WPIAL basketball teams prepare to learn playoff seeding fates

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, February 8, 2026 | 5:52 PM

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Jeannette did not lose to a WPIAL team this season and is the defending Class 2A boys basketball champion.

But the Jayhawks (18-1) — fresh off their first section title since 2019-20 — are not expecting to get the No. 1 seed when the playoff brackets come out Monday afternoon.

Sewickley Academy (19-0) had a perfect record heading into the weekend with games against Neighborhood Academy and Roselle Catholic (N.J.) remaining in the Bash at North Allegheny showcase.

Jeannette, whose only loss is to a team from Kentucky, beat Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL semifinals last year en route to its second district title — the first since 2008.

Jeannette coach Adrian Batts thought his team could have been ranked No. 1 during the season but is taking a practical approach with the seedings.

“I’m OK with being No. 2,” he said. “I only want to be No. 1 when the season is over.”

Batts thinks Sewickley Academy will be No. 1, Jeannette 2, Neshannock 3 and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 4 in the bracket.

With that order, if Jeannette plays Sewickley Academy again in the WPIAL postseason, it will have to be in the championship.

Of course, a range of challengers could emerge, the Jayhawks coach said.

“There are quite a few teams that I haven’t seen,” Batts said. “I know that OLSH and Neshannock have some good players and are well-coached teams. Laurel, Chartiers-Houston and Jefferson-Morgan are very good. Clairton is going to be a tough team to beat. So, in 2A the top eight will be extremely tough to beat. I think the playoffs will have some exciting games.”

Another team that could get a top-three seed is the Belle Vernon girls, who will take a 13-game winning streak into the playoffs. That with a blossoming starting five that does not include a senior.

The Leopards (19-3) won their first section title since 1999.

Defending champion Oakland Catholic and unbeaten Blackhawk are the other section champions in 4A.

North Catholic was second in Section 1, but reputation could favor the Trojanettes, who have made the WPIAL postseason 51 straight years.

“We would be very disappointed if we aren’t (in the top three),” Belle Vernon coach Cornelious Nesbit said. “We won the section, and North (Catholic) didn’t win their section. Elizabeth Forward and South Park proved we have two of the top eight teams in our section, and we went 3-1 (against those teams). And we have some good nonconference wins, too.”

The Norwin girls (16-4) are expected to make a run at another title in 6A after reaching the finals the last two years. A late-season loss to Canon-McMillan, the favorite to get the top seed, has taken Norwin out of the equation for No. 1.

Norwin won a WPIAL title two years ago.

Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland split the other 6A section, which could make one of them an easy No. 2 and move Norwin to No. 3 or 4.

Anything lower might be a surprise to Norwin — maybe.

“We’ll let (the WPIAL) figure that out,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “I don’t get into that stuff. I don’t have much of a thought on seedings.”

Derry’s boys swept Elizabeth Forward on Friday to celebrate their first section championship since 1957. Now, the Trojans (14-6) will hope to land a top-four seed and a rare home game in the opening round.

They won nine straight section games, including two wins over Elizabeth Forward.

The Southmoreland boys (14-7) have won back-to-back section titles in 3A. The question is, what is that worth to the committee?

“I would hope to get a top-five seed, but you have to play whoever they put you against,” Scotties coach Frank Muccino said. “We’re looking at maybe (playing) Sto-Rox, Washington, McGuffey or Riverside.”

Greensburg Central Catholic (15-5), the defending champion in girls 3A, finished second to Shady Side Academy in Section 2. Shady Side is sure to get the No. 1 seed, and the WPIAL could favor undefeated Beaver Falls or Seton LaSalle, the other section champions, as top-three seeds.

That said, the league will do its best to put Shady Side and GCC on opposite sides of the bracket.

GCC has won back-to-back titles.

Ten Westmoreland schools have boys and girls teams in the postseason.

Local boys qualifiers are: Hempfield (14-7) and Norwin (11-10) in Class 6A; Penn-Trafford (11-10), Franklin Regional (12-8) and Latrobe (8-12) in 5A; Derry (14-6), Belle Vernon (13-9), Greensburg Salem (9-12) and Burrell (10-12) in 4A; Southmoreland (14-7) and Ligonier Valley (11-9) in 3A; Jeannette (18-1) and GCC (6-15) in 2A; and Monessen (11-8) in A.

Area girls teams headed to the WPIAL postseason are: Norwin (16-4) and Hempfield (13-9) in 6A; Penn-Trafford (16-5), Latrobe (10-7), Kiski Area (11-9) and Franklin Regional (12-10) in 5A; Burrell (15-7), Belle Vernon (19-3) and Mt. Pleasant (10-11) in 4A; Greensburg Central Catholic (15-5) in 3A; Jeannette (15-6) in 2A; and Monessen (7-12) in A.

The Belle Vernon boys also are defending WPIAL champs.

Greensburg Salem hasn’t been to the playoffs on merit since 2017-18. It went to the 2020-21 postseason when the WPIAL had an open tournament (covid).

The Hempfield boys have not experienced the postseason since 2021-22.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin later this week. Better seeds will have home games in the first round.

The finals are scheduled for Feb. 26, 27 and 28 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford