What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 23, 2023: Girls 6A top seed begins title quest

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, February 23, 2023 | 12:02 AM

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The WPIAL basketball quarterfinals continue Thursday.

Fifty years ago, the Upper St. Clair girls basketball team won its first championship, beating North Allegheny in the 1973 Class 3A finals, 41-40.

Thirty years ago, USC edged Oakland Catholic, 51-47, to win the 1993 WPIAL 4A title. It was the first of four straight trips to the district championship game for the Panthers, who also won gold in 1994 and 1996.

On Thursday, the Panthers begin their quest for a third straight trip to the 6A title game and their first district crown since 2008.

Section 2 champions Upper St. Clair (19-2) will host rival Peters Township (13-10) in a 6A quarterfinal at 7 p.m.

The Indians are the only 6A girls basketball quarterfinalist that has already dipped their toe into postseason waters. Peters Township defeated Butler in the lone first-round game, 62-49.

USC won both regular season meetings against PT, winning by 17 and 14 points.

The other three 6A quarterfinals games are:

• Defending champion Mt. Lebanon (16-6) hosts Chartiers Valley (12-9) at 6 p.m. The Blue Devils beat the Colts twice this season, by 11 and six points.

• Section 1 co-champion and No. 2-seeded North Allegheny (17-5) welcomes Pine-Richland (11-11) at 6 p.m. The Tigers swept the season series with the Rams, winning by 11 and five points.

• The other co-champ in Section 1, Norwin (19-3), will host Baldwin (10-12) at 6 p.m. in what will be the first meeting of the year between the Knights and the Highlanders.

‘A’ set of quarters

While all of the love and the top three-seeds in girls Class A went to teams from Section 1, the champions of the other two sections square off in a quarterfinal Thursday.

Section 3 champion St. Joseph (19-4) will visit Section 2 winner Monessen (15-5) at 7 p.m.

The Greyhounds had a first-round bye and haven’t played in 10 days while the Spartans cruised past Geibel in a first-round game on Monday, 64-26.

These two programs haven’t faced each other in 12 years. Their last meeting was in the 2011 WPIAL Class A quarterfinals when Monessen beat St. Joseph, 64-34.

The other three A quarterfinals games are:

• No. 1 seed and Section 1 co-champion Union (15-6) hosts West Greene (13-9) at 7 p.m. The Scotties haven’t played in 14 days while the Pioneers prevailed in the opening round, 51-23, over Leechburg.

• Avella (13-10) visits the other Section 1 co-champ, Bishop Canevin (10-7), at 7 p.m. The Eagles stunned Riverview in Round 1, 62-38, while the Crusaders have been idle for 10 days.

• No. 3-seeded Aquinas Academy (14-8) will battle Eden Christian (8-14) at Peters Township at 6 p.m. for a third time this season. The Crusaders beat the Warriors twice, by 23 and seven points.

Boys 4A frays

Could the third meeting be the charm for the Highlands boys basketball teams when it goes up against Hampton?

The teams finished first and second in Section 1-4A. Hampton (21-2) finished two games ahead of Highlands (20-3) based on the head-to-head results.

The Talbots defeated the Golden Rams in early Jan. by 15 points and then won the rematch in late Jan. by five points.

The big difference will be Hampton will be without its leading scorer, junior Peter Kramer, because of PIAA transfer rules.

The Talbots did win their first-round playoff game without Kramer, 65-50, over Blackhawk.

The Golden Rams crushed Elizabeth Forward in their opening-round tilt, 71-34.

The third meeting takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny.

The other three 4A quarterfinals games are:

• Top seed and Section 2 champion Lincoln Park (22-1) will take on South Allegheny (19-4) at 8 p.m. at Moon. The Leopards beat West Mifflin in the first round, 86-62, while the Gladiators won a thriller over Beaver, 59-57.

• Defending champion and No. 2 seed Laurel Highlands (20-2) squares off with Belle Vernon (11-11) at 8 p.m. at Peters Township. The Mustangs opened the postseason with a 69-45 win over Freeport, while the Leopards crushed host Quaker Valley, 81-55.

• No. 3 seed Uniontown (19-3) battles North Catholic (17-6) at 8 p.m. at Norwin. The Red Raiders raced past Avonworth in the first round, 69-52, while the Trojans eliminated Montour, 53-41.

3A boys field wide open

Most felt the boys Class 3A playoff bracket was balanced, deep and wide open. Nothing that happened in the opening round should change any minds with the top seven seeds and the No. 9 seed advancing.

If you love offense and plenty of points, then the second-round game between Neshannock (17-5) and Yough (16-7) might not be for you.

That’s because the calling card for both teams has been their defense.

Neshannock and Yough have the two top defenses in 3A with the Lancers allowing only 43.5 points per game and the Cougars an impressive 38.6 points per game.

Both teams were defensive in opening round wins as Neshannock knocked off Keystone Oaks, 56-43, while Yough shut down Burrell, 46-26.

The two teams also shared section crowns.

Neshannock tied Mohawk for first place in Section 1 while Yough shared the Section 4 title with Washington.

The game tips off at 6 p.m. at North Hills.

The other three 3A quarterfinals games are:

• Top seed Steel Valley (13-9) faces Section 2 foe Seton LaSalle (12-10) at 8 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon. The Ironmen have won seven straight and nine of their last 10 while the Rebels have won eight of their last nine. Steel Valley swept the section series this year, winning by 25 and eight points.

• Seeds 4 and 5 collide when Mohawk (20-3) takes on Deer Lakes (14-8) at 6 p.m. at Moon. Both of these teams were co-champs with Mohawk sharing the title in Section 1 with Neshannock and Deer Lakes splitting the crown in Section 3 with Shady Side Academy. The Warriors beat Derry by 10 points in the opening round while the Lancers put up a 19-point victory over Ellwood City.

• Four-time defending champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (17-5) squares off against Shady Side Academy (16-7) at 8 p.m. at North Hills. The Chargers beat Beaver Falls in Round 1, 75-67, as the Bulldogs were defeating Brownsville, 43-35.