WPIAL will use high school venues for basketball, swimming championships

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 4:48 PM

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The WPIAL plans to use high school venues this winter for its basketball and swimming championships rather than Pitt’s facilities.

State-imposed gathering limits on events make Petersen Events Center and Trees Pool impractical options, WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said Thursday. Under current covid-19 restrictions from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, Pitt’s aquatics center and basketball arena are limited to 5% of capacity and capped at 500 people.

“Right now, the capacity does not make financial sense for us to go in there,” Scheuneman said. “We have to be fiscally responsible.”

The WPIAL hasn’t finalized the alternate sites.

However, the WPIAL won’t choose just one high school gym to host the basketball finals, but instead will spread them out at multiple venues over three days, she said.

The basketball finals are March 12, 13 and 15.

The WPIAL used a similar approach in the fall when its football championships were divided between North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium and North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium rather than Heinz Field.

Scheuneman said the WPIAL could have championship sites identified before the basketball playoff brackets are revealed Feb. 23. But the WPIAL may wait until later in the tournament to decide which classification plays where.

Petersen Events Center has hosted the WPIAL basketball championships since 2014-15.

The swimming championships are March 6-7. Scheuneman said WPIAL administrators will visit a tentative site for swimming next week.

“We have a walk through there to make sure everything’s good before we announce it,” she said.

WPIAL diving championships are scheduled for Feb. 26-27 at North Allegheny.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.