Dec 4, 2015 6 min read

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Somehow, the WPIAL basketball season is upon us. It seems like just yesterday that we were prepping for the football season and I was making my winners in each conference. Though the results of those predictions were probably horrendous, I’ll take a shot at picking who will win each section that includes local teams.

I’ll post boys basketball tonight and girls basketball will be up before section play begins. This is another season where there aren’t many clear-cut favorites. Good luck picking against Monessen in Class A, but the rest are pretty intriguing.

Without further ado, here’s a quick breakdown of each section and who I think will win the section title. I’ll even include my WPIAL title prediction for laughs.

Quad-A

Section 4-AAAA

Matty McConnell is gone, but the balance of power is still leaning toward Chartiers Valley. Eddie Flohr is back after averaging 15 points per game for the defending WPIAL champions. The Colts are great on defense and are balanced on offense.

Bethel Park is intriguing because of 6-6 forward Jake Dixon, but the Black Hawks have a new coach. That will mean something early in the season and section title can often be determined by losses in December.

Upper St. Clair will be strong once again, but could face stiff competition from teams such as Canon-McMillan, Peters Township and Mt. Lebanon. Speaking to coaches in the section, the consensus is it’s a bit wide open this year, particularly when you get past Char Valley.

The Big Macs will be the most improved team in the section. They’ve got strong guard play, but their biggest test will be rebounding and defense.

Section champion: Chartiers Valley

Quad-A Champion: Pine-Richland. Love the Rams’ talent, but don’t count out Latrobe. That team is absolutely loaded.

Class AAA

Section 4-AAA

Jumping ahead a bit, but Ringgold must find a point guard to replace Nico Law. He was rusty after not playing basketball for a couple years, but the assists were there and his quickness opened up things on offense. George Martin is the x-factor for the Rams.

That being said, making the playoffs in this section is far from easy. West Mifflin is loaded and could compete for the WPIAL title. Uniontown is young, but always reloads, plus Steel Valley is very talented. Those are my top three, so look for Ringgold, Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands and Thomas Jefferson to compete for the final spot.

Section champion: West Mifflin

Section 5-AAA

Contrary to popular belief, South Fayette will be without Nick McKee, an all-section guard last season. He graduated, as well as Jack Relihan, Brett Brumbaugh and Matt O’Rourke. The Lions will be young, but athletic.

While they are transitioning after a strong senior class departed, West Allegheny and Montour should be ready to compete for a section title. Montour returns four starters and has plenty of size.

It may be a hunch, but I do expect Trinity to take a big step forward and South Fayette will certainly compete for the section title. It has one of the best coaches in the WPIAL and the athleticism is there.

Section champion: Montour

Class AAA champion: Beaver Falls

Class AA

Section 3-AA

The popular picks are Washington and Seton-La Salle, but I disagree. Bishop Canevin returns all but two players and has a ton of size in the front court. Mitchell King and John Weldon (6-5) are among the top players in the section and the Crusaders are deep.

I also don’t understand the hype behind the Rebels. The program is one of the best in Class AA, but losing Ryan Norkus is going to really hurt them. In my opinion, Norkus and Chartiers-Houston’s Alec Ferrari were the two best players in the section last season. He was a 6-3 forward who could shoot.

Paris Ford will beat opposing guards on athleticism alone and Cletus Helton is a heck of a guard, but the depth isn’t there and I’m not sure the Rebels will be a good enough shooting team to win the section.

So, what about the Prexies? I believe they’ll battle with BC for the title. They have a ton of speed and Nate Swart gives them a strong presence inside, plus the defense will be better under Ron Faust in year two, but does Wash High have the depth?

Markel Pulliam is going to surprise a lot of people. He’s going to be a tremendous guard for this team and will really help defensively.

Section champion: Bishop Canevin. My thought: strength in numbers. It’s hard to compete with that depth. Wash High has athleticism, but I’m not sure how polished its depth players are. Ford will average at least 16 points per game and Helton will make a name for himself, but I doubt the Rebels have another section title in the bag.

Section 4-AA

Waynesburg is intriguing because of its defense and junior forward Mitch Warman, but guard play could be a question. The same goes for Charleroi, which has 6-8 senior forward John Arnold.

Brownsville will be very talented, especially with Noah Brown (6-4) and Andre Smith. Frazier is intriguing, but losing L.A. Ross to transfer hurts.

Section champion: Brownsville wins the section and will surprise in the WPIAL playoffs. With that talent, the Falcons can press and force opponents into mistakes. Their guard play will make the difference.

Class AA hampion: Aliquippa. The Quips will start slow because they’re likely going to win the PIAA football title, but they’re loaded. Don’t count out Lincoln Park. It’s the charter school’s second season in Class AA and it has Nelly Cummings.

Class A

Section 3-A

Spoiler alert: Monessen is going to roll through section play. LaValle Rush, Justice Rice, Jaden Altomore, Dwight Moore and Demond Jordan are back. The Greyhounds will press the heck out of teams, force turnovers and score easily in transition. Best team in Class A and it’s not close, especially with Vincentian losing Jamison Nee.

California returns Kass Taylor, who could develop into a dominating presence for the Trojans, but the loss of Tray Matthews cannot be understated. My biggest regret was him not making first team all-district last season. He was incredible at times for Cal.

Jefferson-Morgan will be rebuilding, but will make the playoffs with Geibel.

Section champion: Monessen

Class A champion: Monessen. Jeannette, Clairton, North Catholic, Vincentian and Sewickley are intriguing, but this is the Greyhounds’ year to compete for a state title. Size will always be an issue for the small Class A program, but no one can match the speed and skill.