Six more WPIAL basketball teams clinch berths to states, two others stay alive

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 | 10:00 PM

Eight WPIAL basketball teams from boys Class 5A and 2A and girls Class 6A and A punched tickets to this weekend’s championship games at the Petersen Events Center with semifinal victories Tuesday evening.

The results of six of the eight contests also meant state tournament berths for teams that suffered losses in the quarterfinals under the WPIAL’s follow-the-winner format for determining additional PIAA teams. Two in girls Class 6A also stayed alive in the postseason.

Teams in each classification automatically qualified for states if they secured a quarterfinal victory.

In boys Class 2A, six teams move on to states.

No. 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart routed No. 12 Winchester Thurston, 73-19, at North Hills, and No. 9 South Side (12-12), which lost to OLSH in the quarterfinals, picked up a PIAA berth.

On the other side of the bracket, a come-from-behind 65-58 victory by No. 2 Sto-Rox over No. 6 Shenango at Woodland Hills lifted No. 10 Brentwood (18-6) to the state tournament.

Penn Hills, the top seed in boys Class 5A, breathed a sigh of relief after No. 8 Laurel Highlands, which topped the Indians by two points in the quarterfinals, edged No. 4 Thomas Jefferson, 44-42, Tuesday at Woodland Hills.

Six teams from the bracket qualify for states, and No. 6 South Fayette (16-8) will join Penn Hills (18-5) in the PIAA field after No. 3 Mars defeated No. 2 Chartiers Valley, 59-50, at Moon.

Aquinas Academy (10-12), the No. 9 seed in girls Class A, and No. 7 Avella (17-7) are newly minted state qualifiers after their quarterfinal opponents, No. 1 Rochester and No. 2 West Greene, advanced to the WPIAL title game with victories Tuesday.

Rochester rolled past No. 4 Clairton, 57-37, while West Greene defeated Sewickley Academy, 46-45.

Five teams move on to states from girls Class 6A, and No. 8 Fox Chapel (13-10) and No. 7 Baldwin (12-10) stayed alive for that fifth spot based on Tuesday’s semifinal wins by No. 1 Bethel Park over No. 4 Mt. Lebanon, 35-29, and No. 2 North Allegheny’s victory over No. 6 Upper St. Clair, 39-27.

The Foxes need a win by Bethel Park in the championship game Saturday, while the Highlanders need a North Allegheny victory.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Aquinas Academy, Avella, Baldwin, Brentwood, Fox Chapel, Penn Hills, South Fayette, South Side