What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 10, 2021: Star-studded semis in Class 5A boys

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 | 10:22 PM

Purchase Photo Options

One set of final fours is in the books and another batch is ready to go Thursday. So it seems fitting that the middle of the WPIAL semifinals take place in the middle of the work week.

The second of three nights of final four basketball takes place on Trib HSSN with semifinals games from boys 5A, boys 2A, girls 6A and girls 3A.

Boys semis

• These schools know all about title droughts, although neither is going through one now.

Defending boys Class 5A WPIAL champion Laurel Highlands visits New Castle is a much-anticipated semifinals showdown between teams that have been ranked all season.

The Mustangs’ championship last year ended a 52-year drought between boys district basketball crowns for the Fayette County school.

New Castle has been living high on the gold hog for the last 28 years. The Red Hurricane has captured 10 WPIAL crowns since 1993.

However, even this great program went through an extended dry spell of district hoops gold.

New Castle won the 1927 WPIAL championship and another one nine years later in 1936. Canes Nation would have to wait another 46 years for the next title, which came when they crushed Latrobe, 73-49 in 1982.

• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is shooting for a third straight WPIAL Class 2A championship this season.

With the Chargers’ rout of Shenango in the quarterfinals, they kept a different streak going.

Since expansion to six classifications in 2016-2017, OLSH has reached the 2A final four every year.

In fact, the team they played in the 2018 semifinals is the same team they face in the semis Wednesday.

The Chargers defeated Jeannette, 72-64 three year ago to advance to the finals, where they would fall to rival Sewickley Academy.

Dante Spadafora, then a freshman, led the Chargers with 23 points while the Jayhawks were led by A.J. Sharp’s 14 points.

A controversial technical foul call on Jeannette junior Anthony Johnson led to his ejection, and the tide of the game changed at that point. The T came right after the Jayhawks had taken the lead.

All four Class 5A and A boys semifinals playoff games on Wednesday can be seen only here on Trib HSSN.

Girls semifinals

• No.2 Upper St. Clair hosts No. 3 Norwin in a Class 6A girls basketball semifinal Wednesday.

It marks the second straight year the Panthers and Knights have collided in the final four.

While this is considered an even matchup this season, that was not the case a year ago.

Norwin was considered the favorite to return to the finals after a two-year hiatus. The Knights entered the game with a record of 18-4.

Upper St. Clair was the new kid on the block with a starting line-up made up of four freshmen. The Panthers were 13-7.

USC upset Norwin, 52-39, behind 30 points and 20 rebounds from Katy Robbins.

• Every coach likes to brag about how tough their section is. Well, they can all take a backseat to the fearsome foursome from Section 1-3A girls basketball.

The final four in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs are all from Section 1.

North Catholic (17-2) won the section, and the four-time defending district champions are the top seed in the tournament and will host No. 4 Laurel (18-2) in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 and defending 3A champion Mohawk (15-4) will host one of the true Cinderellas of this year’s postseason, No. 14 Beaver Falls (7-13)

The Tigers actually finished sixth in the section behind the three semifinalists, as well as Freedom and Ellwood City.

North Catholic beat Laurel by 23 points in their only meeting of the season. The second game was postponed and never made up.

Mohawk swept Beaver Falls in their two games this season with the Warriors winning by 24 and 23 points.

All four Class 6A and 3A semifinals games can be seen Wednesday on Trib HSSN.