By: Don Rebel


Friday, January 10, 2025 | 12:27 AM

What a week it has been for showdowns in WPIAL basketball as we get closer to the midway point of section play in the regular season.

On Tuesday, we saw the top two teams collide in boys Class 6A as Imani Christian Academy visited Upper St. Clair, followed on Thursday by No. 1 facing No. 2 in girls 3A with Shady Side Academy hosting Greensburg Central Catholic.

On Friday, there are two more battles of No. 1 facing No. 2 on a busy night of district boys hoops.

In Class 2A, heated rivals clash for first place in Section 1 when undefeated Jeannette at 11-0 overall squares off against once beaten Greensburg Central Catholic with a mark of 10-1.

The Jayhawks are 5-0 in the section and have won all 11 of their games by an average score of 72-37.

The Centurions are 4-0 in section play and have won three straight games since their only loss of the season to Class 6A Hempfield.

GCC has been impressive as well, outscoring its 11 foes by an average of 70-45.

In Class A on Friday, two teams with perfect section records with only one loss overall battle for the first time when No. 1 Neighborhood Academy visits No. 2 Serra Catholic.

Both teams are 3-0 atop Section 2.

The Bulldogs are 11-1 after beating Geibel Catholic earlier this week to bounce back from their only loss to 4A Beaver.

The Eagles are 10-1 and have won three in a row since their lone loss of the season to 3A South Allegheny.

Both top-ranked showdowns can be viewed Friday on Trib HSSN.

Red fox

Two teams with a combined overall record of 19-3 meet for a piece of the first-place pie in Section 1-6A on Friday as Fox Chapel (10-2) visits New Castle (9-1).

The Foxes currently lead the section with a 5-0 record. They earlier had a five-game winning streak end with a loss to Class A top-ranked Neighborhood Academy, but have since won two in a row.

The Red Hurricanes are 4-1 in the section and tied for second place with Seneca Valley (4-1, 7-6). The ‘Canes suffered their only loss this season last week to Seneca Valley but rebounded Tuesday with a 13-point victory over Pine-Richland (3-2, 5-5).

Freshman guard Kai Cox leads New Castle with an average of 21.1 points per game while senior Caiden Kaiser is averaging 18.3 points per game for Fox Chapel.

You can listen to the game at 7:30 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

Two for one

Two more WPIAL boys basketball Friday frays have sole possession of first place at stake.

In Section 3-3A, South Allegheny visits South Park in a game you can watch on Trib HSSN.

The Gladiators are 3-0 in the section and 11-1 overall. They are on a roll with eight consecutive victories following their lone loss of the season to 6A power New Castle.

The Eagles are 2-0 in the section and 9-2 for the season. They had a six-game win streak end with a loss to Southmoreland before winning their most recent contest on Tuesday at Steel Valley.

In Section 2-2A, the top spot is up for grabs when Sewickley Academy hosts Northgate.

The Panthers are 4-0 in the section and 8-1 overall. SA lost its season opener to Nazareth Prep by two points but has since won eight in a row, including a 47-point win Tuesday over Propel Braddock Hills.

The Flames have a section record of 3-0 and are 6-4 overall. They lost four of their first six games, but have now won four straight.

Both games tip off at 7 p.m.