2024 WPIAL Class A girls basketball championship breakdown: Union vs. St. Joseph

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, March 1, 2024 | 12:01 PM

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WPIAL Class A girls basketball championship

No. 1 Union vs. No. 3 St. Joseph

11 a.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center

On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network

WPIAL titles: Union 1 (2023), St. Joseph 0

Union (18-5)

Coach: Rob Nogay

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

1, Bella Cameron, 5-7, sr., G

4, Kylie Fruehstorfer, 5-5, jr., G

10, Kelly Cleaver, 6-0, sr., F

12, Mia Preuhs, 5-8, jr., G/F

24, Miera Gunn, 5-7, so., G

How they got here: After a first-round bye, defeated No. 8 West Greene, 59-16, in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Riverview, 56-13, in the semifinals.

Notable: Union began the season as the top-ranked team in Class A and has shown no signs of slipping, rolling to the Section 1 title with a 6-0 record and outscoring opponents 50-30.3 ppg. Its losses were to WPIAL finalists Greensburg Central Catholic, Avonworth, Blackhawk twice and Class 6A Upper St. Clair. The Scotties have won 13 in a row. Kylie Fruehstorfer (20 points) and Kelly Cleaver (14 points) started and starred in the championship game last season and were all-state selections, but three starters graduated. Others have stepped into those roles admirably this season, including Bella Cameron, who had 12 points in the semifinals, and Mia Preuhs, who scored 11 in the quarterfinals. Cleaver, the Trib HSSN preseason player of the year in Class A, averaged 15.6 points in the regular season.

St. Joseph (21-3)

Coach: Geoff Dutelle

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

14, Gia Richter, 5-4, jr., G

15, Julie Spinelli, 5-11, sr., G/F

20, Anna Kreinbrook, 6-2, sr., C

22, Maggie Bernat, 5-10, sr., F

24, Emma Swierczewski, 5-10, sr., G/F

How they got here: After a first-round bye, defeated No. 6 Bishop Canevin, 66-36, in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Aquinas Academy, 66-56, in the semifinals.

Notable: St. Joseph is making its first trip to the WPIAL championship game after losing three times in the semifinals, including last year against Union. The Spartans won Section 3 at 8-0 and suffered a narrow loss to Aquinas in overtime, as well as WPIAL finalist Shady Side Academy and Class 5A Kiski Area. Julie Spinelli, a Frostburg State commit, was a third-team all-state selection last season and is one of seven seniors on the roster. Spinelli, who surpassed 1,000 career points as a junior, averaged 20.6 points in the regular season. She tallied 32 points in the semifinal win over Aquinas Academy. Junior Gia Richter is the lone underclassman in the starting lineup but has been a reliable point guard and scorer who had 18 points in the semifinals.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: St. Joseph, Union