By: Don Rebel


Sunday, February 9, 2025 | 4:30 PM

Welcome to the Christmas Day for district high school basketball fans with everybody’s favorite present under the tree set to be unwrapped Monday afternoon, the gift of the WPIAL basketball bracketology.

There are 85 boys teams and 84 girls teams preparing for the second season. Now they will find out what their Path to the Pete looks like.

The district will unveil the 12 brackets Monday afternoon and we will discuss during the annual WPIAL Basketball Playoff Pairings Show at 3 p.m.

On the boys side, five of the six reigning champions have qualified for the 2025 postseason with the one large exception begin two-time 4A winner Lincoln Park. This the first time the Leopards have failed to qualify for the district playoffs since they joined the WPIAL in 2007-08.

Three boys teams are trying to three-peat, however each one is in a larger classification this season.

Deer Lakes won back-to-back 3A titles, and now they are in 4A.

Aliquippa repeated as 2A district champ last winter and since has moved up to 3A.

Two-time Class A winner Imani Christian made the big jump to 6A, joining Upper St. Clair as 2024 champs in the 11-team 6A playoff field.

On the girls’ side, all six champions from a year ago have reached the playoffs this season, with Norwin in 6A trying to repeat.

Class 3A champion Shady Side Academy and 2A winner from a year ago, Greensburg Central Catholic, will be two of the favorites as they both battle for gold in Class 3A.

Union hopes to claim gold for a third straight season in Class A while South Fayette tries for rare air and a fourth consecutive WPIAL 5A championship.

In this century, only three other schools have captured four straight WPIAL girls basketball crowns. Oakland Catholic in 4A from 1999-2002, Vincentian Academy in Class A from 2012-16, and North Catholic in 4A from 2017-20.

That’s a wrap

There are 23 boys basketball games on Monday to wrap up the 2025 WPIAL regular season.

Here are the games pitting playoff-bound teams against each other:

*Mt. Lebanon (6A) at Peters Township (5A)

*Avonworth (4A) at Fox Chapel (6A)

*Central Catholic (6A) at North Catholic (4A)

*Bishop Canevin (3A) at New Castle (6A)

*Penn Hills (5A) at West Mifflin (4A)

*Elizabeth Forward (4A) at Baldwin (5A)

*Southmoreland (3A) at Derry (4A)

*Shenango (2A) at Quaker Valley (4A)

*Keystone Oaks (3A) at Brentwood (2A)

*Bentworth (2A) at West Greene (2A)

*Serra Catholic (A) at Winchester Thurston (2A)

Final tune-ups

There are 24 girls basketball games on Monday to wrap up the 2025 WPIAL regular season.

Here are the games pitting playoff-bound teams:

*Thomas Jefferson (5A) at Pine-Richland (6A)

*Mt. Lebanon (6A) at Peters Township (5A)

*North Allegheny (6A) at Blackhawk (4A)

*Shady Side Academy (3A) at Butler (6A)

*Plum (5A) at Greensburg Salem (5A)

*Elizabeth Forward (4A) at Baldwin (5A)

*Bethel Park (5A) at Keystone Oaks (3A)

*Fox Chapel (5A) at Avonworth (3A)

*Hampton (4A) at Knoch (4A)

*Freeport (4A) at Deer Lakes (3A)

*Bishop Canevin (A) at Central Valley (4A)

*Rochester (2A) at Fort Cherry (2A)

*Ellis School (2) at Clairton (A)

*Serra Catholic (A) at Winchester Thurston (2A)

Tags: Aliquippa, Avonworth, Baldwin, Bentworth, Bethel Park, Bishop Canevin, Blackhawk, Brentwood, Butler, Central Catholic, Central Valley, Clairton, Deer Lakes, Derry Area, Elizabeth Forward, Ellis School, Fort Cherry, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Imani Christian, Keystone Oaks, Knoch, Mt. lebanon, New Castle, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Norwin, Penn Hills, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Plum, Quaker Valley, Rochester, Serra Catholic, Shady Side Academy, Shenango, Southmoreland, Thomas Jefferson, Union, Upper St. Clair, West Greene, West Mifflin, Winchester Thurston