By: Chris Harlan


Monday, February 10, 2025 | 7:40 PM

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Breaking down the 2025 WPIAL girls basketball playoffs

Class 6A

Favorite: Defending WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair has some impressive size that’s tough to match, starting with 6-foot-10 senior Tyler Robbins (16 ppg), a Miami (Ohio) recruit. His sophomore brother Ryan Robbins is 6-7, and senior Kaamil Jackson is 6-6. The Panthers held opponents to 38.9 points per game, best in WPIAL 6A. USC coach Danny Holzer, who reached the 500-win milestone in December, seeks his third title in five years.

Challengers: New Castle won the Section 1 title behind double-digit scorers Kai Cox (18 ppg), a freshman, and senior Ralphie Blundo (16 ppg). The Red Hurricanes have 14 WPIAL titles, which ties Aliquippa for the most. … Imani Christian voluntarily joined 6A after winning consecutive WPIAL and PIAA titles in A. The Saints split their section series with USC. Imani senior R.J. Sledge (21 ppg) could become a four-time champion. He also won WPIAL and PIAA titles as a freshman at Bishop Canevin. … Caden Kaiser (17 ppg) led Fox Chapel to a second-place finish in Section 1. … Central Catholic held opponents to 46.7 ppg, second-best in WPIAL 6A. Fox Chapel (47.4) and Mt. Lebanon (48.6) also held opponents under 50 on average. … Liam Sheely is a 19-point scorer for Mt. Lebanon, which got late-season section wins over Central Catholic and Imani Christian.

Don’t overlook: Butler heated up late and won six of its final seven games.

Prediction: Upper St. Clair over New Castle

Class 5A

Favorite: Montour’s only loss was against a team from Florida. Senior Ama Sow (22 ppg), a 6-9 center, and guard Colton Straight (17 ppg), give the Spartans reliable scorers inside and out. They defeated WPIAL 6A favorite Upper St. Clair early in the season. Montour averages 67.7 points, second-best in WPIAL 5A. Coach Bill Minear won two WPIAL titles at Sto-Rox.

Challengers: Baldwin finished as the WPIAL runner-up in Class 6A last season. Nate Wesling is an 18-point scorer for the Highlanders, who are coached by five-time WPIAL champion Jeff Ackermann. Baldwin has never won a WPIAL title. … Uniontown leads all WPIAL 5A teams in scoring at 73.7 ppg. Calvin Winfrey (20 ppg), Tori Grooms (17 ppg) and Isaac Ellsworth (16 ppg) average double figures. The Red Raiders won their eighth WPIAL title in 2002. … Uniontown and Montour are both newcomers from 4A. … Chartiers Valley is led by 2,000-point scorer Jayden Davis (23 ppg). The Colts have just three losses (two to Montour) under first-year coach Corey Dotchin. … Senior Mike Santicola (16 ppg) leads defending champion Moon. … Peters Township lost section games by seven, two and four points. Dylan Donovan averages 19 points.

Don’t overlook: Kiski Area won Section 2 behind a defense that allows 47.6 ppg, best in the 5A.

Prediction: Montour over Uniontown

Class 4A

Favorite: Might Belle Vernon win coach Joe Salvino one more WPIAL title before his retirement? He already has six from his time at Monessen and ranks second in WPIAL history with 741 wins. Led by 2,000-point senior Zion Moore (26 ppg), this year’s Leopards have won 12 in a row as the hottest team in 4A. Belle Vernon has reached the WPIAL finals only twice, winning the title in 1978 and finishing as runner-up in 2020.

Challengers: North Catholic finished its section schedule with seven straight wins to earn the Section 1 title. Jason Fredericks averages 19 points for the Trojans, who seek their first title since 2020. … Avonworth and Beaver shared the Section 2 title. Each team is led by one of the WPIAL’s top scorers. Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael (32 ppg) scored 44 points in their first matchup. Beaver’s Brady Mayo (26 ppg) scored 45 in the rematch. Both are seniors. … Avonworth (74.1 ppg), Belle Vernon (69.3) and North Catholic (68.9) have the top-scoring offenses in 4A. Central Valley (41.7), Knoch (46.1) and Quaker Valley (46.8) have the top defenses. … Jackson Bauman averages 19 points for Knoch, which has 7-foot junior Zane Pacek in the middle. … Deer Lakes won the past two WPIAL titles in 3A. Nathaniel Moore is a 20-point scorer.

