It’s not March, but the first day of the WPIAL basketball playoffs could certainly qualify as madness.
Forty-five preliminary- and first-round games of the boys and girls WPIAL basketball playoffs tip off Saturday at 12 high schools across the area. Since the historic snowfall that hit the region this month pushed back the playoff start date by a day, most schools will be hosting quadruple-headers to make up the time lost with a dormant Friday night.
Four games in one gym, one after the other. Madness? Well, you be the judge.
Ten high schools are hosting four games apiece Saturday, and the full day’s schedule, broken down by site, is listed at the bottom of this post.
Here are the links to the brackets of each classification:
Boys
Girls
Too much hoops to comprehend? Here are some games to watch Saturday:
Boys Class AAAA No. 6 Gateway (15-4) vs. No. 11 Norwin (14-7), noon at North Allegheny — Gateway has as much talent and size as any team in the WPIAL with sophomore G/F Tyler Scott (6-5), who averages 16 points per game, junior F Devon Cottrell (6-6) and senior G/F Mike Kromka (6-7). But which Gateway team will show up? The one that beat Central Catholic by 7 or the one that lost to Oliver by 10? Plus, this is a rematch. The Gators won their first game of the season at Norwin, 61-58.
Boys Class AAAA No. 8 Baldwin (14-7) vs. No. 9 McKeesport (14-6), 4 p.m. at Gateway — McKeesport guard Ty-Meer Brown, who signed to play football next year at Connecticut, is an athlete worth watching. Baldwin, meanwhile, won 9 of 11 games to end its season, finishing second to Mt. Lebanon in Section 4.
Girls Class AAAA No. 8 Norwin (17-5) vs. No. 9 Fox Chapel (17-3), 2 p.m. at North Allegheny — Fox Chapel F Jenny Papich (6-1) is one of the WPIAL’s top scorers, averaging 18 points per game, and will test Section 1 champion Norwin.
Girls Class AAAA No. 7 Bethel Park (16-5) vs. No. 10 McKeesport (16-4), 6 p.m. at Gateway — McKeesport was two points away from at least sharing the Section 2 title with Oakland Catholic. Two of the Tigers’ three section losses came to Fox Chapel, 51-50, in December and to Oakland Catholic, 34-33, in January. Bethel Park, meanwhile, nearly upset No. 1 Mt. Lebanon in a 50-47 loss on Feb. 12.
And here’s the full menu:
At Baldwin High School
Noon: Girls A prelims Geibel (10-11) vs. Mt. Alvernia (9-10)
2 p.m.: Girls AA prelims OLSH (11-10) vs. Brownsville (8-13)
4 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Beaver Falls (7-15) vs. South Fayette (15-6)
6 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Jeannette (14-7) vs. Brentwood (10-9)
At Butler High School
Noon: Girls A prelims St. Joseph (8-14) vs. Western Beaver (3-14)
2 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Freeport (14-2) vs. Summit Academy (9-11)
4 p.m.: Girls AAA prelims West Mifflin (11-9) vs. Highlands (13-9)
6 p.m.: Boys AAA prelims Highlands (12-9) vs. New Castle (6-14)
At Chartiers Valley High School
Noon: Boys AA prelims New Brighton (10-8) vs. Burgettstown (11-9)
2 p.m.: Girls AAAA prelims North Hills (10-11) vs. Woodland Hills (6-13)
4 p.m.: Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 5 Oakland Catholic (15-5) vs. No. 12 Peters Township (11-11)
6 p.m.: Boys AAAA 1st rd. No. 7 Butler (16-4) vs. No. 10 Peters Township (12-9)
At Fox Chapel High School
Noon: Boys AAAA 1st rd. No. 2 North Allegheny (17-4) vs. No. 15 Canon-McMillan (9-11)
2 p.m.: GYM A Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 6 North Allegheny (17-5) vs. No. 11 Kiski Area (15-6)
GYM B Girls AAAA prelims Penn Hills (8-13) vs. Penn-Trafford (13-9)
4 p.m.: Boys AAAA 1st Rd. No. 3 Central Catholic (16-4) vs. No. 14 Kiski Area (15-6)
At Gateway High School
Noon: Boys AAAA 1st rd. No. 4 Plum (18-4) vs. No. 13 Latrobe (13-8)
2 p.m.: Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 3 Baldwin (17-4) vs. No. 14 Plum (8-14)
4 p.m.: Boys AAAA 1st rd. No. 8 Baldwin (14-7) vs. No. 9 McKeesport (14-6)
6 p.m.: Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 7 Bethel Park (16-5) vs. No. 10 McKeesport (16-4)
At Hempfield High School
Noon: Girls AA prelims Washington (12-8) vs. Springdale (10-10)
2 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Riverview (11-8) vs. West Shamokin (11-8)
4 p.m.: Boys AA prelims California (15-6) vs. Apollo-Ridge (13-8)
6 p.m.: Boys AAA prelims Valley (9-13) vs. Indiana (10-11)
At Keystone Oaks High School
Noon: Boys AAA prelims Mars (12-7) vs. West Allegheny (12-8)
2 p.m.: Girls AAA prelims Mars (12-10) vs. Belle Vernon (14-8)
4 p.m.: Boys AAA prelims Deer Lakes (12-7) vs. Belle Vernon (15-6)
6 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Deer Lakes (16-4) vs. Riverside (15-7)
At Northgate High School
Noon: Girls A prelims Monaca (4-15) vs. Avella (13-7)
2 p.m.: Boys A prelims Monaca (4-16) vs. Mapletown (7-12)
4 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Ford City (14-7) vs. Mohawk (15-7)
6 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Quaker Valley (19-3) vs. Ford City (7-14)
At North Allegheny High School:
Noon: Boys AAAA 1st rd. No. 6 Gateway (15-4) vs. No. 11 Norwin (14-7)
2 p.m.: Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 8 Norwin (17-5) vs. No. 9 Fox Chapel (17-3)
4 p.m.: Boys AAAA prelims Fox Chapel (9-11) vs. Shaler (10-10)
6 p.m.: Girls AAAA 1st rd. No. 4 Shaler (17-4) vs. No. 13 Hempfield (14-6)
At North Hills High School:
Noon: Girls AAA prelims Kittanning (16-6) vs. McGuffey (6-12)
2 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Wilkinsburg (13-5) vs. Sto-Rox (11-10)
4 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Bishop Canevin (15-5) vs. Aliquippa (9-13)
6 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Burrell (14-7) vs. Bishop Canevin (11-11)
At Ringgold High School:
1 p.m.: Boys AAA prelims Elizabeth Forward (7-12) vs. Mt. Pleasant (12-8)
3 p.m.: Girls AAA prelims Elizabeth Forward (4-15) vs. Laurel Highlands (14-8)
5 p.m.: Girls AAA prelims Yough (11-7) vs. Montour (10-10)
At West Allegheny High School:
3 p.m.: Girls AA prelims Charleroi (12-6) vs. Neshannock (12-8)
5 p.m.: Boys AA prelims Monessen (16-4) vs. Laurel (12-7)
— By Pat Mitsch
