For fans of high school girls basketball in Western Pa., it’s a rare occurrence to see not one, not two, but three WPIAL championship games all on the same day.
The fact that all three matchups feature the top-two seeds in each of their respective classifications squaring off for the ultimate prize is just an added bonus.
When the 2025 WPIAL girls basketball championships conclude with an epic tripleheader at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, there will be no lovable underdogs or “Cinderella stories” in the building. Starting with the Class 2A championship game at 11 a.m. and followed by the Class 4A and Class 6A finals at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., this is strictly a slate of No. 1 vs. No. 2 championship tilts that fans surely won’t want to miss.
In the Class 6A final, defending champion Norwin is aiming to go back-to-back in the WPIAL’s largest classification for the second time under coach Brian Brozeski, now in his 14th year at the helm. The top-seeded Knights (15-7) also captured back-to-back WPIAL AAAA crowns in 2015-16 with the help of standout guard Alayna Gribble, the older sister of Greensburg Central Catholic star Erica Gribble.
As for No. 2 Upper St. Clair, the Panthers (18-6) are back in the big game for the fourth time in the past five seasons under longtime coach Pete Serio, though they are still seeking their first WPIAL championship since 2008. Upper St. Clair lost to North Allegheny in the 2021 and 2023 finals and Mt. Lebanon in the 2022 title game.
“It just gives you a chance to really appreciate how hard these girls have been working,” Brozeski said. “They understand what took place last year, but they also wanted to leave their own thumbprint on the program as well. Really proud of the way they’ve been able to focus on trying to repeat, and the work they put in is something that is paying off.”
For the Knights, it all starts with Clarion recruit Kendall Berger. An exceptional scorer, passer and defender, Berger is adept at driving to the basket and finishing at the rim while also utilizing her patented pull-up jumper, and the 5-9 senior guard is also capable of heating up from beyond the arc.
Like Berger, 5-11 senior guard-forward Averi Brozeski is a Clarion recruit who brings a well-rounded skill set to the table for the Knights. Senior guard Bella Furno and junior guard Ava Christopher also played key roles in Norwin’s run to the championship last year, and both will be counted on to come up big once again on Saturday night.
“It’s just neat that they have joy being around each other, whether that’s practice or a film session,” Brozeski said. “We just went out and played laser tag together. They enjoy being around each other, and you have to have that chemistry to have success.”
As for the Panthers, star senior Rylee Kalocay is the obvious main attraction. A Kent State recruit and former PUP first-team all-star, Kalocay started in the WPIAL championship game as a freshman and sophomore for Upper St. Clair before tearing her ACL last January, derailing a promising junior season. Now back and better than ever, the 5-9 guard ranked third in the WPIAL during the regular season with an average of 23.9 points per game.
“With Rylee, you can’t stop her. You can only hope to possibly contain her a little bit,” Brozeski said. “She is the best scorer in the WPIAL. She can do it all. It’s going to be a task where we’re going to have to try to analyze the film and things that have worked in the past, and see what we can do to give us the best chance to contain her to make sure she doesn’t have a special night.”
Make no mistake about it, though — the Panthers boast a deep, well-rounded core that goes well beyond Kalocay, with 5-8 senior guard Meredith Huzjak and 5-7 senior forward Liv Terlecki providing steady leadership and solid contributions all season long. The potential return of junior point guard Ryan Prunzik could also provide a major boost for Upper St. Clair, but it remains to be seen whether she will be ready to return from injury in time for the championship game.
“Any team you get a chance to play in the championship game, your juices are going to be flowing,” Brozeski said. “Upper St. Clair is a great opponent. They have great talent, and they have great coaches. Any time you’re going against coaches who have coached at the collegiate level, they know how to break you down and find your weaknesses. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re looking forward to it on Saturday.”
Class 4A
When reigning PIAA Class 4A champion Blackhawk meets Oakland Catholic at 3 p.m. Saturday for the WPIAL Class 4A title, two of the area’s most storied programs will do battle with a WPIAL championship on the line for the first time.
The No. 1 Cougars (23-2) are playing in their fourth consecutive WPIAL title game, having won the 2022 Class 4A crown before falling to North Catholic in consecutive title games in 2023-24. No. 2 Oakland Catholic (22-3), on the other hand, hasn’t won a WPIAL title since 2006. The Eagles came close in 2023, falling to mighty South Fayette in the Class 5A title game after taking a two-point lead into halftime.
Overall, Blackhawk is tied for third all time with eight WPIAL titles to its credit, while Oakland Catholic has six WPIAL championship banners hanging in the rafters — all won in an eight-year span from 1999-2006. The Eagles spent most of their existence competing in the WPIAL’s largest classification during the era of four classes, then competed in Class 5A after the shift to six classes in 2016.
Now down in Class 4A for the first time, it’s no surprise to see Oakland Catholic back in the big game.
Despite losing standout guards Kaylee DeAngelo, Mia LeDonne and Rhyan Sledge to transfers after promising freshman seasons, the Eagles had a ton of talent returning under new coach Henry Schechter. Senior guard London Creach is the headliner, and the Robert Morris recruit appears to finally be back to full strength after making her return from a torn ACL sustained in last year’s WPIAL quarterfinals.
