By: Don Rebel


Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 9:09 PM

Welcome to the stretch run of the WPIAL girls basketball season, the start of the final two weeks of section play.

Now the focus just isn’t on the battles for section championships, it is also on securing the needed positioning in a section to secure a district playoff berth.

The fight for first place in Section 2-6A became a lot more interesting following a Canon-McMillan victory over Upper St. Clair this past Friday.

USC had been alone in first place since beating Norwin on Jan 3.

Now the Panthers have slipped into a tie for the top spot with the Knights heading into their first-place showdown Monday at Upper St. Clair.

USC had won nine straight to improve to 12-2, but then last week lost two in a row to Shaler in a nonsection contest and to the Big Macs for their first section loss.

Norwin was 4-5 overall after losing to Upper St. Clair earlier this month 63-53 but since has won five games in a row.

Both teams are 5-1 in section and have clinched postseason berths.

They are one game ahead of third-place Canon-McMillan (4-2, 10-6), which will be visiting fourth-place Mt. Lebanon (3-3, 10-7) on Monday.

Watch the Norwin at USC game on Trib HSSN at 7 p.m.

One visits two

They are not only the top two teams in Section 1-2A, they are also the top two teams in WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball.

Top-ranked Aliquippa tries to take a giant leap toward an outright conference title when it visits No. 2 Neshannock on Monday.

The Quips are alone in first place with a 6-0 section record, and they are 12-2 overall with victories in seven straight games.

The Lancers are in second place with a 5-1 section mark. They are 15-2 overall and are on a six-game winning streak since losing at Aliquippa the second day of the New Year.

In that game, seniors Carla Brown and Aunesty Johnson each scored 21 points to lead the Quips to the 65-61 overtime victory.

Junior Jaidon Nogay and sophomore Ainsley Allison had 13 points each for the Lancers , and junior Nina Medure added 12 points.

Through five postseasons this decade, Neshannock has two WPIAL championships, capturing back-to-back 2A titles in 2021 and 2022.

Aliquippa is on a quest for district gold for the first time since winning four straight 2A crowns between 1987 and 1990.

Mat madness begins

The first district winter sports team postseason begins Monday with eight preliminary-round matches in the WPIAL boys team wrestling playoffs.

There are four playoff matches scheduled in each of the two classifications to determine the No. 13, 14, 15 and 16 seeds in each bracket.

Here are the matches slated for Monday:

In Class 3A:

• Ringgold (9-1) at Shaler (6-1) at 7:15 p.m. for the No. 16 seed that will visit No. 1 Connellsville in the first round Wednesday.

• Peters Township (11-8) vs. Moon (7-5) at 6 p.m. at Shaler for the No. 15 seed that will travel to No. 2 Franklin Regional in the opening round Wednesday.

• Penn-Trafford (7-8) at North Hills (8-3) at 7:15 p.m. for the No. 14 seed that will visit No. 3 Thomas Jefferson in the first round Wednesday.

• Belle Vernon (3-2) vs. Butler (7-3) at 6 p.m. at North Hills for the No. 13 seed that will visit No. 4 Bethel Park in the opening round Wednesday.

In Class 2A:

• Knoch (4-3) at Greensburg Salem (7-3) at 7:15 p.m. for the No. 16 seed that will visit No. 1 Burrell in the first round Wednesday.

• Avella (9-11) at Bentworth (6-6) at 7:15 p.m. for the No. 15 seed that will travel to No. 2 Derry in the opening round Wednesday.

• Central Valley (5-7) vs. Avonworth (3-7) at 6 p.m. at Greensburg Salem for the No. 14 seed that will visit No. 3 McGuffey in the first round Wednesday.

• Elizabeth Forward (2-2) vs. Chartiers-Houston (5-1) at 6 p.m. at Bentworth for the No. 13 seed that will visit No. 4 Quaker Valley in the opening round Wednesday.

The Elizabeth Forward vs. Chartiers-Houston and the Avella at Bentworth matches can be viewed on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Aliquippa, Avella, Avonworth, Belle Vernon, Bentworth, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Central Valley, Chartiers-Houston, Elizabeth Forward, Greensburg Salem, Knoch, Moon, Mt. lebanon, Neshannock, North Hills, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Ringgold, Shaler, Upper St. Clair