What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 18, 2025: WPIAL title rematch in the Class 5A 1st round

By: Don Rebel
Monday, February 17, 2025 | 11:05 PM

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The two met for gold two years ago.

On Tuesday, they battle for a berth in the PIAA Class 5A playoffs and a spot in the WPIAL boys basketball quarterfinals.

No. 11 Penn Hills (12-9) travels to face No. 6 Peters Township (15-7) in a battle of second-place finishers in the opening round of the 5A boys basketball playoffs.

Back in the 2023 finals, No. 2 Penn Hills upended No. 1 Peters Township, 70-65, to capture the program’s sixth district championship.

Noah Barren scored 22 and Daemar Kelly added 20 for Penn Hills while the Peters was led by Brendan McCullough’s 19 points.

This year, Penn Hills ended the regular season winning seven of its last nine games, but one of the losses was to Kiski Area at home and cost the Indians the Section 2-5A title.

Peters Township split its final eight games and ended up tied with South Fayette for second place, two games behind Section 3-5A winner Baldwin.

The battle of the Indians tips off at 7 p.m. and can be heard here on Trib HSSN.

There are seven other 5A boys opening-round contests Tuesday:

• Top-seeded Montour (21-1) hosts No. 16 Franklin Regional (12-11) at 7 p.m. The Spartans are the Section 4-5A champs and have won 15 straight games. The Panthers earned the No. 16 seed with a preliminary round victory over Indiana, 71-50.

• No. 9 Latrobe (18-4) visits No. 8 Kiski Area (15-6) at 7 p.m. in a game you can here on Trib HSSN. The Wildcats finished second in Section 1-5A and had a 10-game winning streak earlier this season. The Cavaliers captured the Section 2 championship and have won 12 in a row.

• No. 4 Chartiers Valley (19-3) will be home to No. 13 Thomas Jefferson (10-12) in a game you can hear on Trib HSSN. These teams met a month ago with the Colts defeating the Jaguars on a neutral floor at Allderdice, 76-48.

• No. 5 Moon (17-5) welcomes No. 12 Gateway (13-8) at 7 p.m. The Tigers are the defending champions and looking to repeat like they did in winning three straight titles from 2004-2006. The Gators also were back-to-back champions in 2011 and 2012.

• No. 15 Penn-Trafford (13-9) hits the road to take on No. 2 Baldwin (21-1) at 7 p.m. The Warriors won five of their last six games to finish fourth in Section 1-5A. The Highlanders, 2024 6A runners-up, won the Section 3-5A crown and are winners of 12 consecutive games.

• No. 7 South Fayette (15-7) will host No. 10 Mars (12-10) at 7 p.m. The Lions have been streaky this season, winning six in a row, losing three straight, again winning six consecutive contests followed by three losses and now two wins. The Fightin’ Planets split their last six games and finished in fourth place in Section 4-5A.

• No. 14 Hampton (11-11) makes the long trek south to Uniontown (19-3) at 7 p.m. in a game you can hear on Trib HSSN. The Talbots ended a three-game losing skid with a regular season finale victory over Freeport. The Red Raiders were perfect in winning the Section 1-5A title and have won 11 games in a row.

Goga mania

Sixteen years ago, Gary Goga led Peters Township to its first and only WPIAL boys basketball championship when the Indians defeated Mt. Lebanon to win the 2009 4A title.

Now in his fourth season as head coach at Keystone Oaks, he has the Golden Eagles flying high into the postseason for this first time this decade.

KO finished 16-6 overall and was the runner-up to Bishop Canevin in Section 2-3A.

On Tuesday, Keystone Oaks will host a first-round 3A playoff game as the No. 5 seed when it welcomes No. 12 Ligonier Valley.

The Rams also finished in second place, tied with Waynesburg in Section 4-3A behind Southmoreland.

Ligonier Valley won its final four games of the season to finish with a record of 13-8.

This is the Rams’ first playoff appearance since 2022 when they lost at Avonworth in the opening round, 64-36.

Here is a look at the seven other 3A boys opening-round contests Tuesday:

• Top-seeded Aliquippa (17-4) looks to begin its path to a third straight district title when it welcomes No. 16 New Brighton (6-13) in a battle of Section 1-3A foes at 8 p.m. The Quips beats the Lions twice this season by scores of 84-24 and 89-17.

