Breaking down the 2026 WPIAL boys basketball playoff brackets

By: Triblive And Paul Schofield And Bill Hartlep
Monday, February 9, 2026 | 6:20 PM

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Here’s a closer look at the 2026 WPIAL boys basketball playoffs.

Class 6A

Favorite: Upper St. Clair (20-1) has won the past two WPIAL Class 6A championships, including a 65-43 victory over New Castle last fall at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers lost much of their starting lineup to graduation but reloaded behind 6-foot-7 junior center Ryan Robbins and guard Jake Foster. USC shared the Section 2 title with Central Catholic. The Panthers have won 16 straight games since a Dec. 12 loss to the Vikings.

Challengers: New Castle (20-1) will try to add a WPIAL-record 15th championship to its trophy case. The Red Hurricanes won four titles in five seasons from 2017-21. They rolled to the Section 1 title at 13-1 and opened the season with 17 straight wins. Their lone loss came to Pine-Richland, 51-49, on Jan. 30. Senior Damian Harrison averages more than 16 points, and senior Qualin Davis, sophomore Kai Cox and freshman Marino Graham add to the attack. .… Central Catholic (19-2) reached the WPIAL semifinals for the fourth straight season a year ago. The Vikings went 13-1 in Section 2 behind senior guard Enzo Khalil (15.6 ppg). The Vikings, who won the 2023 WPIAL title, allow just 35.9 ppg. … North Hills (15-7) made a late-season push, winning its final three Section 2 games. The Indians, led by Nathan Schanbacher (23.9 ppg) and Jackson Long (17.2 ppg), average a classification-high 63.1 points. … Seneca Valley (13-8) edged Pine-Richland (11-11) on Friday to finish tied for second in Section 1. … Hempfield (15-7) edged rival Norwin in overtime Friday to finish third in Section 2. The Spartans have won seven of their last nine games.

Don’t overlook: Mt. Lebanon (13-8) reached the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA tournament last year. Behind Liam Sheely (20.2 ppg) and Carter Gould (14.9 ppg), the streaky Blue Devils finished fourth in Section 2 and followed up a recent three-game winning run with back-to-back losses to Imani Christian and USC.

Prediction: New Castle over Upper St. Clair

Class 5A

Favorite: Chartiers Valley (19-2) won its seventh WPIAL championship a year ago and enters this season’s playoffs as the favorite. The Colts led Class 5A in scoring at 68.7 points per game en route to the Section 1 title at 11-1. They’ve won four straight games since a three-point loss at Moon on Jan. 23. Senior guard Julian Semplice (15.1 ppg) and sophomore Luca Federico (16.1 ppg) have paced the Colts’ attack.

Challengers: Lincoln Park (15-5) finished second in a talented Section 4. The Leopards average 65.9 ppg behind Josh Pratt (25.5 ppg). Their losses came twice to Chartiers Valley, Class 6A No. 1 New Castle and two out-of-state teams. … Thomas Jefferson (20-2) filled the scoresheet en route to an unbeaten mark in Section 3, averaging 67.5 points. The Jaguars, who lost to Chartiers Valley in the first round last season, have won 11 of their past 12 games. Nicholas Trklja (21.9 ppg) and Justin Fry (18.6 ppd) lead TJ, which is looking for its first WPIAL title. … Behind Mykel Bruce-McCrommon’s 20.9 ppg, Gateway (14-7) won the Section 1 title at 12-2. The Gators won eight of nine games before a one-point loss to McKeesport on Friday. … Penn Hills (15-6), which won the 2023 WPIAL title, won Section 2 at 11-1 and has won 10 of its past 11 games. Amon Hawthorne (21.7 ppg) leads the way for the Indians. … Moon (18-3) finished third in Section 4 but had just three losses. The Tigers have won six straight, including a thrilling overtime win over Montour on Friday.

Don’t overlook: Peters Township (16-5) was the WPIAL runner-up last season and again has a strong resume. The Section 3 runner-up Indians average 60.4 points and have won their past four games in convincing fashion.

Prediction: Chartiers Valley over Lincoln Park

Class 4A

Favorite: Quaker Valley (17-3) is riding a 10-game winning streak and rolled to the Section 2 title at 10-0. The Quakers, who won a WPIAL title in 2022, were bounced in the first round as the No. 10 seed last season. QV is led by Zachary Washington (17.2 ppg) and Nic Cohen (16.2 ppg). Coach Mike Mastroianni surpassed 600 career wins earlier this season.

Challengers: North Catholic (17-4) was the WPIAL runner-up to Belle Vernon last season. The Trojans shared the Section 1 title with Knoch (18-4). The teams split their section series, with the Trojans winning 61-55 last week. Jason Fredericks (24.6 ppg), Jude Rottman (18.1 ppg) and Brandon Pickett (17.8 ppg) lead the Trojans’ scoring. … Teegan Finucan (15.9 ppg) paces Knoch, which remained a contender despite losing Jackson and Brody Bauman to transfer and 7-foot senior Zane Pace, who decided to focus on baseball. … Derry (15-6) won its first section title in 69 years Friday by topping Elizabeth Forward (13-8). Derry, which has won seven straight games, is led by 6-7 junior Stanley Rajkovich (20.0 ppg), who surpassed 1,000 career points last month. … Central Valley (14-7) and Hopewell (14-8) were runners-up in Section 2 at 6-4. The Vikings have won seven of their past eight.

