A-K Valley high school basketball preview capsules for Feb. 18, 2026

By: Triblive And Michael Love And Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | 5:19 PM

Girls

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

7-Fox Chapel (15-8) vs. 2-Thomas Jefferson (20-2)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mt. Lebanon

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Indiana (20-3)/6-Penn-Trafford (18-5) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Bella Geller, Fox Chapel; Maggie Spell, Thomas Jefferson

Layup lines: Fox Chapel gave No. 2 Peters Township all it could handle in last year’s first round but was not able to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals. The Foxes turned around their first-round fortunes last Friday with a down-to-the-wire 60-58 home victory over Latrobe. Senior Lyla Jablon, Fox Chapel’s leading scorer, tallied a game-best 24 points, and Gellar, a freshman, hit a 3-pointer with 1:37 left in the fourth to give the Foxes the lead for good. Gellar finished with 10 points in her playoff debut. Junior Emily McKee (14) and sophomore Nina Kulikowski (10) also scored in double figures. The Foxes reached 60 points for the fifth time this season. Fox Chapel has won seven games in a row and 10 of 12 since the start of January. The Foxes are in the WPIAL quarterfinals for the first time since 2021, when, as the No. 8 seed, they defeated Ringgold and Penn Hills before falling to No. 1 Trinity. … Thomas Jefferson had no trouble getting past No. 15 Penn Hills in the first round, winning 65-26 to advance to the quarterfinals. The victory avenged a loss to the Indians in a 2024 play-in game. The Jaguars got a game-best 24 points from Spell, a senior guard who will play at Division I Campbell and is seven points away from 2,000 for her career. Junior guard Emily Hritz added 14 points in the win. Spell fronted TJ in scoring in the regular season at 17.5 points a game. The Jaguars haven’t lost since a setback against District 6 power Bishop Guilfoyle on Dec. 28 in the Holiday Bash at North Allegheny. Thomas Jefferson, the Section 4 champion, is scoring 59.4 points a game, second only to No. 1 South Fayette in Class 5A. The Jaguars finished third in last year’s WPIAL tournament and reached the PIAA second round before falling to WPIAL champion Peters Township.

Boys

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

13-Deer Lakes (11-12) vs. 5-Hopewell (15-8)

6 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Quaker Valley (18-3)/8-Belle Vernon (14-9) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Evan Moore, Deer Lakes; Brody Rock, Hopewell

Layup lines: Deer Lakes is coming off a 57-46 upset of No. 4 Derry in the opening round. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak to finish the regular season. Evan Moore had 22 points, Collin Rodgers scored 17 and Dylan Ferraro added 11 for Deer Lakes. For the season, Moore averages 22.5 ppg, and Rodgers averages 16.6. The Lancers average 58 ppg while allowing 55.7. Deer Lakes won WPIAL titles in 2023 and ‘24 and last season reached the quarterfinals before falling to North Catholic. … Hopewell defeated No. 12 Greensburg Salem, 74-49, in the first round Friday. James “Booboo” Armstrong poured in 20 points, right at his average for the season. Brody Rock had 21 points, and Justin Shegog added 15. The Vikings tied for second in Section 2 with Central Valley at 6-4. They have won three straight games and eight of their past nine. Hopewell is chasing its first WPIAL title.

3-Knoch (19-4) vs. 6-Central Valley (16-7)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of 2-North Catholic (17-5)/7-Elizabeth Forward (14-9) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Vinnie DeFelice, Knoch; Angelo Conti, Central Valley

Layup lines: Knoch scored a 56-21 victory over No. 14 East Allegheny in the opening round. Vinnie DeFelice had 19 points, and Teegan Finucan scored 13 for the Knights. The co-Section 1 champions have won 18 of their last 20 games after a 1-2 start. Knoch lost in the WPIAL quarterfinals to Avonworth last winter. … Central Valley is coming off a 50-44 victory over No. 11 Highlands in the first round. The Warriors had a strong start to the second half, outscoring the Golden Rams, 22-8, in the third quarter. Ryan Conti and Angelo Conti had 13 points each. Ethan Shearer, Adam Shroads and Wyatt Clark also have been key contributors. CV averages 62.2 ppg while allowing 29.5. The Warriors reached the WPIAL quarterfinals last season before falling to Beaver. Central Valley won its lone WPIAL title in 2014.

Class A

Quarterfinals

7-St. Joseph (8-13) vs. 2-Nazareth Prep (8-11)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Avella (17-5)/6-Serra Catholic (12-9) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Ryan McCarthy, St. Joseph; Ahsan Harrison, Nazareth Prep

Layup lines: St. Joseph was the fourth-place finisher in Section 2 at 5-5. The Spartans average 45.0 ppg and allow 58.3. They snapped a five-game skid midseason by defeating Environmental Charter, Monessen, Serra Catholic and Geibel late in the campaign to earn a playoff berth. Top scorers for St. Joseph include Ryan McCarthy, Nick Tometsko, John Marino and Kyle Lecker. … Nazareth Prep was awarded the No. 2 seed after winning the Section 1 title. The Saints reached the WPIAL semifinals last season and qualified for the PIAA tournament. They started 0-6 after playing a challenging nonsection schedule but won four of their final five games in the regular season. Ahsan Harrison averages 21.4 ppg to lead the Saints in scoring. He poured in 32 points in a 70-65 loss to Summit Academy in the regular-season finale.

Tags: Central Valley, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Hopewell, Knoch, Nazareth Prep, St. Joseph, Thomas Jefferson