• No. 8 McGuffey (16-6) will entertain No. 9 Shady Side Academy (9-12) at 7 p.m. Both teams finished in third place in their respective sections, the Highlanders in Section 2-3A and the Bulldogs in Section 3-3A.

• Once rivals in the old Catholic league as Canevin Catholic and South Hills Catholic, No. 4 Bishop Canevin (13-9) will be home to No. 13 Seton LaSalle (10-12) at 7 p.m. The Crusaders are the undefeated Section 2-3A champions and had won six straight before losing to 6A power New Castle. The Rebels won three of the last four and finished fourth in Section 3-3A.

• No. 2 South Allegheny (19-3) will be home to Charleroi (10-11) at 7 p.m. The Gladiators are the Section 3-3A champions. The Cougars are back in the postseason for the first time since the open playoffs in 2021.

• No. 10 Ellwood City (13-9) heads south to battle No. 7 South Park (15-6) at 7 p.m. in a game you can hear on Trib HSSN. After winning four straight, the Wolverines dropped three of their final four regular season games. The Eagles finished in second place in Section 3-3A and won three of their last four contests.

• No. 3 Mohawk (17-5) hosts No. 14 Waynesburg (9-13) at 7 p.m. Both teams finished in second place in their respective sections, the Warriors in Section 1-3A behind Aliquippa, the Raiders tied for second with Ligonier Valley in Section 4-3A behind Southmoreland.

• No. 11 Carlynton (9-12) will visit No. 6 Southmoreland (17-5) at 7 p.m. The Cougars limped to the finish line, losing five of their last seven contests. The Scotties won Section 4-3A and have won five of their last six games.

Showtime for 3A girls

The final girls bracket to hit the court with first-round games is Class 2A on Tuesday.

The lowest seed for one of the five section champions in 2A belong to Chartiers-Houston.

The Buccaneers won the Section 3-4A crown by three games, yet were given a No. 6 seed.

Chartiers-Houston (18-4) will host No. 11 Brentwood (8-10) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

One of the Bucs’ 18 wins this season came when they knocked off the Spartans way back on Dec. 4, 40-19.

Brentwood finished the regular season winning four in a row as it finished in third place in Section 2-2A.

There are seven other 2A girls opening-round contests Tuesday:

• Top-seeded Neshannock (20-2) will be hosting No. 16 Apollo-Ridge (10-11) at 7 p.m. The Lancers are the Section 1-2A champs and have won 11 games in a row. The Vikings earned the No. 16 seed with a preliminary round victory over Bentworth, 70-46.

• No. 9 Beth-Center (13-8) heads north to challenge No. 8 Laurel (9-13) at 7 p.m. in a game you can view on Trib HSSN. The Bulldogs were 5-2 in their final seven games and the Spartans were 3-4 in their last seven contests.

• No. 4 South Side (17-5) welcomes No. 13 Ellis School (8-9) to Hoosktown for a 7 p.m. game. The Rams have won nine in a row in tying for the Section 2-2A title. The Tigers split their last six games and tied for third place in Section 4-2A.

• No. 5 Fort Cherry (18-3) will be home to face No. 12 California (11-7) at 7 p.m. in a game you can hear on Trib HSSN. The Section 2-2A co-champion Rangers had a 15-game winning streak snapped by South Side late in the regular season. The Trojans had a four-game win streak end with a loss to Waynesburg in the regular season finale.

• No. 15 Carmichaels (3-18) travels to No. 2 Aliquippa (16-4) at 6 p.m. The Mighty Mikes only won three times but a win over Jefferson-Morgan in their final section game bumped them into a tie for fourth place with Bentworth. The Quips bring a three-game winning streak into the postseason after tying Neshannock for the Section 1-2A title.

• No. 10 Rochester (9-12) will battle No. 7 Riverview (14-4) at Kiski Area at 6 p.m. The Rams won three straight WPIAL championships from 2019-2021. The Raiders have never won district girls hoops gold.

• No. 3 Winchester Thurston (19-3) goes up against No. 14 Burgettstown (8-13) at Keystone Oaks at 6 p.m. The Bears had a 15-game winning streak ended by Class A top seed Union on Feb. 7. The Blue Devils split their previous six games before ending the regular season with a win over Carlynton.