The Jeannette Jayhawks are kings of the WPIAL for the second time. The Jayhawks beat Union 63-39 to win their second WPIAL title in school history and first since 2008. Jeannette never let Union in the game and controlled the game with its defense.

Union girls overcome slow start to beat Clairton
The Scotties had a horrible start to the Class A girls game. Union shot 2 of 12 in the field quarter and fell behind by seven points. But the Scotties (25-0) were able to turn things around defensively to beat Clairton 51-40.

Union has the challenge of trying to contain 3,000-point scorer Iyanna Wade of Clairton (19-5). Wade put up 22 points, but shot 2-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Scotties had the game tied at 19 at halftime. Kylie Fruehstrofer led Union with 12 points, while Hayden Strickler finished with 10 points.

The Bears were making their first-ever appearance in the WPIAL finals. Clairton outscored Union by nine points in the fourth quarter.

Peters Township wears down South Fayette
The Indians proved they were conditioned to the go the distance. Peters Township played six players and were able to slowly wear down thee-time defending champion South Fayette.

The Lions led by seven points at halftime and six after thee quarters, but only scored three points in the fourth quarter.

Upper St. Clair turns away New Castle
The Panthers closed the first half with a 6-0 run to help spark a 65-43. Upper St. Clair (23-20 was more effective at getting to the foul line than the Red Hurricane was. The Panthers made 21 free throws compared to two for New Castle. The Red Hurricane (21-4) only made four trips to the free-throw line.

Ralphie Blundo led New Castle with 13 points, while Damian Harrison had 11. Tyler Robbins led Upper St. Clair with 12 points and 12 rebounds. 

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team appeared to be headed toward the state playoffs with an opportunity to finish the year unbeaten. But section rival Greensburg Central Catholic made sure the Bulldogs would feel some adversity before the PIAA Class 3A playoffs started. The Centurions leaned on 31 points from Erica Gribble to steal a 56-51 win on Thursday night at Petersen Events Center.

GCC, which was the No. 2 seed, lost both of its regular-season meetings with the Bulldogs (24-1). Shady Side Academy won the first meeting between the two teams this season by 29 points. During the WPIAL championship game, Gribble, who is committed to Richmond, controlled the game down the stretch.

Gribble scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs were playing without 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer. Karis Thomas led the Bulldogs with 5 points. The Bulldogs only played six players. Cameron Capel, the daughter of Pitt men's basketball coach Jeff Capel, also finished with 12 points for the 

Belle Vernon wins first WPIAL championship since 1978
The top-seeded Leopards played an excellent first half and were able to ride that 13-point lead at the break to a 54-49 win over North Catholic in the 4A title game. Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino, 73, collected his seventh WPIAL title of his coaching career. Salvino led Monessen to six titles, the last of which game in 2017.

This was the second time Salvino guided Belle Vernon (21-4) to the WPIAL championship game. The Leopards lost to Highlands in the 2020 championship game. Tommy Davis led Highlands with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win against the Trojans. Trevor Kovatch and Zion Moore also scored 12 points for the Leopards.

Jason Fredericks led North Catholic (19-6) with 20 points. The Trojans struggled from the field, only making 38.1 percent (16-of-42) of their field goal attempts.

All in the Neighborhood
Neighborhood Academy has only been a part of the WPIAL in boys basketball since 2020. The Bulldogs brought home their first championship in the Class A game by beating Serra Catholic, 67-44. This was Neighborhood Academy's second straight year in the title game.

The Bulldogs lost to Imani Christian in the final last year. Courtney Wallace led Neighborhood Academy with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Serra, which lost to the Bulldogs twice in the regular season, only trailed by a point after the opening quarter.  Mark Johnson and Owen Dumbrowski tied for a team-high 14 points for the Eagles (21-4).