Don’t overlook: Elizabeth Forward and 18-point scorer Tyler Basic finished behind only Belle Vernon in Section 3.

Prediction: Avonworth over Beaver

Class 3A

Favorite: Aliquippa won WPIAL and state titles last season in Class 2A. The Quips moved to 3A this winter and have remained just as dominant. Junior Josh Pratt, a 6-2 guard who starred in last year’s state finals, is averaging 22 points. They lead WPIAL 3A in scoring (70.4 ppg) and outscored section foes by more than 48 points on average. The Quips seek their third consecutive WPIAL title since Nick Lackovich returned as coach.

Challengers: South Allegheny is another high-scoring powerhouse in 3A, led by the tandem of Drew Cook (20 ppg) and Cam Epps (19 ppg). The Gladiators average 67.5 points and own a nonsection win over Belle Vernon. The program is chasing its first WPIAL title. … Bishop Canevin’s 13-8 overall record isn’t pretty, but the Crusaders took on a brutal nonsection schedule. Drew Allen averages 16 points for the Crusaders. … Mohawk finished second to Aliquippa in Section 1, led by Bobby Fadden (21 ppg) and Drew Wrona (16 ppg). The Warriors have a nonsection win over Kiski Area, a 5A section champion. … Keystone Oaks, led 19-point scorer Erond Jakupi, finished second to Canevin in Section 2.

Don’t overlook: Southmoreland was seeded sixth despite winning Section 4 behind Noah Felentzer (22 ppg).

Prediction: Aliquippa over South Allegheny

Class 2A

Favorite: Surprisingly, Greensburg Central Catholic has never won a WPIAL title. That could change this winter thanks to a balanced offense led by Liam Gallagher (14 ppg), A.J. Tarpley (12), Samir Crosby (10) and Brady O’Rourke (9). The Centurions topped 70 points in eight wins this season with a season high of 96. They were WPIAL runners-up last winter to Aliquippa. Sixth-year coach Christian Hyland reached the 2014 WPIAL finals as a GCC senior.

Challengers: Sewickley Academy has had a resurgence under new coach Mike Iuzzolino, a former NBA player. Lucas Grimsley averages a team-best 11.5 points, yet the Panthers have had six different players lead them in scoring. They also have size, including Adam Ikamba, a 6-7 sophomore. Opponents average 38 ppg, the lowest in WPIAL 2A. … Jeannette lost two games all season, both to section rival Greensburg Central Catholic: 53-47 and 58-48. Markus McGowan is a 15-point scorer for the Jayhawks, who lead 2A in scoring. … The top offenses belong to Jeannette (68 ppg), GCC (66.1), Northgate (67.7) and Neshannock (62.2). … Neshannock won Section 4 title behind David Kwiat (18 ppg). … Kadenne Kemp and Ty Daniels average 18 points apiece for Northgate, a semifinalist last season.

Don’t overlook: Two-loss Chartiers-Houston received a No. 7 seed despite winning Section 3.

Prediction: Greensburg Central Catholic over Sewickley Academy

Class A

Favorite: Neighborhood Academy has steamrolled Class A opponents behind Yale-bound senior Courtney Wallace, a 22-point scorer. The Bulldogs under coach Jordan Marks have outscored opponents by nearly 30 points per game. Their only loss was to Beaver by one point in early January. A year ago, Neighborhood Academy lost to Imani Christian in the WPIAL finals but has since replaced the Saints as the dominant team in Class A.

Challengers: Nazareth Prep won the Section 1 title behind 15-point scorer Will Evans. The Saints’ nonsection schedule included two wins over Sewickley Academy and an overtime loss to Serra Catholic, 61-58. … Serra Catholic finished second in Section 1 after losses of 73-44 and 84-58 to Neighborhood Academy. Owen Dumbroski is a 22-point scorer for Serra Catholic. … Nazareth Prep (2019) and Serra Catholic (2008) each have one WPIAL title. … Aquinas Academy has a tandem of 20-point scorers in Jacob Guillen (24 ppg) and Sam Duer (22). Aquinas ended its regular season with a one-point loss at Nazareth Prep. … Evan Strimel is a 19-point scorer for Geibel Catholic.

Don’t overlook: Summit Academy bounced back from a 4-13 record a year ago to reach the playoffs.

Prediction: Neighborhood Academy over Nazareth Prep

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.