Notable changes to the 2024-25, 2025-26 WPIAL girls basketball alignment

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, August 12, 2024 | 9:23 AM

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The WPIAL released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports, and changes will be implemented starting this fall.

This summer, the Tribune-Review will break down changes for each of the WPIAL sports.

Here’s a look at the upcoming WPIAL girls basketball season:

2023-24 WPIAL champions

Class 6A: Norwin

Class 5A: South Fayette

Class 4A: North Catholic

Class 3A: Shady Side Academy

Class 2A: Greensburg Central Catholic

Class A: Union

Notable changes

• Three-time reigning champ South Fayette (Class 5A), along with back-to-back champs North Catholic (4A) and Union (A) and defending titlists Norwin (6A) and Shady Side Academy (3A) will remain in their current classifications in the next two-year cycle.

Class 2A champion Greensburg Central Catholic, however, was bumped up to Class 3A by the PIAA’s competitive-balance rule after advancing to the state semifinals the past two years.

• Class 6A dropped from 13 to 12 teams as North Hills, Woodland Hills (Section 1) and Connellsville (Section 2) moved up a class, and Chartiers Valley, Baldwin, Bethel Park and Peters Township dropped.

Section 2 also will include Hempfield and Norwin, which moved over from Section 1.

• In Class, there are 28 teams, up one from the last cycle. Greensburg Salem and West Mifflin moved up from 4A to join Section 2, which is all new with Latrobe, Indiana, Kiski Area, McKeesport and Penn-Trafford.

Chartiers Valley dropped and will join a newly formed Section 3 with Mars, Montour, Moon, New Castle, South Fayette and West Allegheny.

Baldwin, Bethel Park and Peters Township dropped and will be in Section 4 with Uniontown, which moved up a class, and Albert Gallatin and Thomas Jefferson, which transferred from Section 3, and holdover Trinity.

• There wasn’t any intersection movement in Class 4A, which will include 23 teams, up from 20 last cycle.

Burrell (Section 1) moved up along with Mt. Pleasant, South Park and Yough (Section 3). Oakland Catholic (Section 1) and Hampton and Lincoln Park (Section 2) dropped a class.

• Class 3A will change from four sections to three with 23 teams, down from 24. New Brighton and Sto-Rox (Section 1), Greensburg Central Catholic and Steel Valley (Section 2) and Washington (Section 3) moved up.

Quaker Valley dropped and will play in Section 1, along with OLSH, which moved over from Section 2.

Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley and Shady Side Academy slid into Section 2 from 3, and a new Section 3 was formed.

• New to Class 2A are Laurel and Neshannock (Section 1) and Apollo-Ridge (Section 4), all of which dropped a class, and Jefferson-Morgan (Section 3) and Jeannette and Riverview (Section 4), all of which moved up from Class A.

South Side moved over to Section 2, and Ellis School and Winchester Thurston joined Section 4. Section 3 is all new as the former Section 4 teams moved over.

• Class A changed from three sections to two for 16 total teams. Sewickley Academy and Springdale dropped and will be in Section 1, with Leechburg and St. Joseph, which moved over from the defunct Section 3.

Clairton and Serra Catholic also dropped and will play in Section 2, along with Bishop Canevin, which moved over from Section 1.

In and out

• Cornell and Hillel Academy, both Class A teams a year ago, will not play a WPIAL schedule this season.

• Western Beaver will field a WPIAL team for the next two seasons and will play in Section 1-A.

Key dates

Nov. 15: First practice date

Nov. 23: First scrimmage date

Nov. 29: First play date

Dec. 12-13: First section dates

Feb. 10: WPIAL pairings meeting

Feb. 27-March 1: WPIAL championships

March 27-29: PIAA championships

2024-25, 2025-26 alignment

Class 6A (12 teams)

Section 1: Butler, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Woodland Hills

Section 2: Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, Norwin, Upper St. Clair

Class 5A (28 teams)

Section 1: Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Penn Hills, Plum, Shaler

Section 2: Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Kiski Area, Latrobe, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford, West Mifflin

Section 3: Chartiers Valley, Mars, Montour, Moon, New Castle, South Fayette, West Allegheny

Section 4: Albert Gallatin, Baldwin, Bethel Park, Peters Township, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Uniontown

Class 4A (23 teams)

Section 1: Burrell, Derry, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Oakland Catholic, Valley

Section 2: Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hampton, Hopewell, Lincoln Park

Section 3: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Mt. Pleasant, Ringgold, South Park, Southmoreland, Yough

Class 3A (23 teams)

Section 1: Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Mohawk, New Brighton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Quaker Valley, Riverside, Sto-Rox

Section 2: Avonworth, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Greensburg Central Catholic, Ligonier Valley, Shady Side Academy, South Allegheny, Steel Valley

Section 3: Brownsville, Charleroi, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Seton LaSalle, Washington, Waynesburg

Class 2A (24 teams)

Section 1: Aliquippa, Freedom, Laurel, Neshannock, Rochester, Shenango

Section 2: Brentwood, Burgettstown, Carlynton, Fort Cherry, Northgate, South Side

Section 3: Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Frazier, Jefferson-Morgan

Section 4: Apollo-Ridge, Ellis School, Frazier, Jeannette, Riverview, Winchester Thurston

Class A (16 teams)

Section 1: Aquinas Academy, Eden Christian, Leechburg, Sewickley Academy, Springdale, St. Joseph, Union, Western Beaver

Section 2: Avella, Bishop Canevin, Clairton, Geibel, Mapletown, Monessen, Serra Catholic, West Greene

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: Greensburg C.C., North Catholic, Norwin, Shady Side Academy, South Fayette, Union