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

The Oakland Catholic girls basketball team put together one of its best performances of the season to beat section rival North Catholic 57-29 in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals Monday night at Fox Chapel High School. London Creach, who didn't play in either of the regular season meetings between the two teams, returned to score 15 points for the Eagles.

The Eagles are returning to the WPIAL final for the first time since 2023. Oakland Catholic lost that matchup to South Fayette.

The Mohawks boys basketball team lost six seniors last season. But despite the roster turnover, the Warriors have battled their way back to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals. Mohawk took the next step in the process by beating Southmoreland 55-38 in the quarterfinals at North Catholic High School.

Bobby Fadden led the Warriors with 22 points.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to @J_oshrizzo on X or [email protected]

The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association announced the rosters for the small school East-West All-Stars game that will be held Sunday, May 18, 2025 at Cumberland Valley High School. This is the fifth annual small school vs large school format.

The small school game, which features a battle between players from 1A to 3A, will be played at noon. The large school game, which features a battle between players from 4A to 6A, will be played at 5 p.m.

The large school roster will be released Friday.

Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Any story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

Deer Lakes senior forward Nate Moore announced that he committed to play for Pitt Johnstown Tuesday afternoon. Moore, who averages a double-double for the Lancers this season, scored 27 points last Friday night to help Deer Lakes win its first round WPIAL Class 4A playoff game over Quaker Valley.

Moore has helped Deer Lakes win the WPIAL title during his sophomore and junior seasons. The Lancers will have a tough road to the finals this season. Deer Lakes will have to beat North Catholic, a team it lost to twice during the regular season, to reach the semifinals.

Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

The Bishop Canevin girls basketball team rolled to a 45-12 win over Springdale Monday on the road. Isabella Sysak led the Cruaders with a game-high 19 points.

The Crusaders were the lower-seeded team, but the result shouldn't really be considered an upset. Bishop Canevin dominated the game, building a 29-7 lead by halftime and started the game on a 6-0 run. The Dynamos haven't won a playoff game since 1998.

The Dynamos finished the season with 11 wins, which was their most since the 2012-13 season. Springdale also collected eight section wins, which was its most since the 2009-10 season.

Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to Rizzo42789@gmail or on X @J_oshrizzo.

The Allderdice boys and girls basketball teams held onto their City League titles this season. The Dragons' girls team won by a closer-than-expected margin of 52-45.

Allderdice's boys team was able to overcome a nine-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to win 59-53. Plenty of coverage from the event available.

Here are my stories for the Trib High School Sports Network:

Allderdice boys basketball wins fifth straight championship.

Allderdice girls hang on to defend title against Obama Academy

There's also an advance on the state playoffs for SB Live:

Hurry Up and Wait: City League Team's on way to subregional playoffs.

Jackson Nopwaskey scored a game-high 15 points to help Calvary Chapel Christian beat Redeemer Lutheran 47-33 in a Southwestern Pennsylvania Athletic Association playoff game Tuesday night at Penn Hills High School. The Lions never let the Rams get settled into the contest.

Calvary led 8-3 after the first quarter. The Lions closed the half with a 9-0 run that put the game out of reach. Calvary led 23-6 at the break. Topher Driscoll led Redeemer Lutheran with 14 points. The Rams only made two field goals in the first half and made all four of their 3-pointers after halftime.

Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. All story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on Twitter @J_oshRizzo.

Following Arkansas coach John Calipari to Kentucky hasn't worked out how Adou Theiro thought it would.  Thiero, a Quaker Valley graduate, has been productive on the court. But the Razorbacks have struggled to win games consistently.

But on Saturday night, Thiero, and has coach, got revenge on their former school by beating Kentucky 89-79 at Rupp Arena. Thiero finished with a game-high 21 points. The Razorbacks led by one at halftime, but really dominated the last 20 minutes. The Razorbacks (13-8, 2-6 SEC) are still well outside the picture for the NCAA Division I Tournament, but Thiero has continued to provide proof he could be headed for the NBA.

Thiero averages 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.