What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 11, 2025: Chartiers Valley, Montour ready for Round 4 – TribLIVE.com

By: Don Rebel
Monday, March 10, 2025 | 10:17 PM
Montour’s Kaleb Platz scores against Chartiers Valley’s Danny Slizik on Jan. 21.
Welcome to the second round of the PIAA basketball playoffs with action taking place in the boys Class 5A, 4A and A brackets, along with girls Class 6A, 3A and 2A tournament games.
They say familiarity breeds contempt.
If that is true, it will be time to buckle up at Bethel Park at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
That is the site and time for the fourth and final matchup of the year between district boys basketball rivals Chartiers Valley (24-3) and Montour (25-2).
The Spartans won the regular season battle while the Colts were victors in the WPIAL war.
Who gets the final laugh with a berth in the state quarterfinals at stake?
Back in mid-December, Montour won at Chartiers Valley, 66-60. Spartans senior Ama Sow and Colts senior Jayden Davis each scored 25 points.
In the rematch at Montour on Jan. 21, the Spartans were led by 29 points from junior Colton Straight in the 78-67 win. Davis also scored 29 points for CV.
The two Section 4-5A rivals collided again on the neutral floor of Mt. Lebanon in a WPIAL semifinal with No. 4 Chartiers Valley stunning top seed Montour, 47-44. Once again it was Davis pacing the Colts with 20 points.
The fourth clash became reality Friday as both the Colts and Spartans picked up first-round wins on the Road to Hershey.
Davis scored 15 as WPIAL champion Chartiers Valley crushed Cocalico, 62-29.
Junior Kalaeb Platz scored 28 points to lead Montour to a opening-round victory over Milton Hershey, 68-49.
The two other PIAA boys 5A second-round games involving WPIAL teams are:
• District 6 champion Johnstown (25-1) is challenged by WPIAL No. 6 Latrobe (21-6) at Pitt-Johnstown at 7 p.m.
• WPIAL runner-up Peters Township (19-8) goes up against District 3 No. 3 West York (21-6) at Altoona at 6 p.m.
Another Final 4 rematch
Chartiers Valley against Montour isn’t the only PIAA boys basketball second-round rematch of a WPIAL semifinal set for Tuesday.
In Class 4A hoops, WPIAL runner-up North Catholic (20-6) will square off again against WPIAL No. 4 Beaver at North Allegheny at 8 p.m.
The Trojans and Bobcats met in the district final four, and it wasn’t close.
North Catholic jumped out to a 21-10 lead after one quarter, led by 15 at the half, and it was a runaway by the fourth quarter with the Trojans winning big, 71-42.
Juniors Jason Fredericks and Jude Rottman combined for 55 points for the Trojans while Bobcats senior Brady Mayo scored 21 points.
Fredericks and Mayo each scored 25 points in opening-round wins with North Catholic beating Hickory and Beaver eliminating District 6 champion Martinsburg Central.
In the first game scheduled for 6 p.m. at North Allegheny, WPIAL champion Belle Vernon (22-4) will face District 10 runner-up Sharon (19-8).
The Leopards’ golden season continued in the PIAA first round with a tough win over Farrell, 74-63.
Seniors Tommy Davis and Trevor Kovatch each scored 18 points to lead Belle Vernon.
Also in the state first round, the Tigers defeated Avonworth, 82-74.
Showdown in boys A
They both won their respective district and have dominated the competition this season with both teams combining to go 50-2.
One of the top matchups in the state Tuesday has WPIAL champion and state No. 1 Neighborhood Academy (25-1) doing battle with District 9 runner-up and state-ranked No. 5 Elk County Catholic (25-1) at Clarion University at 6 p.m.
The Bulldogs have won 15 straight games and a district crown since losing to Beaver by one point Jan. 4.
The Crusaders won their first 24 games before losing to Otto-Eldred in the D-9 title game, 52-51.
Both teams destroyed their first-round state foes.
Neighborhood Academy cruised past Shanksville-Shade, 95-32, as senior Courtney Wallace Jr. scored 2o points, while Elk County Catholic was crushing Youngsville, 88-25.
These teams nearly met in the PIAA quarterfinals a year ago, but in this same second round, the Bulldogs lost to Bishop Carroll in overtime by one point and the Crusaders fell to Union by two points.
