Quaker Valley, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin Capture WPIAL Basketball Gold

Friday, March 4, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted its first of three Boys’ & Girls’ Basketball Championship days at the Petersen Events Center on Thursday, crowning champions in the 1A and 4A boys’ classifications and the 3A girls’ classification.

4A BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
In a championship bout that featured 13 lead changes and four other deadlocks, top-seeded Quaker Valley landed the final blow as it knocked off second-seeded Montour, 61-52, to win the second WPIAL boys’ basketball title in school history.

Senior guard Adou Thiero filled the stat sheet for Quaker Valley (23-0), finishing with game highs in points (31), rebounds (17), blocks (7), and assists (3). Classmate Markus Frank added 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, as the Quakers converted 44.2 percent of their field goal attempts as a team.

Montour (20-5) was led by senior guard Vason Stevenson, who scored a team-best 23 points on 11-of-16 field goal attempts and added eight rebounds. Classmate Tyriq Eleam tallied four of the Spartans’ six blocks on defense.

Quaker Valley previously won the WPIAL title in 1997, while Montour was looking for its third crown to add to its 2011 and 2013 championships.

Six WPIAL schools will move onto the PIAA Championships – Quaker Valley, Montour, Lincoln Park, Belle Vernon, Deer Lakes, and Burrell.

3A GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
The all-time leader in WPIAL girls’ basketball championships added another to its mantle in the second game of the Thursday triple-header, as top-seeded North Catholic edged third-seeded Freedom Area, 48-43, to win its 21st PIAA District VII crown.

North Catholic (19-5) shot 41.7 percent from the floor and led nearly wire-to-wire, but Freedom Area (18-5) kept pace for the game’s entirety with a 39-28 difference on the glass and forcing 14 turnovers.

The Trojans had three players to reach double-digit scoring in sophomore guard Alayna Rocco (15), junior guard Dacia Lewandowski (13), and junior guard Victoria Drevna (11). Rocco was 6-of-14 from the floor and added two blocks, while Lewandowski provided four rebounds and three rejections.

For the Bulldogs, senior guard Renae Mohrbacher posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds – both being game highs. Sophomore guard Shaye Bailey added 11 points on a trio of three-pointers and puled down five rebounds.

North Catholic has now won a WPIAL girls’ basketball championship in five of the last six seasons, previously capturing 4A glory from 2017 to 2020. Freedom Area was looking for its first WPIAL girls’ basketball title.

Six WPIAL schools have qualified for the PIAA Championships – North Catholic, Freedom Area, Waynesburg Central, Avonworth, Laurel, and Keystone Oaks.

1A BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP [Box Score]
Top-seeded Bishop Canevin led wire-to-wire in its attempt to repeat at 1A, succeeding with a 58-45 victory over third-seeded Union in the first game of Thursday’s triple-header.

Bishop Canevin (20-4) opened a 12-7 first-quarter lead against Union (22-3) and never looked back from there, pushing the gap as much as 17 points early in the fourth quarter. The Crusaders converted 46.9 percent of their field goal attempts and finished 27-for-33 (81.8%) at the free throw stripe, and held the Scotties to a 31.4 percent mark from the floor.

Junior guard Shea Champine led Bishop Canevin with 15 points, 13 of which the second half. Freshman guard Amari Evans tacked on 10 points to go with seven rebounds and three steals, and senior forward Jaden Gales provided four of the Crusaders’ six blocks defensively.

Union had two players in double-figures scoring, with junior guard Matthew Stanley’s 16 points leading all players. Junior forward Mark Stanley added 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and two steals.

This is Bishop Canevin’s second WPIAL title, while Union was in pursuit of its second overall and first since 2003.

Five WPIAL schools will move onto the PIAA Championships – Bishop Canevin, Union, Geibel Catholic, Imani Christian Academy, and Rochester.

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