By: Don Rebel


Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 11:43 PM

It’s the middle of three nights of the district basketball quarterfinals with the spotlight shining on the elite eight of boys 6A, boys 2A, girls 4A and girls Class A.

Upper St. Clair is the defending WPIAL Class 6A boys basketball champion, however prior to the Panthers taking home the gold last winter, the highest classification’s two previous champions were Fox Chapel and Central Catholic.

The Foxes won their second district crown in 2022 when they upset top-seeded North Hills in the Class 6A title game, 43-36.

The following season, the Vikings captured their second WPIAL boys hoops championship by upending New Castle in the finals, 61-52.

Now these two former section foes battle in a 6A quarterfinals contest Thursday when No. 4 Fox Chapel (16-6) hosts No. 5 Central Catholic (13-9) at 8 p.m. in a game you can listen to on Trib HSSN.

The last time these two teams met in the WPIAL basketball playoffs was in the semifinals of the 2022 6A playoffs with the Foxes edging the Vikings, 37-32, on their way to district gold.

Fox Chapel finished in second place in Section 1-6A this season, one game behind New Castle.

The Foxes defeated 4A power Avonworth to end the regular season as they won five of their last seven games.

Central Catholic ended up in third place in Section 2, three games behind section champ Upper St. Clair and one game in back of second place Imani Christian.

The Vikings ended the regular season with an overtime loss to Imani Christian, followed by back-to-back nonsection losses to Erie and North Catholic.

Of the three other 6A quarterfinals games on Thursday, two of them mark the third meeting between section foes from earlier this season.

• From Section 1-6A, No. 7 Butler (16-6) travels to No. 2 New Castle (19-3) at 7 p.m. in a game that can be heard on Trib HSSN. Junior Andrew Gettinger scored 17 points for the Golden Tornado in the first round as they defeated North Hills, 71-54, while the Red Hurricanes enjoyed a first round bye. In the regular season, New Castle swept the two games from Butler, winning on the road, 62-60, and claiming victory at home in late January, 69-46.

• From Section 2-6A, No. 3 Imani Christian Academy (13-7) will battle No. 6 Mt. Lebanon (16-7) at Montour at 7:30 p.m. The Saints earned a first round bye while the Blue Devils won big at home over Norwin, 61-34, thanks to 24 points from senior Sam Deibert. In the regular season, the two teams split, with Imani Christian winning at home in early January, 79-65, and Mt. Lebanon picking up a victory at home in early February, 73-61.

• Top-seeded Upper St. Clair (20-2) will officially open its title defense when it welcomes No. 9 Woodland Hills (12-11) to the den for a 7 p.m. tip that can be heard on Trib HSSN. The Panthers enjoyed a first round bye after winning the Section 2-6A title outright by two games. USC has won two straight games and 15 of its last 16. The Wolverines are coming off a road win in the first round of the district playoffs Monday at Seneca Valley, 43-32. Junior Landon Akins led Woody High with 15 points in the team’s fifth consecutive win.

Dee-dee-dee, defense

The old saying in sports is that defense wins championships.

If that is the case, the winner of the Class 2A boys basketball quarterfinal between No. 7 Chartiers-Houston (20-3) and No. 2 Sewickley Academy (18-4) at Peters Township at 7:30 p.m. is in good shape.

That is because the Section 2-2A winning Panthers and the Section 3-2A champion Buccaneers were the top two defensive teams in in the regular season in Class 2A.

Sewickley Academy allowed 826 total points for an average of 37.5, lowest in the classification.

Right behind the Panthers was Chartiers-Houston, yielding 898 points for an average of 39 points per game.

Both teams cruised to first round victories with an emphasis on defense.

The Panthers crushed Bentworth, 59-26, as 6-foot-8 freshman Mamadou Kane led the way with 16 points.

In their playoff opener, the Buccaneers pounded Shenango, 55-35, as senior guard Nate Gregory eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career with a game-high 27 points.

You can listen to the game on Trib HSSN.

Here is a look at the other three 2A quarterfinals:

• Top-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2) will be challenged by Union (17-6) at Shaler at 6 p.m. in a game you can listen on Trib HSSN. The Section 1-2A champion Centurions made it six straight wins with a first round victory over Laurel, 67-42, thanks to 15 points from senior Brady O’Rourke. The Scotties got a monster game from senior Lucas Stanley as he dropped 36 points in a first round triumph over Fort Cherry, 70-49.

• It will be No. 4 battling No. 5 in the 2A boys bracket when Neshannock (20-2) takes on Northgate (14-9) at Shaler at 7:30 p.m. The game can be heard on Trib HSSN. The Section 4 champion Lancers defeated Winchester Thurston in the opening round behind 19 points from senior Tony Perrotta, 56-44. Senior Ty Daniels tallied 20 points to lead the Section 2-2A runner-up Flames past Springdale in the first round, 59-44.

