WPIAL girls basketball Class 4A season preview for 2025-26

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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When Oakland Catholic got past Blackhawk in a memorable Class 4A championship game last March, it was the Eagles’ first WPIAL title in almost 20 years.

It’s hard to imagine they’ll have to wait anywhere near that long to win their next.

While there is no shortage of legitimate contenders in the Class 4A field, it’s safe to say the challengers will need to bring their best effort to dethrone the champs.

It’s a testament to the Eagles that they could lose the MVP of the WPIAL finals in Alayla Bivins (Cal Pa.) and a Division I player in London Creach (Robert Morris) and still look like the team to beat.

Josie Fontana, a 6-foot-3 Richmond recruit who just helped the Oakland Catholic volleyball team to the state finals, will lead a deep and talented roster into its title defense.

WPIAL runner-up Blackhawk brings back top scorer Aubree Hupp, a Canisius recruit, so a finals rematch could certainly be in the cards.

North Catholic, a WPIAL semifinalist last season, isn’t even a half-step behind the Eagles and Cougars on the list of contenders.

In other words, in Class 4A, expect a star-studded season with a handful of elite teams fighting for supremacy from now until the spring.

Here is a rundown of players to watch, top 5 teams and other notables in WPIAL 4A girls basketball this season.

Preseason Player of the Year

Aubree Hupp, Blackhawk

5-10, senior, forward

21.2 ppg last season

Players to watch

Annsley Baker, Beaver

5-6, junior, guard

20 ppg last season

Hayley Bennett, South Park

5-9, senior, guard

10.2 ppg last season

Josie Fontana, Oakland Catholic

6-3, senior, forward

Brady Wehner, North Catholic

5-8, junior, guard

13.9 ppg last season

Sam Weir, North Catholic

6-0, sophomore, guard

11.2 ppg last season

Preseason Top 5

1. Oakland Catholic (25-4 last season)

The defending champs are the kind of team that can beat opponents in a variety of ways. They can turn to 6-3 Josie Fontana, a Richmond recruit, in the paint. They can get a big shot from 5-8 junior Madi Pullen, like the 3-pointer she hit to end North Catholic’s section winning streak. They can let 5-7 guard Zephaniah Troxler-Scott slash through the defense and get to the rim. It’s pick your poison.

2. North Catholic (25-5 last season)

Normally, when a team gives as many minutes to freshmen and sophomores as North Catholic did last season, it means they’re willing to take lumps now to succeed later. That’s not how it went at all. Junior Brady Wehner and sophomore Sam Weir gave the Trojanettes one of the WPIAL’s best backcourts. Junior Lauren Reitz was a 6-2 presence in the paint. And now they’re back and better than ever. Look out.

3. Blackhawk (25-4 last season)

While Canisius recruit Aubree Hupp is the emotional leader, top scorer and straw that stirs the drink, the Cougars aren’t a one-woman show. They went seven deep in the WPIAL finals last year, and four of those players return, including starting guard Mia Sheesley and first off the bench Grace Huston. They graduated three key seniors and might start a couple of freshmen, but the Cougars will be around come the end of February.

4. Elizabeth Forward (20-8 last season)

The Section 3 champs lost some key players to graduation, but last year’s run to the WPIAL semifinals might have given glimpses of what lies ahead for the Warriors. Mia Sostaric, a 5-7 guard, was scoring in bunches, and 5-6 guard Kaelynn Settles showed that she can have success inside, outside and running the floor. The Warriors will be a tough out in Section 3 again.

5. Beaver (17-7 last season)

The Bobcats bring back three starters from a second-place team, including one of Class 4A’s most dangerous scorers in 5-6 junior Annsley Baker, who can carve up opposing defenses from the perimeter or off the dribble. When 5-5 senior Ava Wright is hitting from the outside, the Bobcats can be a handful to defend.

Notable

• If there’s a team outside of the preseason top 5 that could make a run to the Pete, it’s South Park. The strength of the Eagles, who finished in second place in Section 3 last year, is in the pack. They’ve got a deep group of athletes who can do a little bit of everything, led by returning seniors Hayley Bennett, Bella Stromberg (6-1) and Andrea Kuczma and junior Nika Contakos.

• Hopewell could be a team on the rise. The Vikings were a playoff team with a young lineup last season and 5-8 senior guard Caylee Sundy is back to lead the way.

• Knoch’s defense is always tough to crack and all-section senior Neah Ewing returns.

• Aierra Jenkins, a 5-11 all-section pick who averaged 15 points per game at Laurel Highlands last season and has committed to Cal (Pa.), transferred to Uniontown when her father, Dierre Jenkins, was hired as girls basketball coach for the Class 5A Red Raiders.

• The top four teams in sections of seven teams or fewer and top five teams in sections of eight teams qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

• Carrick is the only Class 4A girls basketball school in the City League. The Raiders will have a young team with a roster featuring exclusively freshmen and sophomores, but they welcome back last year’s leading scorer in 5-7 Jocelyn Fisher, an all-City selection.

Alignment

Section 1: Burrell, Derry, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Oakland Catholic, Valley

Section 2: Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hopewell, Hampton, Lincoln Park

Section 3: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Mt. Pleasant, Ringgold, South Park, Southmoreland, Yough

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Ambridge, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Burrell, Central Valley, Derry Area, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Hampton, Highlands, Hopewell, Knoch, Laurel Highlands, Lincoln Park, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Oakland Catholic, Ringgold, South Park, Southmoreland, Valley, Yough