PIAA announces sites, times for 1st round of 2024 boys state basketball playoffs

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, March 3, 2024 | 2:22 PM

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The PIAA has released the brackets for the 2024 boys basketball state playoffs with first-round games scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

There are 36 boys teams from the WPIAL ready to battle on the Road to Hershey.

Since the expansion to six classifications seven years ago, eight District 7 teams have won PIAA championships. The only year the district did not have a boys basketball state champion was in 2018. There were no PIAA champions when the tournament was postponed because of covid-19 in 2020.

There have been multiple winners in three years: 2019, 2022 and 2023.

The “modern day” WPIAL boys basketball champions in the PIAA have been: Sewickley Academy in 2017, Moon and Lincoln Park in 2019, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 2021 and ‘22, Bishop Canevin in 2022 and Lincoln Park and Imani Christian last winter.

Here are the “western region” first-round matchups for this year’s tournament.

PIAA boys basketball playoffs

First round

Class 6A

Saturday’s games

Central Dauphin (18-8) at Upper St. Clair (20-5), 1 p.m.

Mt. Lebanon (20-5) at State College (12-12), 3 p.m.

Emmaus (20-7) at Red Lion (18-8), 5 p.m.

Central York (21-3) at Garnet Valley (19-8), 1 p.m.

McDowell (20-5) at Baldwin (18-7), 1 p.m.

Reading (17-9) at Chester (20-4), 1 p.m.

Bensalem (19-7) at Cumberland Valley (22-3), 3 p.m.

Coatesville (18-8) at Bethlehem Liberty (19-7), 3 p.m.

Class 5A

Friday’s games

Obama Academy (11-12) at Moon (23-3), 7 p.m.

Thomas Jefferson (21-4) at York Suburban (20-6), 6 p.m.

Fox Chapel (15-11) vs. Cathedral Prep (15-10) at Hagerty Family Events Center, Erie, 7 p.m.

Bethel Park (13-13) at Hershey (21-3), 6 p.m.

Warwick (17-8) at Franklin Regional (23-3), 5 p.m.

Muhlenberg (15-9) at Selinsgrove (17-7), 7 p.m.

Gateway (18-8) at Mechanicsburg (20-5), 6 p.m.

Greencastle-Antrim (20-6) at Shaler (23-3), 6 p.m.

Class 4A

Friday’s games

Montour (21-5) at Lincoln Park (23-3), 7 p.m.

Grove City (15-10) at Uniontown (22-4), 7 p.m.

Avonworth (17-9) at Punxsutawney (14-10), 7 p.m.

North Catholic (16-9) at Warren (20-5), 7 p.m.

South Allegheny (18-8) at Eastern York (18-7), 6 p.m.

Valley View (19-6) at Shamokin (19-7), 7 p.m.

Lewisburg (8-17) at Johnstown (21-4), 7 p.m.

Hickory (17-8) at Hampton (22-4), 7 p.m.

Class 3A

Saturday’s games

Mercyhurst Prep (17-8) at Deer Lakes (21-4), 1 p.m.

Southern Columbia (18-7) at Forest Hills (20-4), 3 p.m.

Neshannock (20-5) at Franklin (20-5), 1 p.m.

Shady Side Academy (18-8) at Chestnut Ridge (22-4), 4 p.m.

Ellwood City (17-9) at Westmont-Hilltop (20-5), 3 p.m.

Mohawk (17-8) at Moniteau (13-11), 6 p.m.

Bishop Guilfoyle (23-4) at Burrell (16-9), 1 p.m.

Derry (15-7) vs. Girard (23-2) at Hagerty Family Events Center, Erie, 7:30 p.m.

Class 2A

Saturday’s games

Otto-Eldred (25-2) at Aliquippa (21-5), 2 p.m.

Eisenhower (20-5) vs. Northern Cambria (17-8) at Cambria Heights, 3 p.m.

West Shamokin (20-6) at Cambridge Springs (18-7), 1 p.m.

Northgate (18-7) at Redbank Valley (22-3), 1 p.m.

Jeannette (16-8) at Iroquois (14-11), 1 p.m.

Windber (16-9) at Greensburg Central Catholic (23-3), 2 p.m.

Fort Cherry (20-6) at Karns City (20-7), 1 p.m.

Serra Catholic (17-9) at West Branch (23-3), 3 p.m.

Bishop Canevin (15-11) at Conemaugh Township (21-5), 4 p.m.

Class A

Friday’s games

Union-Rimersburg (13-11) vs. Imani Christian (14-10) at Norwin, 7:30 p.m.

Southern Fulton (14-11) at Clarion (17-9), 7 p.m.

Cameron County (22-5) vs. Williamsburg (17-8) at Altoona HS, 6 p.m.

Rochester (17-8) at Farrell (19-5), 7 p.m.

Rocky Grove (16-8) vs. Neighborhood Academy (18-6) at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m.

Johnsonburg (19-8) at Bishop Carroll (15-10), 7 p.m.

Union (15-11) vs. Turkeyfoot Valley (19-6) at Pitt-Johnstown, 6 p.m.

Monessen (20-5) at Elk County Catholic (24-2), 7 p.m.

2024 PIAA girls basketball first-round pairings