The two other PIAA boys Class A second-round games involving WPIAL teams are:
• WPIAL runner-up Serra Catholic (22-4) goes up against District 9 champion Otto-Eldred (26-1) at Clarion University at 7:30 p.m.
• District 5 champion Turkeyfoot Valley (23-3) will play the No. 4 seed out of the WPIAL in Aquinas Academy (19-7) at Norwin at 7:30 p.m.
Rubber game
The rubber hit the road Tuesday — the Road to Hershey, that is — as two section rivals collide for a spot in the 6A girls basketball state quarterfinals and for bragging rights in the offseason.
It is the rubber game of what will now be a three-game series when WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair (20-6) takes on Canon-McMillan (16-9) at 7:30 p.m. at Peters Township.
In the first meeting Dec. 19, host Upper St. Clair broke open a tight game with a big second quarter in which it had a 19-6 scoring edge on its way to a convincing victory, 66-44.
Senior Rylee Kalocay had 16 points and junior Ryan Prunzik added 15 points for the Panthers while junior Lauren Borella scored 14 to lead the Big Macs.
Canon-Mac turned the tables on visiting USC in the rematch Jan. 24.
Trailing early, the Big Macs outscored the Panthers in the second and third quarters combined 29-11 to hold on for the big home win, 45-38.
Borella had 12 points for Canon-McMillan while Kalocay led USC with a game-high 18 points.
Upper St. Clair roared past Manheim Township in its PIAA first-round game, 65-37, with Kalocay scoring 21 points.
Canon-McMillan had to hold on to defeat host Alldedice last Friday, 48-44, for the program’s first PIAA victory.
Getting defensive
The top three girls basketball 3A teams according to district seeds remain alive in the PIAA second round with two of them squaring off for a second time in the 2025 postseason.
WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic (22-5) goes up against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (23-4) at 6 p.m. at Peters Township.
In the first meeting, the Centurions got very defensive in eliminating the Chargers in the WPIAL semifinals, 41-18.
Junior Erica Gribble led GCC with 16 points while OLSH senior Claudia Ierullo led with seven points.
The Chargers were limited to six points in the first quarter, five in the second, two points in the third and five points in the final quarter.
In fact, the Centurions scored 18 points alone in the second quarter to take control of the game.
In their first-round state wins, Ierullo scored 18 points as OLSH defeated Seneca, 53-44, and junior Jayla Peterson dropped 23 points to lead GCC past Cambria Heights, 62-31.
In another second-round game, two teams with a combined record of 50-1 collide for a berth in the PIAA quarterfinals.
WPIAL runner-up Shady Side Academy (25-1) tries to knock District 10 champ Northwestern (25-0) from the ranks of the unbeaten when they meet at 6 p.m. at Union.
Junior Karis Thomas scored 16 points in the Bulldogs’ first-round win over Cranberry, 51-23.
The Wildcats advanced by beating Avonworth in the state opening round, 58-31.
Taking aim at the champs
Four WPIAL teams remain after one round of the PIAA Class 2A girls basketball playoffs, but three of them are now set to play neighboring district champions.
The only one who is not is the District 7 winner.
WPIAL champion Aliquippa (22-4) will square off against District 6 runner-up Penns Manor (23-5) at 6 p.m. at Gateway.
As for the other three D-7 teams Tuesday:
• District 9 champion Redbank Valley (21-6) goes up against South Side (20-7) at Gateway at 7:30 p.m.
• District 10 champ and 2A state No. 1 Kennedy Catholic (19-5) battles WPIAL runner-up Neshannock (24-3) at Union at 7:30 p.m.
• District 6 winner Bishop McCort (23-4) will take on Winchester Thurston (23-4) at Norwin at 6 p.m.
2A hockey final four
The 2025 PIHL Penguins Cup semifinals continues Tuesday at the RMU Island Sports Complex on Neville Island as the Class 2A final four takes place.
All four top seeds were victorious in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Fox Chapel (17-3-0-1) will face No. 4 Penn-Trafford (15-4-1-1) at 7 p.m.
That will be followed by No. 2 Cathedral Prep (15-4-2-0) vs. No. 3 Latrobe (16-5-0-0) at 9 p.m.
Both semifinals an be seen here on Trib HSSN.
In the quarterfinals, the Foxes beat Canon-McMillan 6-3, the Warriors doubled up Bishop McCort, 8-4, the Ramblers blanked Armstrong, 4-0, and the Wildcats eliminated Hempfield, 7-3

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