• Two strong section runners-up collide at Fox Chapel at 6 p.m. on Trib HSSN when No. 3 Jeannette (20-2) goes up against No. 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-4). Junior Kymone’ Brown led the Jayhawks with 20 points in a first round thrashing of Brentwood, 91-42. The Chargers also won big in their postseason opener as sophomore Tiernan McCullough scored 32 points in a route of Clairton, 64-37.

A final four rematch in quarters

Last winter, top-seeded Blackhawk squared off with No. 5 Laurel Highlands in a district Class 4A girls basketball semifinal.

Now the two programs meet again, this time in a quarterfinal showdown.

Once again, Blackhawk (21-2) owns the No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 Laurel Highlands (17-5) at Peters Township at 6 p.m. with audio on Trib HSSN.

In that final four contest played last February, the Cougars eliminated the Mustangs, 51-32.

Then-senior Alena Fusetti scored 21 points and current junior Aubree Hupp added 16 points to pace Blackhawk.

Current senior Miya Harris led Laurel Highlands with 14 points.

Both Hupp and Harris led their respective teams to first round wins Monday.

Hupp scored 24 points as the Cougars crushed Yough, 60-12.

Harris dropped 16 points for the Mustangs in a home victory over Knoch, 61-43.

Here is a look at the other three quarterfinals games in girls 4A.

• No. 4 Elizabeth Forward (18-5) is set to battle No. 5 Beaver (17-5) at Montour at 6 p.m. The Section 3 champion Warriors got 17 points from junior Mia Sostaric in a first round win over Hopewell, 69-42. The Section 2-4A runner-up Bobcats crushed Freeport, 62-28, as junior Ava Wright led the way for Beaver with 19 points.

• No. 7 Central Valley (15-7) goes up against No. 2 Oakland Catholic (20-3) at Moon at 7:30 p.m. Senior Nyah Hayes scored 16 points to lead the Warriors past Belle Vernon in the opening round, 55-46. Senior Alaya Bivens led a balanced Eagles attack with 16 points in the Round 1 victory over Hampton, 65-14.

• No. 3 and defending champion North Catholic (20-3) will try to advance as it faces No. 6 South Park (16-5) at Moon at 6 p.m. The Trojans opened the postseason with a rout of Mt. Pleasant, 62-23, as freshman Sam Weir led the scoring with 14 points. The Eagles flew past Burrell in the first round, 40-24, with senior Brooke Paylo leading the way with 16 points.

Rest vs. Rust

The question most asked of coaches whose teams enjoyed a first round bye is if the squad is better off with extra rest, or could the team be a victim of rust from a long layoff?

That could be an issue in the girls Class A quarterfinals when No. 4 Serra Catholic (12-10) hosts No. 5 Aquinas Academy (14-7) at 7 p.m.

Both teams did not play in the first round after earning byes — the Eagles finished in third place in Section 2-A and the Crusaders were tied for second place in Section 1-A.

Serra Catholic had won six straight games before hitting a wall with four consecutive losses to end the regular season.

Its final loss was to 2A section winner Winchester Thurston 10 days ago.

Aquinas Academy ended the season by winning its last three games. However, its final regular season contest was 14 days ago.

The Crusaders reached the district championship game two years ago, losing to Union.

The Eagles played in the Class 2A final last winter, falling to Greensburg Central Catholic.

Here are the other three Class A quarterfinals Thursday.

• Top-seed and undefeated Union (22-0) will be home to No. 9 Bishop Canevin (12-9) at 7 p.m. on Trib HSSN. The Scotties officially begin their trek toward a possible third straight title after receiving a first round bye. The Crusaders advanced to the elite eight with a Round 1 road win over Springdale, 45-12, with junior Isabella Sysak scoring 19 points.

• No. 7 West Greene (16-7) makes the trip to Fayette County to visit No. 2 Geibel Catholic (21-1) at 7 p.m. in a game you can hear on Trib HSSN. The Pioneers got off to a good start this postseason with a first round win over Eden Christian Academy, 59-29, as junior Kendra Tharp led the way with 19 points. The Section 2-A champion Gators enjoyed a first round bye. They have won 14 games in a row since suffering their only loss of the season to Clairton in mid-December.

• No. 3 Clairton (17-4) will host No. 6 St. Joseph (16-7) at 7 p.m. The 2024 runner-up Spartans totally shut down Sewickley Academy in the opening round, 61-13, as senior Gia Richter had a team high 21 points. The Bears will host this quarterfinal contest on the heels of a first round bye. They are led by the fourth leading scorer in WPIAL history in senior Iyanna Wade, who has scored 3,021 points in her career and led the district in scoring for a third straight year.