What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 18, 2023: Girls basketball powers to square off

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 | 7:47 PM

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They are two of the best girls basketball programs in the WPIAL and currently sit at No. 1 and No. 2 in the upcoming Trib 10 power rankings.

Class 6A top-ranked Norwin travels to face the No. 1 team in 4A, Blackhawk, in a nonsection midweek showdown on Wednesday.

Norwin is 13-1 and has won six straight games since its only loss of the season to McKeesport in late December.

Blackhawk was last week’s Trib HSSN Team of the Week and is a perfect 16-0 after beating section rival Beaver on Monday, 46-26.

Even though both teams can score, expect a low-scoring game when these two powers collide.

Norwin is second in the WPIAL in team defense, allowing only 31.1 points per game. Blackhawk is third in the district, surrendering only 31.4 points per game.

Beaver has the top District 7 girls defense with a 30.4 point per game average.

There are three other nonsection WPIAL girls hoops games Wednesday along with three City League matchups, including Allderdice (3-2, 6-9) at Brashear (1-4, 1-5), Carrick (0-5, 5-7) visiting Obama Academy (5-0, 7-4) and Westinghouse (4-1, 5-6) hosting Perry (2-3, 2-3).

Boys 3A section showdown

Two teams with perfect 4-0 section records collide in the final WPIAL boys basketball game of the first half.

Aliquippa (7-4) hosts Shenango (10-2) for first place at the midway point in Section 1-2A.

The Quips and Wildcats are second and third in team defense in Class 2A.

Shenango has given up an average of 44.6 points per game while Aliquippa has yielded 45.5 points per game. Only Eden Christian Academy at 39.3 ppg is stingier in 2A.

The two teams have built up a nice lead in the section as they sit two games up on their nearest competition.

You can watch the game on Trib HSSN at 7:30 p.m.

In the only other boys section game Wednesday, Summit Academy (2-2, 6-3) visits Neighborhood Academy (2-2, 10-2) to break a tie for third place in Section 3-A.

To go along with six nonsection WPIAL boys basketball games, there are three City League contests. The District 8 schedule has Brashear (4-1, 6-7) at Allderdice (5-0, 12-3) in a battle for first place, Obama Academy (3-2, 5-7) visiting Carrick (1-4, 4-11) and Westinghouse (0-4, 0-8) taking on host Perry (1-3, 3-9).

Busy night of section duals

There are two weeks left in regular season section action in WPIAL wrestling and first place or a share of the top section spot is up for grabs Wednesday.

The top four schools in a crowded Section 1-2A meet Wednesday when Burgettstown (4-0, 4-0) hosts Beth-Center (4-1, 6-4) and McGuffey (4-1, 8-2) visits Jefferson-Morgan (4-1, 5-1).

Three other 2A battles for first place include:

• Freedom (3-1, 3-8) at Central Valley 4-0, 5-0) in Section 4-2A

• Hampton (3-1, 3-6) visiting Highlands (4-0, 6-1) in Section 5-2A

• Indiana (4-0, 5-2) hosting Burrell (4-0, 5-0) in Section 6-2A

Key matches for the top spot in Class 3A include:

• Plum (4-0, 7-1) taking on host Kiski Area (3-1, 7-7) in Section 1-3A

• Franklin Regional (3-0, 6-0) hosting Norwin (3-0, 13-1) in Section 3-3A

Tags: Blackhawk, Norwin