2024 WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship breakdown: Aliquippa vs. Greensburg C.C.
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Friday, March 1, 2024 | 12:00 PM
Aliquippa’s Quentin Goode drives to the basket against Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner during their game on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Cam Lindsey battles Central Catholic’s Enzo Khalil for a rebound on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at Aliquippa.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Tyree Turner drives to the basket past Northgate’s Landon Lockett during their WPIAL Class 2A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Gateway.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Liam Gallagher scores against Northgate defenders during their WPIAL Class 2A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Gateway.
WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship
No. 1 Aliquippa vs. No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic
1 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center
On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network
WPIAL titles: GCC 0; Aliquippa 13 (2023, ’16, ’15, ’07, ’06, ’04, ’03, ’00, 1998, ’94, ’88, ’87, ’49)
Aliquippa (20-5)
Coach: Nick Lackovich
Projected starting lineup
No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.
1, Brandon Banks, 6-0, sr., G
4, Josh Pratt, 6-1, so., G
5, Quentin Goode, 5-10, sr., G
14, Qalil Goode, 6-1, so., G
23, Cam Lindsey, 6-3, sr., C/F
How they got here: Defeated Nazareth Prep, 70-57, in the first round; Serra Catholic, 76-50, in the quarterfinals; and Fort Cherry, 55-36, in the semifinals.
Notable: Defending champion Aliquippa will chase WPIAL title No. 14, which would tie New Castle for the most in league history. The Quips, who are 13-0 against WPIAL 2A teams, defeated No. 4 Fort Cherry, 55-36, in the semifinals. Joshua Pratt had 16 points, and Cam Lindsey, a Pitt football commit, added 14 as the Quips held the Rangers to single digits in three quarters. Aliquippa plays in the same section as Northgate and defeated the Flames, 55-50 and 58-39. The Quips also took down Serra Catholic, one of GCC’s section opponents, 76-50 in the quarterfinals. They have yet to play a team from Westmoreland County this season. Senior Quintin Goode and Lindsey are two of the most successful athletes in school history as multi-time champions in football and basketball. Goode had a game-high 24 points against GCC last year when the Quips limited standout forward Franco Alvarez to two points. Turner scored 22 for GCC.
Greensburg Central Catholic (23-2)
Coach: Christian Hyland
Projected starting lineup
No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.
5, Tyree Turner, 6-0, sr., G
11, Liam Gallagher, 6-0, jr., G
15, Braden Riley, 5-11, jr., G
22, Brady O’Rourke, 6-4, jr., G/F
40, Franco Alvarez, 6-5, sr., F
How they got here: Defeated Frazier, 57-22, in the first round; Eden Christian, 69-41, in the quarterfinals; and Northgate, 60-43, in the semifinals.
Notable: GCC is back in the finals for the second time in four seasons and fourth overall, but the Centurions are seeking their first title. They used a big fourth quarter to push past No. 3 Northgate, 60-43, in the semifinals as Tyree Turner, a fourth-year starter, attacked the rim and scored a game-high 21 points. Senior forward Franco Alvarez added 16. GCC has made the semifinals four straight times under Hyland’s leadership. It has won 14 in a row but will have a challenge against Aliquippa, which handled GCC in last year’s semifinals 61-36. The win snapped a streak of five straight semifinal losses. GCC also has runner-up finishes in 2011 and ’14. It lost to Monessen (63-43) and Seton LaSalle (52-51). Our Lady of the Sacred Heart won 71-52 in the ’21 final on the way to a 24-0 season.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Aliquippa, Greensburg C.C.
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