“We saw what [Creach] was capable of doing in the North Catholic [WPIAL semifinal] game,” said Cougars coach Greg Huston, the 2023-24 PUP Coach of the Year. “Her ability to get to the rim — she’s pretty crafty in the paint. She can shoot some turnarounds and pull-up jumpers, and step out and hit the long shot as well. She is a difficult assignment for everybody. But it goes beyond her.”
Elsewhere, 6-2 senior forward Josie Fontana does a tremendous job patrolling the paint and protecting the rim while also providing solid offensive production for Oakland Catholic. Senior guard Alayla Bivins filled in masterfully as the maestro on offense during Creach’s absense, and together, they team up to form a lethal tandem for the Eagles.
“When you put somebody who is 6-2 and a really good athlete in the middle of the paint, you have to make some adjustments,” Huston said about Fontana. “We’re certainly aware of what she brings and how she changes a game.”
In his second year since taking over for longtime coach Steve Lodovico, Huston steered the Cougars to the top seed in Class 4A for the second year in a row, despite graduating PUP second-team all-star Alena Fusetti from last year’s state champion squad. The presence of junior forward Aubree Hupp is certainly a big reason why, as Hupp elevated her game to become one of the top-10 scorers in the WPIAL with an average of 21.2 ppg during the regular season.
Along with Hupp, senior point guard Andrea Kinger has taken on a major leadership role while serving as the team’s primary facilitator, and junior guard Mia Sheesley is emerging as another reliable scorer in a talented backcourt for Blackhawk.
“I feel like we were a little bit hesitant in last year’s game, and I’m not really sure why,” Huston said. “The first half, we were maybe just a little unsure of ourselves and timid, whatever you want to call it. I thought we corrected that in the second half of the game, but we had dug ourselves a little bit of a hole.
“I think the message is, we’re going to come out full steam ahead and just attack and get after them. Be aggressive. If we make mistakes, we want to make them at 100 miles per hour.”
Class 2A
In the first game of the slate at 11 a.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center, No. 1 Neshannock (23-2) clashes with section rival and No. 2 Aliquippa (20-4) in a rubber match for all the marbles in Class 2A.
The Lancers are certainly no strangers to the big stage under legendary coach Luann Grybowski, although this is their first championship appearance since capturing three WPIAL Class 2A titles in a four-year span from 2019-22. One of only three coaches in WPIAL history with more than 700 career wins, a victory on Saturday would grant Grybowski her fourth WPIAL title at Neshannock and the seventh overall of her career. Grybowski also won a trio of WPIAL championships at New Castle in 2004, 2007 and 2009.
After spending the previous two-year cycle in Class 3A, the Lancers dominated their way to the top seed in their return to Class 2A, with their only losses coming against Class 6A Seneca Valley on Dec. 12, and a 65-61 overtime defeat on the road against the Quips on Jan. 2. Since then, Neshannock has rattled off 14 consecutive wins going into Saturday’s championship showdown.
Junior forward Payton Newman provides an ultra-reliable low-post presence for the Lancers, and she has taken her game to a new level with a pair of monster performances in Neshannock’s previous two playoff wins. The Lancers will look to Newman to anchor the frontcourt once again against Aliquippa while setting the tone with her physical play on both ends of the court.
“She is a pretty dynamic player,” said Quips coach Dwight Lindsey. “But she’s got other facets in her game. She’s not just inside and mid-range. When we played them the first time, she made a huge 3-point shot as time was running down. … We’re very aware of her.”
Making its first trip to the WPIAL championship game since 1990, Aliquippa features a formidable lineup with a pair of elite scorers in senior forward Aunesty Johnson (17.1 ppg) and senior guard Carla Brown (15.7 ppg). The Quips came up just short in the WPIAL semifinal round each of the past two seasons, but now they are ready for their shot at glory.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Lindsey said. “We got on the doorstep a couple times and just couldn’t quite kick the door in. Finally kicking that door in and getting to this step is just an unbelievable achievement. It just feels so awesome at this point right now.”
Sophomore guard Denim Odom and freshman guard Dai’onna Washington each stepped up with double-digit scoring performances in Tuesday’s semifinal win against Winchester Thurston, and Lindsey is feeling good about the way his team is rounding into form and peaking at the right time ahead of Saturday’s rubber match. In order to take down Neshannock, though, he knows it will take a total team effort to get the job done.
And with the Aliquippa boys to follow immediately after in the WPIAL Class 3A title game against South Allegheny at 1 p.m., Lindsey knows “Quip Nation” will be out in full force bright and early at “The Pete.”
“If you’re a girl at Aliquippa, you haven’t been here in 35 years,” Lindsey said. “Just finish. Whatever finishing is — if it’s getting extra rebounds, extra shots in practice. Whatever it is you need to do to be at your optimum level for Saturday morning’s game, that’s what you need to do. Leave it all out there and let the chips fall where they may.
“We’re going to go up there and paint Oakland red and black for a few hours.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
