Tuesday postseason basketball rundown: No. 15 Penn-Trafford boys shock No. 2 Baldwin, shake up Class 5A playoff bracket with 60-45 road win

On paper, No. 15 Penn-Trafford’s Class 5A first-round clash with No. 2 Baldwin had all the makings of a major mismatch.

Then again, there’s a reason the games aren’t played on paper.

Traveling into enemy territory Tuesday night against the red-hot Highlanders (21-2) — last year’s WPIAL Class 6A runners-up and a popular pick to claim the Class 5A crown this year — the Warriors snapped Baldwin’s 12-game win streak and busted a bunch of brackets in the process with a convincing 60-45 victory. Zach Feldman led the way with 20 points to go with 16 from Brayden Stone and 10 from Evan Gross.

“That’s definitely the proudest moment of my coaching career,” said Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly, now in his fifth year at the helm after previously spending eight years as head coach at Franklin Regional. “To watch a group of guys go into someone else’s gym, that caliber of team, that caliber of coach, in that kind of atmosphere and play the way they did — I loved it.”

The teams had already squared off early on in the regular season, with the Highlanders eking out a 58-53 road win back on Dec. 11. But a lot had changed since then, with the Warriors (14-9) enduring an up-and-down season before barely sneaking their way into the playoffs. Meanwhile, Baldwin went on to decimate virtually every team in its path, prompting Kelly and his players to reflect on the way the first meeting between the teams played out.

“We talked about it — fluke or real?” Kelly said. “What are we? Was that a fluke? They had beaten Mt. Lebanon the night before. We had lost to Uniontown the night before. They had to get on the bus and travel. We knew in this atmosphere, it was going to be a totally different game.”

Turns out, Kelly was right about the rematch being a completely different ballgame.

Going into Tuesday night, the Highlanders had scored at least 50 points in every game this season except for one. The score was close at halftime, but Penn-Trafford began to pull away in the third quarter while keeping Baldwin’s high-powered offense well below its usual scoring output.

“One thing we’ve done is, we always come to practice,” Kelly said. “But it’s one thing to be prepared in practice, then to go perform and execute and play tough and make free throws and rebound in that moment — I think that’s what I was most proud of. Those little moments of winning basketball.”

Now moving on to the quarterfinal round to take on No. 10 Mars on Friday, the Warriors suddenly find themselves just two wins away from making a truly miraculous WPIAL championship appearance. Kelly won’t let his players look that far ahead yet, though — or himself, for that matter.

“We left some games out there during the year,” Kelly said. “But in the end, we at least got an opportunity to continue playing. We did enough to get in, and this is what happens sometimes. You do enough to get an opportunity, and our guys took advantage of it.

“The most important game is the next game, if you get one. And the only way to get one at this point is to win.”

Aliquippa coach Nick Lackovich talks to his team after the third quarter of their game against New Brighton on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at Aliquippa High School. Aliquippa won, 83-29. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Other Class 5A boys

• Ben Detisch scored a team-high 19 points and Austen Wroblewski chipped in 11 for No. 10 Mars (13-10), helping the Planets pull off a 50-46 win at No. 7 South Fayette to set up a showdown of double-digit seeds against Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Stefano Vezio led three double-digit scorers for the Lions (15-8) with 19 points.

• Top-seeded Montour (22-1) dominated its way to a 70-42 win against No. 16 Franklin Regional (12-12), led by 24 points from towering big man Ama Sow. Colton Straight tacked on 17 points in the win along with 14 from A.J. Alston, while Connor Crossey led the Panthers with 14 points to go with 12 from Jonah Johnston.

• Notorious Grooms buried six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points, and Calvin Winfrey added 22 points while finishing 11 of 11 from the free-throw line for No. 3 Uniontown (20-3) in a 59-42 home win against No. 14 Hampton (11-12). Zach Danner led the Talbots with 16 points in the defeat.

