Five WPIAL Basketball Title Tilts Conclude Championship Weekend

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) finished its three-day Boys’ & Girls’ Basketball Championship slate with five games at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday, crowning champions in the 2A and 6A boys’ classifications and the 1A, 4A, and 5A girls’ classifications.

6A BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
A 45-year drought came to an end to conclude the WPIAL Boys’ & Girls’ Basketball Championships, as second-seeded Fox Chapel captured its first boys’ title since 1977 with a 43-36 win over top-seeded North Hills on Saturday.

Fox Chapel (24-1) made up for its lone loss of the season to North Hills (24-1) by outscoring the Indians, 24-16, in the second half. The Foxes doubled up North Hills in points from turnovers, 14-7, and outscored their opponents in the paint, 28-18.

Senior guard James Dockey led Fox Chapel with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Classmate Eli Yofan was one of three Foxes with eight points each (Colin Kwiatkowski, Russell Fenton), with a trifecta early in the fourth quarter giving his team a lead it wouldn’t relinquish at 31-28.

Senior forward Devin Burgess paced all scorers with 13 points (4-8 FG, 4-4 FT) and collected five rebounds. Sophomore forward Royce Parham contributed eight points, eight caroms, and three blocks, and senior guard Matthew Seidl pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

This is Fox Chapel’s second WPIAL boys’ basketball title, while North Hills was in pursuit of its first.

Four schools have qualified for the PIAA Championships – Fox Chapel, North Hills, Central Catholic, and Mt. Lebanon.

5A GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
The third time was the charm for second-seeded South Fayette, as it knocked off top-seeded Chartiers Valley, 57-48, in the fourth of five WPIAL boys’ and girls’ basketball championship games held on Saturday.

South Fayette (22-4) dropped its two regular-season contests to Chartiers Valley (24-2) by a combined nine points, but made up for it by leading its Section I foes for 25:19 of the game’s 32 minutes. The Lions were efficient offensively by shooting 43.2 percent from the field, and converted 23-of-30 free throws to squash the Colts’ comeback hopes.

Four South Fayette players reached double-figures scoring, led by junior guard Maddie Webber’s 17 points. Junior forward Ava Leroux (11), sophomore guard Lainey Yater (10), and sophomore forward Erica Hall (10) also hit double-digits, and Webber and Leroux nearly posted double-doubles with nine and eight rebounds, respectively.

Senior forward Perri Page led all players with 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting for Chartiers Valley, while senior guard Aislin Malcolm added 15 points and two steals. Another senior guard, Marian Turnbull, dished out a game-high five assists.

This is South Fayette’s second WPIAL girls’ basketball title, previously winning in 2016. Chartiers Valley had previously won the last three titles in the 5A classification and four of the last five.

Seven schools will move onto the PIAA Championships – South Fayette, Chartiers Valley, McKeesport, Moon, Greater Latrobe, Oakland Catholic, and Trinity.

4A GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
Trailing 22-18 at halftime, top-seeded Blackhawk bounced back with a stellar second-half performance, ultimately defeating third-seeded Knoch, 55-35, in the third of five contests of Saturday’s WPIAL boys’ and girls’ basketball championship weekend.

Blackhawk (24-0) kept its unbeaten record intact with a masterful effort over the final 16 minutes, outscoring Knoch (21-3) by a 37-13 margin. The Cougars held the Knights to 5-of-19 shooting in the second half, and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the fourth quarter offensively.

Junior guard Quinn Borroni poured in a game-high 22 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-6 FT), nearly reaching a double-double by adding nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Alena Fusetti added 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-4 FT), six caroms, and two steals, and classmate Kassie Potts dished out a game-best six assists.

Knoch junior guard Nina Shaw paced the team with 13 points, coupling that with six rebounds. Freshman forward Karlee Buterbaugh pulled down nine rebounds and scored seven points.

This is Blackhawk’s eighth WPIAL girls’ basketball title, moving the Cougars into a three-way tie for third all-time with Mt. Alvernia and Penn Hills. Knoch was attempting to win its first championship.

Six schools have qualified for the PIAA Championships – Blackhawk, Knoch, Elizabeth Forward, Southmoreland, Quaker Valley, and Montour.

2A BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
For just the second time in WPIAL boys’ basketball history, a school has won four consecutive championships as top-seeded Our Lady of Sacred Heart defeated second-seeded Fort Cherry, 60-36, in the second game of Saturday’s WPIAL boys’ and girls’ basketball title tilts.

Our Lady of Sacred Heart (23-0) is the first school since Midland (1971-77) to claim championship gold four straight years. The Chargers shot 44.0 percent from the field and held Fort Cherry (23-3) to a 29.8 percent mark, and won the turnover battle by a 15-8 margin.

Senior guard Jake DiMichele finished with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double, adding six steals to lead the game in all three categories. Senior center Dawson Summers tacked on 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while junior forward Bryson Kirschner provided nine points.

The Rangers were led offensively by senior guard Dylan Rogers, who tallied 13 points and seven rebounds. Classmate Maddox Truschel nearly registered a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine caroms to go along with four assists and three steals.

Fort Cherry was making its first WPIAL boys’ basketball championship appearance since 1961.

Six schools will move onto the PIAA Championships – Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Carlynton, Sto-Rox, and Winchester Thurston.

1A GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
Seventh-seeded Bishop Canevin led wire-to-wire in the first of five contests in Saturday’s WPIAL boys’ and girls’ basketball championship slate, coming away with a 59-40 victory over fourth-seeded Aquinas Academy.

Bishop Canevin (17-9) entered the weekend as the lowest seeded team across all 12 boys’ and girls’ title tilts, having beaten second-seeded West Greene and third-seeded Union to make it to the Petersen Events Center.

Four players for Bishop Canevin reached double-figures scoring, as freshman forward Rachel Boehm, junior forward Josie Bochicchio, and junior guards Mackenzie Huet and Ashley Lippold all scored 13 points each. Huet and Lippold combined to shoot 12-of-15 from the floor, while the latter registered a double-double with 10 rebounds and added seven assists and three steals.

Aquinas Academy (14-7) saw senior forwards Elizabeth Russell and Emilia Kartsonas share high scorer honors with 14 points apiece, and Kartsonas added eight caroms and three blocks defensively. The duo combined to convert 14-of-23 field goal attempts.

This is the sixth WPIAL girls’ basketball title for Bishop Canevin, all coming since 2013. Aquinas Academy was in search of its first championship.

Six schools have qualified for the PIAA Championships – Bishop Canevin, Aquinas Academy, Union, Saint Joseph, West Greene, and Monessen.

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