What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 25, 2024: Norwin, North Allegheny battle for 6A section supremacy

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 | 9:30 PM

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The second half of section play begins for many girls basketball teams Thursday with a 6A showdown headlining a busy night on the hardwood.

Norwin can take a huge step toward an outright Section 1-6A championship with a win Thursday over visiting North Allegheny.

The Knights lead the section with a perfect 5-0 section record and are 13-3 overall. They have won four straight games, all by double-digit points.

The Tigers are alone in second place at 4-1, winners of 14 of their 15 games this year. NA has won eight straight games since its only loss of the season to Norwin earlier this month.

It was Jan. 2 when the teams collided in their section opener. The visiting Knights outscored the Tigers 26-8 in the second and third quarters combined to win, 47-42.

Senior Ava Kobus led Norwin with 15 points while senior Lauren Palangio added 13 points. Senior Caroline Henderson had a game-high 17 points for North Allegheny.

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

Two for 1-A

First place is up for grabs in a pair of Class A sections Thursday.

In Section 1-A, defending district and state champion Union (12-5) hosts Aquinas Academy (14-2).

The Scotties are 3-0 atop the section and have won seven straight games.

The Crusaders have won five consecutive games since losing at home to Union, 51-37.

In that game, junior Kylie Fruehstorfer had a game-high 17 points for Union while senior Emily Fisher scored 11 points to lead Aquinas Academy.

In Section 2-A, Monessen (10-3) has a one-game lead over Geibel (11-4) and West Greene (6-9).

On Thursday, the Greyhounds host the Gators.

Monessen is 4-0 in the section and has won four in a row. Geibel has a section record of 4-1 and had a four-game winning streak snapped in its most recent game, a loss to Charleroi.

West Greene is home to fifth-place Avella on Thursday.

Boys and girls battles

Why wait until Friday?

First place in Section 4-5A boys basketball is at stake when South Fayette hosts Moon.

The Lions are 4-1 in the section, one game behind the 5-0 Tigers.

South Fayette is 10-6 overall, but the Lions are hot, winners of five straight and six of their last seven games, including a 15-point victory over Section 1-5A leader Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday.

Moon is 12-3 this year and had an 11-game winning streak snapped in its last outing, a one-point loss to Hampton on Saturday.

The first meeting between the two was an overtime thriller Jan. 3.

The Tigers outscored the Lions 4-2 in OT to win, 54-52.

Elijah Guillory led Moon with 22 points while senior Michael Plasko scored a game-high 26 points for South Fayette.

That game is the first of a boys/girls doubleheader.

The stakes might not be as high in the girls game, but instead of first place, Moon (10-5) faces South Fayette (9-6) for third place in Section 4-5A.

The Tigers are 2-3 and trail the third-place Lions, who are 3-2 in the section, by one game.

In the first meeting of the year, South Fayette cruised on the road to a win at Moon, 65-38.

Since then, the Lions are 3-3 and the Tigers are 4-3.

The doubleheader of Moon at South Fayette can be seen on Trib HSSN starting at 6 p.m.

First bracketology

The first district brackets of 2024 will be released Thursday for the upcoming WPIAL team wrestling playoffs.

A total of 18 teams will make the field. There are six sections in both Class 3A and 2A and the top three teams qualify.

Preliminary matches will take place Monday, Jan. 29. First round and quarterfinals are Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The WPIAL team wrestling semifinals and championship finals are Saturday, Feb. 5. at AHN Arena at Peters Township.

Last year, Canon-McMillan in 3A and Burgettstown in 2A were crowned new district champions.