• Jayden Davis led all scorers with 24 points for No. 4 Chartiers Valley (20-3), followed by 19 from Julian Semplice and 13 from Luca Federico in a 72-50 home win against No. 13 Thomas Jefferson (10-13). Nick Trklja led the Jaguars with 13 points in the loss to go with 11 from Justin Fry and 10 from Noah Kaszel.

• Michael Santicola surged to a game-high 25 points for defending champion Moon (18-5), and Amir Turner added 11 to help the No. 5 Tigers earn a 49-42 home win against No. 12 Gateway (13-9). Mykel Bruce-McCrommon finished with a team-high 11 points for the Gators.

• Dylan Donovan and Nick McCullough put up 16 points apiece, and No. 6 Peters Township (16-7) put together an outstanding defensive performance while cruising to a 63-30 home win against No. 11 Penn Hills (12-10).

New Brighton coach Nick Ehko talks to his team during their game against Aliquippa on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at Aliquippa High School. Aliquippa won, 83-29. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 3A boys

• Drew Allen scored a team-leading 15 points for No. 4 Bishop Canevin (14-9), followed by 14 from Jackson Maddix and 12 from Damar Olds in a nail-biting 59-57 home victory over No. 13 Seton LaSalle (10-13). Patrick Weldon paced four players in double figures for the Rebels with a game-high 17 points.

• Bobby Fadden led all scorers with 27 points for No. 3 Mohawk (18-5), aided by 17 from Drew Wrona and 11 from Joey Nail in a 59-40 home win against No. 14 Waynesburg (9-14). Alex Eck paced the Raiders with 12 points along with 11 from Cole Headlee and 10 from Dane Woods.

• Sharp-shooting junior guard Erond Jakupi drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points for No. 5 Keystone Oaks (17-6) in a 72-57 home win against No. 12 Ligonier Valley (13-9). Tulio Watts tacked on 22 points in the win along with 14 from Ethan Spivak, while Parker Hollick led three double-digit scorers for the Rams with 22 points.

• Chuckie Schweinsberg scored a team-high 16 points and Maykel Cuevas contributed 11 for No. 10 Ellwood City (14-9), helping the Wolverines escape with a 55-51 road win at No. 7 South Park (15-7). Cooper Hochendoner led the Eagles with a game-high 18 points to go with 14 from Luke Scarff and 10 from Danny Battista.

• Seamus Riordan and Cam Mallory each finished with a game-high 16 points for No. 9 Shady Side Academy (10-12), helping the Bulldogs pull away in the second half for a 51-31 win at No. 8 McGuffey (16-7). Aydan Cunningham led the Highlanders with 13 points in the defeat.

• Noah Felentzer delivered a game-high 31 points to lead No. 6 Southmoreland (18-5) to a 58-50 home win over No. 11 Carlynton. Devonte Dean finished with 19 points in the loss to lead the Cougars (9-13).

Aliquippa’s Jazmeir Cobb tries to keep possession of the ball with pressure from Carmichaels’ Joselyn Carter on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at Aliquippa High School. Aliquippa won, 79-6. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 2A girls

• Payton Newman posted another double-double for No. 1 Neshannock (21-2), finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a lopsided 58-18 home win against No. 16 Apollo-Ridge (10-12). Nina Medure added 12 points in the win along with 11 from Jaidon Nogay, and both Medure and Nogay knocked down a trio of 3-pointers while tallying 6 steals apiece.

• Tia Yellock poured in a game-high 27 points for No. 10 Rochester (10-12), leading the Rams to a narrow 57-53 win at No. 7 Riverview (14-5). Kamryn Newman added 14 points in the win to go with 12 from Marque Taylor, while Isabel Chaparro led the Raiders with 25 points along with 14 from Katerina Tsambis.

• Julie Klose led three players in double figures for No. 5 Fort Cherry with a game-high 16 points in a 59-29 home win against No. 12 California (11-8). Oliva Kemp followed with 15 points and Jazlyn Martino finished with 12 for the Rangers (19-3).