Don’t overlook: Belle Vernon (13-9) claimed the program’s second WPIAL title last season. Led by Luca Ghilani (15.4 ppg) and Elijah Majors (15.8 ppg), the Leopards finished tied for second in Section 3.

Prediction: North Catholic over Quaker Valley

Class 3A

Favorite: Mohawk (19-1) is riding a 19-game winning streak after opening the season with a 62-58 loss to Central Catholic. The Warriors are looking for their first title since 1970. They lost to South Allegheny in the semifinals last year. The Warriors have impressive wins against Deer Lakes and section rival Aliquippa. They are led by Bobby Fadden, who recently became a top-five scorer all-time in Lawrence County, as well as Joey Nail, Drew Wrona and Kam O’Lara. The Warriors have defeated opponents by an average of 22 points.

Challengers: Aliquippa (14-6) has won 14 WPIAL titles, but heading into the tournament, the Quips have lost three of four games. Javari Carter and Antonio Reddic lead the Quips. They have played a difficult nonsection section. The Quips lost to South Allegheny in the 2025 WPIAL finals. … Bishop Canevin (13-8) has played a strong nonsection schedule and is led by Drew Allen, Raukeem Hawkins and Jackson Maddix. … South Park (18-3) is led by 6-8 center Luke Scarff and 6-4 Cooper Hochendoner.

Don’t overlook: Seton LaSalle (16-5), Keystone Oaks (16-4) and Southmoreland (14-7). All three can make a run. … Southmoreland is led by Noah Felentzer and Brock Pritts. It owns a win over South Park. … Charlie Crummie is one of the Rebels’ top players. … Keystone Oaks owns a win over Southmoreland but lost to South Park. … South Allegheny is the returning Class 3A champion. … The highest scoring team in the classification is Charleroi, averaging more than 67 points.

Prediction: Mohawk over Aliquippa

Class 2A

Favorite: Jeannette (19-1) is the returning champion, defeating Union in the finals. The Jayhawks fell to Woodford County (Ky.), 57-54, on Dec. 6. Kymon’e Brown (12.3 points per game), Jayce Powell (9.7) and Markus McGowan (19.4) have been the Jayhawks’ leading scorers. The Jayhawks have won 17 consecutive games.

Challengers: Sewickley Academy (21-0) stepped up its game in 2025-26. The Panthers were seeded No. 2 in the 2024-25 playoffs but lost to Jeannette in the semifinals. They own wins over Pine-Richland, Peters Township and Aliquippa. Lucas Grimsley, a 6-5 senior guard, and Mamadou Kane, a 6-7 sophomore, are their top scorers. They recently defeated Aliquippa, 56-34. … Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-4) lost to Jeannette in the 2025 semifinals. The Chargers have won 14 consecutive games since returning from Florida, where they went 0-3. Tiernan McCullough, Jake Johnson and Austin Avsec are the top scorers. … Neshannock (17-3) is led by high-scoring David Kwait.

Don’t overlook: Clairton (16-3), Jefferson-Morgan (20-1) and Chartiers-Houston (18-4). The Bears’ losses are to Jeannette (twice) and Neshannock. The Bears use quickness and defense to control teams. … Jeremiah Robertson, who averages 18.4 points, leads Jefferson Morgan. … Bryson Boskovich is one of the Bucs’ top scorers.

Prediction: Jeannette over Sewickley Academy

Class A

Favorite: Neighborhood Academy (18-3) has been dominant this season. Its losses were to Class 5A Kiski Area (49-45) and Penn Hills (58-57) and 2A Sewickley Academy (61-37). The Bulldogs look to defend their 2025 title; they beat Serra Catholic, 69-46, in the finals. Kedron Gilmore has games of 38 and 35 points this season. He scored 23 in the 2025 finals. Impressive wins this season were against Shady Side Academy, Farrell and Serra.

Challengers: Nazareth Prep (8-11) lost to Serra in the 2025 semifinals. The Saints were Section 1 champions by winning eight of 10 games. They played a tough nonsection schedule. They lost to Sewickley Academy, Monessen, Central Valley, Serra, Neshannock and Beaver Falls. Zach Fine, Ahsan Harrison and Tavon Jackson are capable scorers. … Serra Catholic (11-9) gave Neighborhood Academy a good game. … Monessen (11-8) and Serra tied for second in Section 2. The Greyhounds have made the playoffs 45 consecutive seasons. Rodney Johnson and Torrence Taylor are two of the leaders.

Don’t overlook: Avella (17-5) and Aquinas Academy (9-11). … Avella is led by Brayden Fuller, Cameron Ullom, Bryce Wright and Rylan Bell. Keep an eye on the Eagles, who have won eight of their last 10 regular-season games. … Sam Duer is the leader on Aquinas Academy.

Prediction: Neighborhood Academy over Serra Catholic