Here’s a look at the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs, which begin Thursday and conclude March 2-4 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
CLASS 6A
Defending champion: Fox Chapel.
No. 1 seed: New Castle.
Player to watch: Isaiah Boice, New Castle. Boice is healthy, and that’s bad news for New Castle’s opponents. Boice, a senior guard and the team’s leading scorer (17.7 points per game), missed almost a month with a foot injury before returning Feb. 3. Four days later, Boice knocked down seven 3-pointers in a win against Pine-Richland. The Red Hurricanes are unbeaten with Boice in the lineup this season.
Sleeper: Baldwin. Keep an eye on the Highlanders, who have to be the best 12-9 team in the playoffs in a long time. Check this out: Of their nine losses, eight have come by 3 points or fewer. They have wins against Norwin, Seneca Valley and Mars. The Highlanders feature the Wesling brothers, James and Nate, as well as a coach (Jeff Ackermann) with five WPIAL titles on his resume.
Best quarterfinal game: Central Catholic vs. Baldwin.
The lowdown: Surprise, surprise! New Castle is really good and looks more than capable of adding to its record-14 WPIAL titles. Coach Ralph Blundo has won seven titles and guided New Castle to the championship eight times in 13 seasons. The Red Hurricanes, last year’s Class 5A runner-up, have won eight consecutive games and are led by Boice and senior guard Jonathan Anderson. … Section 2 champion Upper St. Clair enters the playoffs riding a five-game win streak. The Panthers typically get balanced scoring with a cast which includes senior guards Nick Sukernek and Matthew Gaither. … It would come as no shock if Central Catholic claims its first title since 2008. There might not be a team in the WPIAL with stronger wins than the Vikings, who have triumphed against New Castle, Penn Hills and Lincoln Park. The Vikings feature an outstanding inside-outside duo in 6-foot-7 senior forward Debaba Tshiebwe and senior guard Dante DePante (17 ppg), the team’s leading scorer. … When senior guard Lucas Garofoli heats up from behind the arc, Mt. Lebanon can pile up points quickly. He’s one of the top 3-point shooters in the area. The Blue Devils finished just behind Upper St. Clair in Section 2.
Championship picks: New Castle (Brad Everett), New Castle (Steve Rotstein).
CLASS 5A
Defending champion: Laurel Highlands.
No. 1 seed: Peters Township.
Player to watch: Royce Parham, North Hills. “Rolls” Royce has had quite the junior season. The 6-8 forward with major-college offers has been dominant, averaging 29.2 points a game. He has put the Indians on his back at times and has several winning shots. Chances are nobody in this field will be able to stop Parham. The only hope is to contain and hopefully get him in foul trouble.
Sleeper: Mars. If you go to a Mars game, chances are you’re going to see a tight contest. Over their past 10 games, the Planets have played eight decided by six points or fewer. They are 4-4 in those games. The Planets own excellent wins against North Hills and New Castle, and boast an elite scorer in senior guard Tasso Sfanos (25.9 ppg).
Best first-round game: South Fayette vs. Shaler.
The lowdown: Penn Hills was absolutely rolling before seeing its 13-game win streak end with a surprising 15-point loss Friday at Woodland Hills. Its only other losses were to Class 6A Central Catholic and Philadelphia power Archbishop Wood. Senior guard and Quinnipiac recruit Daemar Kelly (19.2 ppg) is one of the WPIAL’s top players. The Indians give up a Class 5A-low 44.5 points a game. … North Hills nearly won its first WPIAL title a year ago but fell to Fox Chapel in the Class 6A championship. Will this be the year the Indians break through? With Parham, the Indians will pretty much always have the best player on the court. The key to North Hills’ success will be a supporting cast which will need to step up and knock down shots when called upon. … No team has been hotter than Section 1 champion Peters Township, which has won 11 games in a row and boasts talented senior forward Jack Dunbar (19 ppg). … Gateway, the Section 3 champ, has won 12 of 14. Some of its players have big-game experience. Just last season, the Gators reached the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals.
Championship picks: Penn Hills (Brad Everett), North Hills (Steve Rotstein).
CLASS 4A
Defending champion: Quaker Valley.
No. 1 seed: Lincoln Park.
