What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 14, 2025: Montour, Moon battle for 1st place

By: Don Rebel
Monday, January 13, 2025 | 11:47 PM

The first half of section play in WPIAL boys basketball concludes Tuesday with plenty of big games around the district, including a showdown in Section 4-5A.

Montour is alone in first place with a 4-0 section record and is 9-1 overall. The Spartans, who have won three straight since a holiday loss to Countryside (Fla.) in Tampa Bay, will visit Moon.

The defending Class 5A champion Tigers are 4-1 and 11-2, one-half game behind second-place Chartiers Valley (12-1, 5-1) after the Colts’ 68-65 win over Mars (7-6, 3-2) on Monday night.

The big man for Montour is 6’11” senior Ama Sow, who leads the team in scoring with an average of 22.1 points per game

Moon relies on a strong one-two punch of senior swing men Michael Santicola and Carter Tumulty. Tumulty is averaging 19.1 points per game while Santicola is right behind him at 16.2 ppg.

You can watch the Spartans against the Tigers on Trib HSSN at 7:30 p.m.

Southern log jam

Another WPIAL boys basketball section that is very crowded at the top is Section 3-2A, where five of the eight teams are within a game of first place.

Nobody is undefeated in the section, and the top two teams will square off to see who leads at the midway point.

Jefferson-Morgan (9-3) will visit Chartiers-Houston (10-2) in a game you can see on Trib HSSN.

The Rockets are 5-1 in the section while the Buccaneers, who still have one make-up section game from the first half, are 4-1.

Another big game in the section has Beth-Center (4-2, 7-5) traveling to play West Greene (4-2, 6-6).

The Bulldogs and Pioneers are tied for second place with Fort Cherry (6-6) at 4-2. The Rangers on Tuesday visit Carmichaels (2-4, 3-8).

More fights for 1st

There are several head-to-head matchups Tuesday with first place or a share of the top spot at stake up and down the six classifications.

• In Section 2-5A, Penn Hills (5-6) is at Kiski Area (6-6). The Indians are alone in first place at 5-0, a game ahead of the Cavaliers at 4-1.

• In Section 1-4A, two-time champion Deer Lakes (12-2) travels to North Catholic (9-5) in a game you can watch on Trib HSSN. The Lancers are on top at 5-0, one game ahead of the Trojans at 4-1 and Knoch (4-1, 9-4).

• In Section 2-4A, two of the top players in the district go head to head when Avonworth (10-2) hits the road to battle Beaver (11-3). The Antelopes are the front runners with a 4-0 section record, one game ahead of the Bobcats (3-1) and Central Valley (3-1, 11-2). Avonworth is led by Rowan Carmichael while good friend Brady Mayo leads Beaver.

• In Section 3-4A, Derry (8-4) visits Elizabeth Forward (10-3) here on Trib HSSN. The Trojans are in first place at 5-0, one game up on the Warriors at 4-1 and Belle Vernon (5-1, 10-4).

• In Section 4-2A, Neshannock (11-1) plays host to Union (5-1, 11-3) on Trib HSSN. The Lancers are alone on top of the section at 6-0, one game up on the Scotties at 5-1 and OLSH (4-1, 9-4).

• First place in Section 1-A is up for grabs when Aquinas Academy (12-1) hosts Nazareth Prep (9-3). Both the Crusaders and Saints are 4-0 in the section with a two-game lead over both Avella and Beaver County Christian.