From quarters two through four Saturday, South Allegheny and Camp Hill Trinity played pretty much an even game.
But it was an offensive explosion in the first quarter that has the Gladiators headed to the PIAA semifinals for the second time in school history.
WPIAL champion South Allegheny put on an offensive exhibition in the first eight minutes before holding on to defeat District 3 champion Camp Hill Trinity, 76-62, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at Altoona High School.
The win moves South Allegheny (26-3) into the semifinals for the first time since 2022, when the Gladiators fell to Aliquippa in that round. It just so happens that Aliquippa, last year’s PIAA Class 2A champion, is the team the Gladiators will get next in what will be a much-anticipated rematch of the WPIAL championship won by South Allegheny, 37-35, two weeks ago.
“We know they’re hungry for us because we beat them in the championship, but we’re still hungry, too,” said South Allegheny’s Drew Cook, who scored a team-high 23 points Saturday. “We want the big goal. We want the state title.”
South Allegheny appeared to be in a rush to advance to that game, as the Gladiators connected on seven 3-pointers and went 11 of 17 from the field overall during a first quarter in which they raced to a 29-14 advantage. Cameron Epps accounted for three of those 3-pointers, while Cook and Josh Jackowski had two apiece. Six of the triples came during a 24-2 run that saw the Gladiators turn a 4-point deficit into an 18-point lead.
“We’ve been talking about it for the last couple of days and even the pregame that we haven’t had an offensive explosion in it feels like a month,” South Allegheny coach Tony DiCenzo said. “Our guys, Cam, Drew, Josh, they haven’t gotten off to early starts and we haven’t scored the ball like we typically have all season in the 70s. Now, you’re playing against better teams and good competition, so that has a lot to do with it, but we were due to come out and shoot the ball well early.”
What a start for South Allegheny, which has knocked down seven 3-pointers and leads Camp Hill Trinity, 29-14, after one quarter.
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) March 15, 2025pic.twitter.com/Ixf59mFeuO
Following the scintillating start, South Allegheny just tried its best to hold on, which was no easy feat considering the Gladiators made only one 3 the rest of the game. Led by star guard Owen Schlager, a 2,000-point scorer and Siena recruit, Camp Hill Trinity (21-4) pulled to as close as 4 points in the second quarter before South Allegheny closed the first half strong to take a 41-33 lead. The Shamrocks cut the South Allegheny lead to 7 points on several occasions in the second half, but never got any closer.
“Basketball is a game of runs. It always is,” DiCenzo said. “We knew they were going to punch back. They’re a good team. We just had to do enough to withstand that and not allow them to completely get all the way back.”
In addition to Cook’s 23 points, South Allegheny also got 17 points apiece from Cameron Epps and Jake Uher and 15 from Jackowski. The Gladiators shot 46% from the field (23 of 50).
Uher, one of South Allegheny’s more unheralded players, was an unlikely star. A 6-foot-3 junior forward, Uher helped the Gladiators stay afloat during the second quarter, a time when shots simply weren’t falling for them. Uher scored 8 of his team’s 12 points during the quarter, and did an excellent job on the boards in the game.
“We’ve been waiting for that from Jake,” Cook said. “He looks like LeBron James at practice. We’ve been waiting for him to come out in the game and do it, play aggressively, and that’s what he’s capable of.”
Schlager, who came in averaging 24.8 points per game, led Camp Hill Trinity with 24 points. Andre Steele added 12 points and Marcus Yeager 11 for the Shamrocks, who were 23 of 69 from the field (33%).
For South Allegheny, a rematch with Aliquippa now awaits. A win would send the Gladiators to the PIAA final for the first time.
“Hopefully we can score the ball a little bit better than the last time, but win by 1 is the goal,” DiCenzo said, “and we’re looking forward to that matchup.”
Other Class 3A
• Josh Pratt scored 27 points and Qa’lil Goode added 25 to help WPIAL runner-up Aliquippa (23-5) roll into the semifinals courtesy of a 73-34 win against District 6 champion Forest Hills (25-3) at Armstrong. The PIAA win was the 100th in program history, which is more than any other WPIAL school. The Quips, who are trying to reach the final for the fourth consecutive season, have won their PIAA games by margins of 33, 27 and 39 points. Marques Council chipped in 10 points for the Quips, who led by 16 points after one quarter and by 22 at the half. Dylan Stohon paced Forest Hills with 15 points.
Class 6A
• Tyler Robbins slammed home the winning basket with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to help WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair (26-2) claim a thrilling 51-49 win against District 10 champion McDowell (23-5) at Slippery Rock University. After teammate Kaamil Jackson blocked a McDowell shot, the Panthers raced toward the other end and Robbins threw down the decisive dunk. Robbins scored 14 points in the game, including all 4 of the Panthers’ points in overtime after the score was tied, 47-47, at the end of regulation. McDowell had rallied from 5 points down after three quarters to force overtime. Nico Gidas knocked down five 3-pointers among his game-high 22 points for the Panthers, who reached its only other semifinal in 2021. Blayze Myers led McDowell with 17 points and Stephon Porter tacked on 11. Upper St. Clair will meet Philadelphia Catholic League power and five-time PIAA champion Roman Catholic (24-5) in the semifinals.
Class 2A
• Greensburg Central Catholic (26-3), the WPIAL third-place finisher, advanced to its first semifinal since 2014 after defeating WPIAL champion Jeannette (25-3) for the third time this season, 46-35, at Norwin. Samir Crosby scored 13 points and A.J. Tarpley added 12 for Greensburg, which led, 19-13, at the half after limiting Jeannette to 4 points in the second quarter. Crosby went 9 of 11 from the free-throw line, with the Centurions going 20 of 31 overall. Jeannette finished 4 of 13 from the line. It was the 11th win in the past 12 games for the Centurions, who beat Jeannette by 6 and 10 points in the regular season. Jayce Powell scored 10 points to lead Jeannette, which saw its 8-game win streak snapped. The Jayhawks were trying to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2008.
• WPIAL third-place finisher Sewickley Academy (23-5) used some terrific defense to storm back from a halftime deficit to defeat WPIAL sixth-place finisher Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (21-8), 42-35, at Peters Township. Sewickley Academy trailed, 19-15, at the half before outscoring OLSH, 27-16, in the second half, including 14-7 in the final quarter. The Panthers have not given up more than 36 points in any of their three PIAA games. Nolan Donnelly scored 14 points and Mamadou Kane 13 for the Panthers, who advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2018. Tiernan McCullough scored a team-best 16 for OLSH.
Scoreboard
PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals
Upper St. Clair 51, McDowell 48 (OT)
PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals
Aliquippa 73, Forest Hills 34
South Allegheny 76, Camp Hill Trinity 62
PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals
Greensburg Central Catholic 46, Jeannette 35
Sewickley Academy 42, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 35
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.