2025 WPIAL Class A girls basketball championship breakdown: Union vs. Clairton

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 11:01 AM

WPIAL Class A girls basketball championship

No. 1 Union vs. No. 3 Clairton

3 p.m. Friday, Petersen Events Center

On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network

WPIAL titles: Union 2 (2024, ‘23); Clairton 2 (2002, ‘01)

Union (24-0)

Coach: Rob Nogay

Projected starting lineup

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

4, Kylie Fruehstorfer, 5-5, Sr., G

12, Mia Preuhs, 5-8, Sr., G/F

20, Addison Nogay, 5-8, Sr., G

24, Miera Gunn, 5-8, Jr., G

25, Hayden Strickler, 5-5, Sr., F

How they got here: After a first-round bye, Union defeated No. 9 Bishop Canevin, 38-16, in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Aquinas Academy, 47-45, in the semifinals.

Notable: Union is seeking a third straight WPIAL championship after beating Aquinas Academy and St. Joseph the past two seasons at Petersen Events Center. Four senior starters lead the Scotties, including senior guard Kylie Fruehstorfer, a Pitt-Johnstown recruit who was third-team all-state in 2024 and averages 20 points per game. She tallied 16 points in the semifinal victory over Aquinas Academy. Fellow senior Mia Preuhs, who averages 7.0 points and rebounds, added 11 points. Union averages 56.1 points (third in Class A) and allows just 28.0, which is tops in the classification.

Clairton (19-4)

Coach: Carlton Wade

Projected starting lineup

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

5, Jamiya “JuJu” Childs, 5-3, Jr., G

10, Iyanna Wade, 5-4, Sr., G

12, Karma Fuqua, 5-7, So., F

13, Reyonee Williams, 5-4, Sr., F

14, Kyzah Jamison, 5-7, Jr., G/F

How they got here: After a first-round bye, Clairton beat No. 6 St. Joseph, 71-44, in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Geibel Catholic, 52-32, in the semifinals.

Notable: The Bears are riding a nine-game winning streak that has included a series of dominant wins, including a 27-point victory in the quarterfinals and a 20-point triumph over Geibel Catholic in the semifinals. Clairton is the highest scoring team in Class A at 65.8 points per game, and senior Iyanna Wade is a major reason why. She averages more than 40 ppg and is the third leading scorer in WPIAL history, having surpassed 3,000 points earlier this month. She is closing in on the WPIAL’s No. 2 scoring leader Charel Allen from Monessen (3,110 points). Gina Naccarato (3,364), also from Monessen, is the WPIAL’s all-time leader. Wade tallied 22 points in the semifinals and was complemented by Karma Fuqua with 16 and Jamiya “JuJu” Childs with 10. The Bears are seeking their first WPIAL girls basketball title since 2002.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Clairton, Union