Mar 6, 2025
Lanie Wilt shoots a fade away jumper over McKenna Whitehurst.
By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Friday marks the beginning of another month-long pursuit of a PIAA basketball championship that will end successfully for 12 teams in the state.
Locally, 14 teams from the Mirror’s core coverage area remain in the hunt and some have a realistic shot at bringing home a state championship.
This year’s PIAA tournament will have a different feel. The first three rounds will be the same, starting this weekend, continuing on Tuesday and Wednesday and then picking up for the quarterfinals next weekend.
But when eight teams remain in each classification, the tournament will shift to a week between games from the quarterfinal round to the semifinals and then to the state championships.
This is the result of the host arena of the state championships, the Giant Center, booking an event the original weekend of the state championships while the bidding process for the state finals was in the air and it wasn’t sure whether the championships would return to Hershey.
The tournament is expected to return to its normal format next season.
Could this impact who wins states?
Will teams be rusty with a week between important games? Will having great coaches make more of a difference because there will be longer to work in a game plan?
One classification locally that will most likely experience games played that deep into the tournament will be Class 1A girls, so the analysis will start there.
Class 1A girls
Four teams from the Mirror’s coverage area will be part of this 32-team field, and they all have a legitimate shot to win multiple games.
Bishop Guilfoyle Academy is the defending PIAA Class 1A champion, and the Lady Marauders should be considered the favorite to win it again.
It could be argued BG has gotten stronger with the additions of freshmen Layona Williams and Mary Haigh, though the recent loss of Stella Yeskey to an injury hurts their overall size.
The Lady Marauders looked dominant for most of the District 6 tournament, which is a good barometer for success considering District 6 has been the strongest district in this classification for years.
BG shouldn’t have any problem in the first round against Clarion-Limestone, though a second-round matchup with an Aquinas Academy team that has a lot of PIAA playoff experience is a game the Lady Marauders will have to play well in. From there, the quarterfinals will probably mean a rematch from last year with DuBois Central Catholic or a game we didn’t get to see in the District 6 tournament against St. Joseph’s and star guard Naomi Crispin, who scored 49 against Williamsburg in the consolation game.
Speaking of the Lady Blue Pirates, they have a really tough opener at undefeated WPIAL champion Union, which knocked them out of the playoffs two years ago. Interestingly, that Williamsburg team was expected to go far, and Union was playing with house money. This year, the roles are reversed, and there isn’t a lot of pressure on Williamsburg — which makes it very dangerous, especially in a 1:30 p.m. Saturday game where anything can happen.
The winner of that game will likely meet up with District 6 runner-up Bishop Carroll Catholic in the quarterfinals. The Lady Huskies are young, but they will be the favorites against both Coudersport and likely WPIAL fifth-place team Saint Joseph’s in the second round.
It’s not completely out of the question that the quarterfinals on this half of the bracket could feature all District 6 teams, though Union and DuBois Central Catholic will have plenty to say about that.
With that said, Bishop Guilfoyle Academy seems to be the favorite to return to the state finals, because the Lady Marauders just cruised through the District 6 tournament. They also have a coach in Kristi Kaack that has been down this road before with state titles in 2021 and 2024 and always has her team ready for what their opponents bring to the table.
On the other side of the bracket, District 5 champion Northern Bedford has a chance to win in the first round for the second year in a row. The Lady Panthers don’t have as strong of a team this season, but the smaller schools in District 3 like Mount Calvary Christian have not played well in the state tournament. Northern Bedford would also likely have a shot in the second round against either Delco Christian or New Covenant Christian, but unfortunately NBC doesn’t have enough consistently good play to predict a longer run for the Lady Panthers.
It’s always tough to predict the upper half of Class 1A’s bracket, but District 4 champion Lourdes Regional at 20-6 is always a good bet for a long run and could possibly be BG’s challenger in Hershey.
Class 2A girls
Normally a Bellwood-Antis girls team with a star like Lilly Gerwert and really solid senior leadership from players like Leigha Clapper and Jenna Norton would be considered a threat for a potential long run in the state playoffs.
But drawing Berlin Brothersvalley in the first round of the state tournament is really unlucky.
The Lady Mountaineers are one of the top programs in the state and will be as tough of an out as any team on their side of the bracket.
In the lower half, expect big things from Penns Manor, Bishop McCort and Kennedy Catholic.
Class 3A girls
The last time the Central Cambria girls were in the state playoffs in 2019, they made it all the way to the PIAA semifinals. The Lady Red Devils certainly have a chance to make a similar run this year with winnable games against Keystone Oaks at home on Friday followed by a game against either District 9 champion Karns City or Ellwood City.
The issue that has plagued Central Cambria all season is a lack of consistency. Sometimes it’s good, because any player can randomly lead the Devils any night, but others it leads to long scoring droughts that will hurt them at this time of the season.
Cambria Heights has a tough challenge in WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round, but first-year coach Eric Thomas has developed the Lady Highlanders into more than just a one-scorer show in Sienna Kirsch like they were last year. Gracey Vinglish has a 40-point game to her credit, and others like Lilly Karlheim can be depended on for a big shot. No matter the result of this game, the season has been a success in Patton.