Player to watch: Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands. It’s the final playoff ride for “RG3,” who hopes to bring the Mustangs a WPIAL title for the third time in his career after doing it his freshman and junior seasons. Laurel Highlands is 19-2 this season and 77-16 in Gallagher’s career. He leads the Mustangs with 21 points per game.
Sleeper: Highlands. The Golden Rams might only be the No. 5 seed, but it says here that they can play with anyone in this bracket. A few of their top wins came against North Hills, Shady Side Academy and Bishop Canevin. Braydn Foster, a 6-8 junior forward and double-double machine, had a breakout season and leads the team with 20.6 points a game. He’s complemented nicely by senior guard Jimmy Kunst (17.6).
Best first-round game: South Allegheny vs. Beaver.
The lowdown: With junior guard Brandin “Beebah” Cummings and sophomore guard Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park has arguably the best tandem in the WPIAL. Cummings (23.9 ppg) is a Pitt recruit and Thomas (23.2) is considered one of the top sophomores in the country. Winners of nine games in a row, the Leopards average a WPIAL-best 76.5 points. Their lone loss was at Class 6A Central Catholic. … Laurel Highlands fell to Lincoln Park, 70-66, Dec. 29 at Geneva College. Gallagher and fellow senior guard Keondre DeShields (22.8 ppg) had to shoulder a bigger load after standout Brandon Davis transferred prior to the season. It’s safe to say it has gone all right considering the Mustangs are 19-2, their only other loss coming against rival Uniontown. … Speaking of Uniontown, the Red Raiders would love to capture their first WPIAL title since 2002. This is Uniontown’s best team in years. It’s a young group, too, with its top scorers being sophomore guards Notorious Grooms (13.8 ppg) and Calvin Winfrey (12.5). Lincoln Park and Aquinas Academy are the only WPIAL teams averaging more points than Uniontown’s 75.7. … Hampton is 20-2 and didn’t drop a game in Section 1, but the Talbots will no longer have leading scorer Peter Kramer (20 ppg), who is ineligible for the postseason due to transfer rules. … South Allegheny, Quaker Valley and North Catholic are other teams to watch. Quaker Valley is the defending champion. South Allegheny senior guard Bryce Epps is averaging 23.2 points and is the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Championship picks: Lincoln Park (Brad Everett), Lincoln Park (Steve Rotstein).
CLASS 3A
Defending champion: Shady Side Academy.
No. 1 seed: Steel Valley.
Player to watch: Makhai Valentine, Steel Valley. While Tuesday is officially Valentine’s Day, it has been Valentine’s Night just about every time the Ironmen have taken the floor this season. A 6-3 senior guard with Division I offers, the high-flying Valentine erupted for 63 points against Brentwood and ranks second in the WPIAL in scoring with 36.6 points a game.
Sleeper: Seton LaSalle. The ninth-seeded Rebels finished third behind Steel Valley and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in possibly the toughest section in the classification. Since starting the season 4-9, the Rebels have ripped off seven wins in a row. And with senior guard Connor Spratt (27 ppg) on their side, the Rebels are never out of any game.
Best first-round game: Deer Lakes vs. Ellwood City.
The lowdown: A team that began the season 1-7 has a legitimate shot of winning the title. That would be Steel Valley, which played without Valentine and several other key players early in the season as they transitioned to basketball after a long postseason run in football. Valentine has shown he can put this team on his back, but this isn’t a one-man team. It isn’t even a one-man backcourt, as senior guard and Pitt football recruit Cruce Brookins has been a big contributor, as well. The Ironmen will be without coach Dale Chapman, who was suspended for the playoffs by the school because of a team-related issue. … A few years after guiding the Mohawk girls to back-to-back WPIAL championships, Mike O’Lare had the Mohawk boys at 19-2 Monday heading into action. The Warriors shared the Section 1 title with Neshannock. One of Mohawk’s top players is freshman guard Bobby Fadden, who averages 17.4 points a game. Neshannock beat Mohawk, 67-57, Friday and has won 6 of 7. … Four-time defending WPIAL champion and two-time defending PIAA champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart isn’t a championship favorite this season. The Chargers are the No. 6 seed and saw their state-record 74-game win streak snapped early this season, but you definitely shouldn’t count them out. They continue to be led by senior guard Rocco Spadafora (17.2 ppg) and senior forward Bryson Kirschner. … Deer Lakes, which snapped OLSH’s win streak, owns a win against Shady Side Academy, with whom it split the Section 3 title. Defending champion Shady Side has gotten a big season from junior guard Eli Teslovich (21.7 ppg).
