By Josh Rizzo
MONROEVILLE - Mike O'Lare came out of the locker room following Mohawks' 59-45 loss to Forest Hills in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A boys basketball tournament full of reflection. The Warriors graduated six players from last season's team that made the state quarterfinals and only had guard Bobby Fadden to lean on.

Mohawk (21-7) responded by placing third in the WPIAL and beating Chestnut Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs. But against the Rangers, the Warriors ran into a deeper team.

"We discussed that in the locker room," O'Lare said. "I have a ton of sophomores and a year from now, we've got to be at that point and that's on me. We have to have nine or 10 guys ready. You know, we have to develop a bench. You can't play in a state quarterfinal game with five games and expect to win those games. You have to have some depth. I thought Forest Hills had some nice depth to them. We've got to get back to work."

Mohawk led 15-10 after the first quarter. However, the Rangers' stifling defense made life difficult of Fadden. Fadden scored a team-high 18 points, but he was shut out in the second and fourth quarters.

Drew Wrona knocked down three 3-pointers for the Warriors and he finished with 10 points.
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"It's hard for Bobby to accept losing and we tell him he doesn't have to do it himself," O'Lare said. "We've got guys to help. Tonight, I thought he did. He moved the ball. When they started covering him up a little bit, he was trying to find other guys and did."

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.

Plum senior guard William Beckner announced his commitment to Saint Vincent College on X Friday afternoon. Beckner averaged 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game for the Mustangs. 

Beckner was selected second-team all-section by the Big 56.

The 5-foot-9 guard will be heading to a program that has had strong run of season in the past few seasons. The Bearcats went 20-6 this season, but were eliminated by the Washington & Jefferson in the Presidents' Athletic Conference semifinals. Two years ago, Saint Vincent lost in the PAC championship game to Geneva.
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Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and College. Story ideas can be submitted at [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 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.

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.

Springdale got revenge of Riverview for a defeat earlier this season.