2025 WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball championship breakdown: Belle Vernon vs. North Catholic

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | 12:41 PM

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WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball championship

No. 1 Belle Vernon vs. No. 2 North Catholic

9 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center

On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network

WPIAL titles: North Catholic 5 (2020, ’17, ’16, ’10, ’09); Belle Vernon 1 (1978)

Belle Vernon (20-4)

Coach: Joe Salvino

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

1, Curtis Wade, 5-11, Jr., G

2, Zion Moore, 6-2, Sr., G

3, Trevor Kovatch, 5-9, Sr., G

5, Dom Ghilani, 6-2, Sr., F

11, Tommy Davis, 6-6, Sr., F

How they got here: After a first-round bye, Belle Vernon defeated No. 8 Elizabeth Forward, 55-51, in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Avonworth, 57-56, in the semifinals.

Notable: Belle Vernon will make its third trip to the WPIAL finals and second under Salvino. The Leopards lost to Highlands at the Pete in 2020. Belle Vernon won a back-and-forth semifinal against Avonworth as Tommy Davis hit a late free throw. Trevor Kovatch finished with 17 points, Zion Moore added 14 and Davis and Dom Ghilani had 11 apiece. Ghilani also grabbed 11 rebounds. The Leopards went 11 for 22 at the free-throw line, missing four straight late. Moore, who has been hampered by an ankle injury, averages 25 points and has 2,060 for his career. He has scored in double figures in every game of career at Belle Vernon. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 25 straight games. The Leopards average 68.2 points and take a 14-game winning streak into the final. North Catholic beat Belle Vernon in the 2021 semifinals 77-76. Belle Vernon hadn’t won 20 or more games in a season since 2001. Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs and will play at home on March 7. The winner will host the fifth-place finisher from District 10, while the loser hosts the District 10 third-place team.

North Catholic (19-5)

Coach: Jim Rocco

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

5, Jason Fredericks, 6-0, Jr., G

13, Eli Stofko, 6-0, Sr., G

14, Jude Rottmann, 6-3, Jr., G

20, Owen Maddalon, 6-4, Sr., G

23, Joe Waskiewicz, 6-2, Sr., G

How they got here: After a first-round bye, North Catholic beat No. 7 Deer Lakes, 65-51, in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Beaver, 71-42, in the semifinals.

Notable: North Catholic rolled into the finals with a 71-42 win over Beaver in the semifinals. The Trojans led 21-10 after the first quarter and 36-21 at the half. Jason Fredericks (19.3 ppg) poured in 30 points, and Jude Rottmann (15.5) added 25, including five 3-pointers. Rottmann is the son of North Catholic girls coach Molly Rottmann. The Trojans average 68 points and have won 17 of 18 games, including 10 straight. Rocco won a WPIAL and PIAA title when he coached at Penn Hills from 1989-2015. He also guided Penn-Trafford for five seasons. Uniontown ended the Trojans’ WPIAL run in the quarterfinals last year. The Trojans made the finals in 2023 but lost to Lincoln Park, 78-68.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, North Catholic