Championship picks: Steel Valley (Brad Everett), Steel Valley (Steve Rotstein).
CLASS 2A
Defending champion: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
No. 1 seed: Aliquippa.
Player to watch: Shea Champine, Bishop Canevin. From coming off the bench last season to developing into one of the area’s top scorers, Champine is one of the best stories in the WPIAL. A senior guard, Champine averages 30.3 points and scored 50 in a loss to Class 4A Highlands a few weeks ago. He’s seeking his fourth WPIAL title after winning one at Vincentian and two at Bishop Canevin.
Sleeper: Serra Catholic. Call this one a “deep sleeper,” as the 13-3 Eagles are the No. 7 seed. The Eagles, however, closed the regular season with wins in five of six games and feature two standout scorers in junior guard Isiah Petty (18.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Owen Dumbrowski (15.4).
Best first-round game: Shenango vs. Chartiers-Houston.
The lowdown: Just as it did in football, Aliquippa enters the WPIAL playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Now the question is, will the Quips claim a basketball title, too? The Quips didn’t drop a section game and are one of only three teams to beat Class 4A contender Uniontown. Many of Aliquippa’s top players also played big roles on the football team, among them senior guard D.J. Walker and junior forward Cam Lindsey. … Champine hopes to lead Canevin to its third consecutive title. If he does, it will be WPIAL championship No. 10 for first-year coach Tim McConnell, who most recently guided the Chartiers Valley girls to three consecutive titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021. … No team has been able to beat Fort Cherry since the second weekend of the regular season. Winners of 18 games in a row, the Rangers went 12-0 in Section 4. Senior guard Owen Norman (24.6 ppg) is one of the top scorers in Class 2A. The Rangers have never won a WPIAL title. … Greensburg Central Catholic, the Section 3 champion, has been hot, too. The Centurions finished the regular season with eight consecutive wins. Junior guard Tyree Turner leads the team in scoring with 21.7 points a game.
Championship picks: Bishop Canevin (Brad Everett), Aliquippa (Steve Rotstein).
CLASS 1A
Defending champion: Bishop Canevin.
No. 1 seed: Imani Christian.
Player to watch: Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy. The WPIAL’s all-time leading scorer will try to help Aquinas Academy win a WPIAL playoff game for the first time. Cugini is a senior guard and Pitt-Johnstown recruit who has more than 3,000 career points. The four-time WPIAL scoring champion averages 44 points a game.
Sleeper: Neighborhood Academy. Like Aquinas Academy, Neighborhood Academy is battle-tested due to playing in a strong Section 1 that also includes No. 1-seeded Imani Christian. Coach Jordan Marks has a couple of talented scorers in junior forward Josh Wilkins (19 ppg) and sophomore guard Courtney Wallace (17).
Best first-round game: Aquinas Academy vs. Jefferson-Morgan.
The lowdown: With 6-11 sophomore center Alier Maluk and 6-8 junior forward Virgil Hall, Imani Christian easily has the tallest frontcourt in the WPIAL. Maluk is considered one of the nation’s top sophomores and Hall has several Division I offers. The backcourt play is strong, too, with sophomores Dame Givner (16.8 ppg) and R.J. Sledge leading the way. The Saints played an extremely challenging non-section schedule and have not lost to a Class 1A team. … After reaching the semifinals in 2020 and the championship in 2021, will Union take the next step and win its first title in 20 years? It certainly appears capable after going 20-2 in the regular season, the only losses being to Class 6A Seneca Valley and to section rival Rochester by 1 point. The Scotties continue to be led by senior guard Matt Stanley (17.9 ppg), son of coach Mark Stanley. … Carlynton finished second to Union in Section 1 and lost to the Scotties by margins of only 2 and 3 points. Senior forward Jaiden McClure averages 18.4 points. … Monessen and Geibel split the Section 2 title. Monessen has won 20 of its past 21 games. The lone loss was at Geibel, 75-55, Jan. 27. Monessen defeated Geibel, 63-44, in the earlier meeting. Geibel senior guard Jaydis Kennedy averages 31 points and Monessen 6-4 junior forward Lorenzo Gardner 21.2.
Championship picks: Imani Christian (Brad Everett), Imani Christian (Steve Rotstein).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.