Class 4A girls
Penn Cambria surprised a lot of people by winning a state playoff game two years ago in their first PIAA Class 4A state appearance, and the Lady Panthers surprised a lot of people by just getting there this season.
The style Penn Cambria plays makes teams vulnerable to an upset with fresh players constantly coming on and off the court, but a win over North Catholic would fall under yet another surprise for the Lady Panthers.
Class 5A girls
Hollidaysburg has dominated Class 5A in District 6 for most of the time Class 5A has existed.
But the Lady Tigers bugaboo has been getting past the second round of the state playoffs.
Technically, they did reach the PIAA quarterfinals in 2021, but that’s because the tournament began in that round.
Hollidaysburg suffered heartbreak in 2023 when Oakland Catholic stole a game from them in the final seconds to win by a single point with the quarterfinals in sight, but this could be the year the Lady Tigers end that drought.
Indiana, which won a state playoff game last year, is no slouch in the first round. But the Little Indians also lost to Class 1A Williamsburg this year, and Hollidaysburg should win this game.
Next up would likely be York Suburban as Bethel Park is coming off a loss to Indiana, but District 3 doesn’t have any schools in this classification that are real threats to make a long run in the state playoffs. With Hollidaysburg’s three starting seniors Bella Vent, Lauren Stevenson and Alissa Heim, this could be the year the Lady Tigers make the leap.
Class 6A
Speaking of a leap, this is Altoona’s year to make one.
The combination of having experienced senior star guards like Lanie Wilt and Melana Eyer to go with a budding superstar freshman in Brionna Hudson — not to mention a versatile player like Zaelihn Nguyen-Moore — means the Lady Lions can do some damage.
They have not had much PIAA playoff success under Chris Fleegle, but this should be the year that ends. Norwin, Altoona’s first opponent, was losing by double digits to Bishop Guilfoyle Academy before fighting back and losing by a basket. Altoona already has a lopsided win over one of its potential second round opponents in Mechanicsburg.
There is simply no team Altoona should fear with its firepower, but the Lady Lions still have to go out and do it. It isn’t easy to grow up and not see a team from your school make very long runs in the state tournament during your years in the program and then be the one to do it.
We’ll see what Altoona is capable of, but with the WPIAL Class 6A a bit down this year, this could be the time for a deep run.
Class 1A boys
It’s strange not to see the Bishop Carroll Catholic boys in the field — or any teams from the Mirror’s coverage area here this season.
Conemaugh Valley and Saint Joseph’s, the District 6 representatives, are unlikely to make any deep runs.
Class 2A boys
District 6 champion Portage is back in the PIAA playoffs after a year away and could be in a position to win a few games.
The Mustangs have a strong senior group that has played together for a long time, and that’s so valuable when it comes to crunch time.
Unfortunately for Portage, the last time it made it this far, Cameron County ran the Mustangs out of their own gym before it could even get to crunch time. Northgate has the athletic ability to pull away from Portage if the Flames get hot, not to mention more size.
But if it is close late, expect Portage to be celebrating at the end.
From there it would either be a Clarion team from District 9, which has proven to be a tough district in the lower classifications of boys basketball, or Muncy — probably still stinging from last year’s upset loss to Claysburg-Kimmel.
If the Mustangs make it to the PIAA quarterfinals, it’s tough to know what to expect as they will be going up against teams from the other side of the state.
Class 3A boys
Beyond Class 1A girls, this classification has been one of the more successful for area teams over the past few seasons with Penn Cambria reaching the PIAA semifinals two years ago and Bishop Guilfoyle winning several games.
Both teams are back in the field this year, but the Panthers start with a long road trip to Camp Hill to play District 3 champion Trinity and Owen Schlager, who has more than 2,000 career points and is committed to Siena.
But don’t forget that Penn Cambria led Bishop Guilfoyle at BG by 16, and the Marauders beat Trinity this regular season. The problem is the Panthers lost that 16-point lead and the game to BG and have failed to find that top-tier consistent play they had during the PIAA semifinal run.
Bishop Guilfoyle is reeling after its first loss to a District 6 team this season in the championship game when Forest Hills avenged an earlier defeat.
Bishop Canevin is a threat in the first round, and BG can’t afford to fall behind by double digits like it has in its last two games at Pleasant Valley gymnasium.
A win in that game yields a tough reward — WPIAL champion South Allegheny. The Marauders would have to play their best game of the season to come out on top in that one, but as they proved by winning the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game over District 6 Class 5A champion Johnstown, they are capable of beating great teams.
Class 4A boys
Central won its first District 6 championship since 1995, but the Scarlet Dragons did so in a depleted classification.
That isn’t to say Central isn’t good. It’s just hard to pinpoint how good the Dragons are. They have won 19 games and lost close games to very good teams.
A win over Beaver would be Central’s first in the state playoffs since that 1995 season when it beat Mountour in the first round and would be an excellent way for one of the better basketball players from Central, Eli Muthler, to wrap up his career.
With WPIAL runner-up North Catholic likely looming in the next round, keep in mind that Central’s style of play keeps it in almost every game.
Class 5A, 6A boys
Though there are no teams from the Mirror’s core coverage area in either of these brackets, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Johnstown and star guards Donte Tisinger and Amire Robinson make it to at least the PIAA quarterfinals in Class 5A.
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