The final Friday before the holidays is a big one for section battles in WPIAL boys basketball.
Four of the top five teams in a talent-heavy Section 4-5A are set to collide.
Reigning WPIAL Class 5A champion Chartiers Valley is set for a special night as it hosts 2024 Class 5A district winner Moon.
The Colts are 2-0 atop the section following convincing victories over West Allegheny and Montour.
CV is 5-1 overall this season and has won three straight games since falling to Fox Chapel two weeks ago.
It’s been more than a week since the Tigers have played. In their most recent contest, they lost their section opener to Lincoln Park by eight points.
Moon is 3-1 this season after opening up the campaign with nonsection wins over Imani Christian, Penn Hills and Central Catholic.
Chartiers Valley will retire the No. 1 jersey worn the last four years of Jayden Davis on Friday.
Davis keyed Chartiers Valley’s run to the WPIAL title last season when he averaged 23.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Colts, who won the district title and reached the state semifinals.
Davis has 2,213 career points.
You can watch the game on Trib HSSN at 7:30 p.m.
Another big game in the section has West Allegheny visiting Mars.
The Indians sit in fourth place with a 1-1 section record and a 4-2 mark overall.
The Fightin’ Planets are 1-0 in the section and have won four of their five games this season.
Early beasts of the east
Another early season showdown in Class 5A is set between the top two teams in Section 1.
In Monroeville, Gateway battles Franklin Regional in a clash between 2-0 section teams with sole possession of first place at stake with tip set for 7:30 p.m.
The Gators lost their only nonsection game to York Suburban in late November but have won their first two section matchups, beating Latrobe and Laurel Highlands by double-digit points each.
The Panthers are 5-1 this season and have won three straight since losing to Norwin by one point. Franklin Regional has victories over Penn-Trafford and McKeesport thus far in section play.
Gateway swept the regular season series between the two a year ago, winning by nine points at home and by 11 points at Franklin Regional.
Section lid-lifters
There are six WPIAL boys basketball sections that have yet to tip off. That will change with plenty of openers set for Friday.
• In Section 2-4A, three undefeated teams open up on the road as Quaker Valley visits Ambridge, Hopewell is at Avonworth and Central Valley travels to Beaver.
• In Section 2-3A, Keystone Oaks is home to Sto-Rox and McGuffey visits Carlynton.
• In Section 3-3A, defending 3A champion South Allegheny opens up at Shady Side Academy, Seton LaSalle hosts South Park and Steel Valley looks for its first win when it hits the road to play Apollo-Ridge.
• In Section 4-3A, last season’s section winner Southmoreland heads to Charleroi, Mt. Pleasant is at Ligonier Valley and Brownsville welcomes Waynesburg.
• In Section 1-A, Aquinas Academy heads north to face Summit Academy while Nazareth Prep goes south to take on Avella.
• In Section 2-A, reigning district and state champion Neighborhood Academy visits Monessen, Geibel Catholic hosts Serra Catholic and St. Joseph hits the road to take on Environmental Charter.
In that Quakers-Bridgers Section 2-4A opener, QV head coach Mike Mastroianni hopes to become the 14th boys basketball coach in WPIAL history to win 600 games.