WPIAL champions embark on PIAA play
CV, SF, USC chasing state titles
After capturing WPIAL championships, Chartiers Valley, South Fayette and Upper St. Clair have their eyes on the bigger prize – a state title. The three South Hills area basketball teams embarked on the road to Hershey, hosting first-round games this past weekend in the PIAA tournament.
CV coach Corey Dotchin spoke for all the District 7 champions when he said that he was “ecstatic” over successfully navigating that portion of the journey but cautioned the challenges are just beginning.
“When we lost in the state semifinals last year, we knew what we brought back and the goal was to get back to where we were with this group this year. So we’re happy for the opportunity to have played in the WPIAL finals but we know the work’s not done. We still have more to do.”
Both the Colts and USC advanced to the PIAA semifinals in 2025 while South Fayette competed in the state championships. In fact, the Lions claimed their first-ever PIAA banner in girls basketball by upending powerhouse Archbishop Wood, 45-37, in the Class 5A final.
South Fayette (25-1) began defense of its title by entertaining Milton Hershey (17-9), the eighth-place finisher in District 3, on March 7.
Second-round action is set for March 11 with quarterfinal and semifinal games scheduled for March 14 and 17 at sites and times to be determined.
The PIAA Class 5A girls championship contest is set for 6 p.m. March 21 at the GIANT Center in Hershey.
The Lady Lions could face familiar foes along the way as the WPIAL qualified eight girls teams in Class 5A, including Thomas Jefferson.
The Lady Lions defeated the Jaguars on Feb. 27 to capture their fourth district championship in five years. After their 57-38 triumph, TJ head coach Matt Gould only had praise for the Lady Lions, who boast four Division I recruits.
“South Fayette is the best basketball team in the state,” he said. “They have two 1,000-point scorers and the best defender in the state. When you play against them, you’re up against it.”
From the start, the Jaguars faced an uphill battle in their attempt to upset the Lions. They fell behind, 8-0, at the start and trailed 15-9 after the first frame. When TJ pulled within two points after Emma Altavilla’s three-point play late in the third quarter, the Lions answered. In the final 10 minutes, they outscored the Jaguars, 29-12.
“They’re a veteran group so I knew they’d respond,” said SF head coach Bryan Bennett. “I was pleased with how they responded.
“Our defense locked in and communicated better and our shot selection picked up from that point, which was by far the difference in the ballgame.”
With the win, Juliette Leroux, Haylie Lamonde and Ryan Oldaker earned their third district gold medals.
Lamonde and Leroux, who both have surpassed 1,000 points for their careers, along with Lailah Wright, the anchor of the defense, led the offensive attack. Lamonde fired in 19 points while Leroux and Wright both finished with 14 tallies. All three dished up three assists each while Wright and Leroux picked up three steals apiece.
Oldaker controlled the boards for the Lions. She pulled down 11 rebounds. She also blocked four shots while pitching in nine points. Leroux and Wright also helped South Fayette hold a 32-21 advantage in rebounding with eight and seven boards respectively.
THREEPEAT
Meanwhile, USC (23-2) made history when the Panthers edged New Castle, 52-51, in the Class 6A final played Feb. 27 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
The title was USC’s third in a row and sixth in program history. It also was the first time a team in the WPIAL’s highest classification captured three straight championships.
“It’s such a gratifying moment to win three in a row,” said Dan Holzer, who has coached the Panthers for all their titles since taking the position in 1996. “The moment is unbelievable and I just want to soak it in.”
The title is especially satisfying for Holzer because the Panthers won during a rebuilding year. They had graduated 10 seniors, including 6-9 Tyler Robbins, who has the University of Miami in the midst of an undefeated season, from last year’s squad that toppled New Castle, 65-43, in the 2025 final.
The Panthers, however, still had a Robbins on the roster.
Ryan Robbins, Tyler’s younger brother, led USC to this year’s slim victory over the Red Hurricane. The 6-8 junior center, who is a Division I football recruit at offensive line, pumped in 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He blocked two shots and picked up one assist and one steal.
Luke Marchinsky and Jake Foster, who are the only seniors on the squad, also bolstered the offense. Marchinsky fired in 14 points, connecting on 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range, while Foster picked up 11 points, including the game’s winning free throws.
Foster dished up four assists as did Finn Beggy. Foster also led the team with two steals.
Jude Ausi came off the bench and pitched in seven critical points.
The Panthers began their quest for a PIAA title by hosting Cedar Crest (14-12) in the state opener. They could encounter familiar foes if they advance deep into the tournament as Seneca Valley (14-11), Central Catholic (22-3) and New Castle (23-2) are on the western side of the Class 6A bracket. Central Dauphin (22-3) is ranked No. 5 and on the USC-NC side of the state bracket.
The Panthers and the Red Hurricane are ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the state behind Imhotep Charter (21-6) and Father Judge (15-11)
The second round of PIAA action is set for March 11 at a site and time to be determined. Quarterfinal and semifinal play is scheduled for March 14 and 17. The PIAA final is set for 8 p.m. March 21 at the GIANT Center in Hershey.
TWO-FOR-TWO
Chartiers Valley meanwhile entered the PIAA tournament as the No. 2-ranked team in the state, behind Neumann-Goretti (20-5) out of District 12. Milton Hershey (23-2) is rated No. 3 and the District 2 runner-up is a possible quarterfinal match-up for the Colts on March 13.
The Class 5A semifinals are set for March 17 and the championship contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. March 20 at the GIANT Center in Hershey.
The Colts, however, are basking in their decisive triumph against Thomas Jefferson, 63-37, in the WPIAL championship game played Feb. 27 at the Petersen Events Center.
It was the second straight title for the Colts and experience played a key role in the triumph as four of the five starters were veterans of that previous championship clash, a 73-66 win against Peters Township.
Luca Federico, who came off the bench and scored five points in last year’s final, put his stamp on this year’s championship. He exploded for 31 points against the Jaguars, pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, picked up two assists and contributed four steals to go along with a few crowd-pleasing dunks.
“Luca was tremendous,” Dotchin said. “We kind of expect that from him. We told him before the season, ‘You’re going to have a lot on your shoulders, but you’re also going to have those five or six guys up here that you can lean on that are going to make things easier on you.’ But in order for us to be up here with these [gold medals] around our necks, we need him to do the things that he did on both ends.”
Federico certainly had the support of his teammates.
Julian Semplice followed him with 15 tallies. The senior captain also pitched in with five steals and six rebounds.
Julius Best came off the bench and provided seven points while Danny Slizik helped on the glass with seven rebounds. Slizik also provided four steals and two assists.
Starters Jake Lewis and Logan Helfrick provided quality moments in the contest as did Silas Verzich, who chalked up more than 15 minutes of playing time in a reserve role.
While the title was CV’s second in a row, it was the eighth in the program’s storied history.
According to Dotchin, the championship was well-earned and deserved.
“When we won last year, we knew that we were going to have a bull’s-eye on our back, so we worked even harder,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.”