What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 3, 2023: Big section matchups in boys hoops

By: Don Rebel
Monday, January 2, 2023 | 7:51 PM

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A belated Happy New Year to high school sports fans everywhere.

The WPIAL has decided to ring in 2023 in a special way, with plenty of early season section showdowns in boys basketball set for Tuesday.

There are four matchups set between Trib HSSN Top 5 teams, including a pair of section openers in Class A.

Three of the top four teams ranked in Class 5A call Section 4 home. Two of them collide for the first time Tuesday when No. 3 Mars visits No. 4 North Hills.

The Fightin’ Planets are 6-1 overall with their only loss coming at the hands of Ohio power St. Edward when Mars was forced to call a holiday audible when their trip to Florida was canceled.

Host North Hills is 6-2 overall with both losses to Hampton in tournament action. The Indians lost to the Talbots both in the tip-off tournament at North Hills and a holiday tournament at Hampton.

Speaking of Hampton, the No. 4 Talbots open up Section 1-4A play Tuesday with a trip to No. 3 Highlands.

Hampton is 7-2 overall, but both losses came to Top 5 teams in Class 5A: No. 1 Chartiers Valley last week and No. 5 Peters Township in the third game of the season.

The Golden Rams are 7-1 with their only loss coming in their most recent game, a 43-42 defeat at the hands of Class 5A No. 2 Penn Hills in the Central Valley Roundball Classic.

Carlynton heads north to battle Union in a matchup of No. 5 visiting No. 2 in a Section 1-A opener.

The Cougars are 6-3 with their losses coming to bigger schools Franklin Regional, Baldwin and Class 2A No. 1 Bishop Canevin.

The Scotties have no losses as they have won all seven nonsection games they have played.

Finally, the fourth battle of ranked teams Tuesday is in Section 3-A and begs the question: Is it a beautiful day in the neighborhood?

No. 5 Neighborhood Academy is a perfect 8-0 through the holidays and is ranked No. 4.

The Bulldogs’ toughest test to date is Tuesday when they host top-ranked Imani Christian in a Section 3 opener.

The Saints are 2-4, but their losses are against Lincoln Park, Devon Prep, Allderdice and North Allegheny.

Other boys section lid-lifters

While those boys basketball section openers match ranked teams against each other, there are other key contests around the WPIAL to tip off section play on the third day of the new year.

• Baldwin is at Mt. Lebanon in a Section 2-6A opener as both teams enter the contest with records of 5-4.

• Armstrong at Woodland Hills is the first Section 2-5A game for both teams. The River Hawks are 8-1 while the hosts Wolverines are 7-2.

Three other key games are not section openers, but dandies nonetheless.

• Ellwood City visits Mohawk in the opener in Section 1-3A. The defending champion Wolverines are 9-2 while the host Warriors are a perfect 9-0.

• Brownsville is at Washington in Section 4-3A. The Falcons are 6-1, the Little Prexies are 6-2 and both teams are 2-0 in the section.

• Bentworth travels to Chartiers-Houston in Section 4-2A. The host Buccaneers are tied for first place with a 2-0 section record, 8-2 overall, while the Bearcats are 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the section.

Girls openers…or not

Four Class 6A powers are set to open section play Tuesday in WPIAL girls basketball.

In a Section 1-6A opener, No. 3 North Allegheny visits No. 1 Norwin.

The Tigers enter the game with a record of 4-2 while the top-ranked Knights have won eight of their nine games and are coming off a 16-point victory last week against Class 4A No. 2 North Catholic.

Section 2-6A has already tipped off section action. On Tuesday, No. 2 Upper St. Clair visits No. 4 Peters Township.

The Indians are tied for first place with Mt. Lebanon with 2-0 section records. PT is 8-2 overall but had a seven-game winning streak snapped in its most recent game, a loss last week to Indiana.

The Panthers are a half-game behind the section leaders at 1-0 and are 6-2 overall, including a 2-1 record at a holiday tournament in Florida.

Other early season big games include:

• Fox Chapel (2-0, 7-3) at Mars (1-0, 6-2) in Section 2-5A

• Thomas Jefferson (1-0, 6-3) at Penn-Trafford (2-0, 8-1) in Section 3-5A

• Keystone Oaks (7-3) at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (5-3) in a Section 2-3A opener

• Apollo-Ridge (8-1) at Shady Side Academy (7-1) in a Section 3-3A opener

• Charleroi (4-2) at Waynesburg Central (8-1) in a Section 4-3A opener