Valley in the second round. For some reason, Keandre dribbles the basketball in a way that makes the crowd think that they should stop what they are doing and pay attention to him. He just seems to be a person that has a lot of clout. Oh yeah, he also was named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fab 5 this past season.

Jenna Clark could have been a WPIAL and PIAA basketball champion this past season if she didn't have to play Chartiers Valley. Clark averaged 20.5 points per game for the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars in the regular season. She helped lead the Jaguars to the WPIAL 5A Girls basketball championship; but, they lost to Chartiers Valley by a score of 64-48. Clark also helped the Jaguars win the first three games of the PIAA 5A Girls basketball playoffs. Then, you know who the Jaguars had to play in the fourth round? That's right, they had to play the Colts again. If the Jaguars could beat the Colts that time, they would have seen themselves in the PIAA 5A Girls basketball championship game. Unfortunately, they lost to the Colts 50-44 in that game. Clark lost to the Colts four times last season (twice in the regular season and twice the playoffs). You must feel bad for Clark. For a great player that she is, she did not deserve to lose to a team four times. She is really a good basketball player that is good shooting the ball while in transition. She will play Division 1 NCAA Women's basketball at Yale next year. For Clark being able to play basketball at Yale, you can tell that she is very smart and is able to keep her grades up.

BY Hilton: bythebossandgoat@gmail.com and Twitter @BYHilton13