WPIAL Basketball Championships Day 3: South Allegheny makes history; Aliquippa and Oakland Catholic snap long streaks; Upper St. Clair girls and Chartiers Valley boys flex muscles

The bench for the Aliquippa girls basketball team celebrates their win following the final horn of the WPIAL Class 2A title game Saturday at Petersen Events Center. The Quips won 54-51 to win heir first tile in 34 years. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

Playing 12 championship games over three days means the WPIAL will always see a number of trends emerge and end. History will be made and dreams will be crushed. The Aliquippa girls basketball team and South Allegheny boys basketball team were on the good side of history Saturday at Petersen Events Center.

The Gladiators rallied from a four-point deficit in the final 40 seconds to stun two-time defending champion Aliquippa in the Class 3A boys game. Aliquippa was able to hold on in the fourth quarter to topple section rival Neshannock. The Quips won their first championship since 1990 and the fifth in program history.

Block or Charge?
Blackhawk thought it had taken a lead in the WPIAL championship game when Aubree Hupp scored on a driving layup in the final minute. However, the play was waived off when it was ruled Hupp committed a charge. Instead, Oakland catholic's Alayla Bivins made the game-winning shot with six minutes remaining to propel the Eagles to a 52-50 win in the Class 5A game.

It was the seventh WPIAL championship for Oakland Catholic's program and first since 2006. Hupp had an excellent game for the Cougars (23-3). She finished with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds. London Creach led Oakland Catholic with 12 points, while Madi Pullen had 11.

Upper St. Clair asserts dominance
The Panthers split with Norwin during the regular season. But during the rubber match of the Class 6A title game, Upper St. Clair's defense helped carry them to a 45-40 win over the Knights. Norwin only shot 20 percent (3-of-15) from the 3-point line in the loss.

Rylee Kalocay led the Panthers with 16 points, while Ryan Prunzik added 11 for Upper St. Clair. Ava Christopher led Norwin with 11.

Chartiers Valley climbs back on top
Wherever Corey Dotchin lands, championships seem to follow. The first-year Chartiers Valley coach led the fourth-seeded Colts to their seventh WPIAL title by knocking off Peters Township 73-66 in the 5A final. Dotchin was an assistant on the Highlands team that won the district in 2020.

Jayden Davis, who is a 2,000-point scorer in his career, led the Colts with 28 points. Ben Miller led the Indians with 18 points.

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